Human Resource Management in the Public Sector: Examining International Cases

Abstract

Reviews the book, Human resource management in the public sector by Rona S. Beattie & Stephen P. Osborne (2008). This book is a collection of articles that appeared in Public Management Review, a leading British journal, after the authors originally delivered the contents as papers at the Seventh International Research Symposium on Public Management, held in Hong Kong in October 2003. The articles concern the important topic of how government agencies are making the transition from a traditional model of public personnel administration to a broader, more inclusive and strategic model of human resource management. The chapters present empirical studies from the United Kingdom, France, and Australia, bringing interesting findings and concepts to light as the field shifts to become more viable in a postreinvention, New Public Management environment. The authors focus on the relationship between human resource management practice and organizational performance, training and development, organizational communication in a climate of change, work–life balance, and performance management in a public safety setting. This book provides a broad, international perspective on human resource management innovative practices. The book also would prove a useful supplemental text to graduate human resource management classes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)