Authors
- Bill Cole (4)
- Dean Shoesmith (2)
- Jacqueline M. Wehmeyer, IPMA-CP, SPHR, PPP (1)
- Jim Lowery, IPMA-CP (1)
- Joe Lunt (4)
- Marnie E. Green (12)
- Steve A. Harman (4)
- Tina Chiappetta (5)
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Let's Be More Like the Private Sector?
April 17, 2009
Posted by Steve A. Harman
During my thirty-two year career in local government, elected officials would ask me why can’t the human resources management system be more like the private sector? Generally, I would respond by gently suggesting that they had the power and authority to change the system should they have the political will to do so. That response would bring a quick end to the conversation.
Do we really want local government to operate more like the private sector? Are we ready to abandon a system of values including fairness, equity, due process and transparency, which have been at the core of government for many years? The current economic crisis with the failure of some of the most progressive, well-respected companies in the world suggests to me that “being more like them” doesn’t serve the public interest.
Ironically, as our Country works through the current economic crisis, it’s the government that has come to the aide of the private sector! And though government intervention, some of the business practices of the private sector have come to light, particularly in the area of executive compensation.
I hope one of the outcomes of the economic crisis is an end to the mistaken belief that government ought to operate more like a business and less like a government. The goals and objective of government are far different; we serve a broad constituency with high expectations for services.
Comments
Amen, brother. Well said.
Amen, brother. Well said. Hopefully this tired old saw about changing who and what we are to please some transient elected official's notion of how thing should be will now be retired, hopefully permanently.
I also hope that we in this business can take advantage of a lull in unfair comparisons to point out what we do, and how that actually contributes to the stability and ultimate productivity of our agencies.
Thanks!
Having worked in both the
Having worked in both the private and public sectors as an HR Manager, I feel free in saying that the private sector approach does not work well in the public sector in most situations. My experience is that most elected officials have a small business or no business background at all and do not understand the complexities of a large organization. The reality is that the career service system of government promotes fairness, equitable treatment and was put in place to protect government employees from political agendas. It is also true that large private sector organizations are similar in many ways to public organizations. Many large private sector organizations have peer review committees to review decisions regarding termination, demotions and reductions in pay, similar to a government career service council.
I wish that some of my
I wish that some of my private sector HR associates could understand this point of view as so many of them could care less about equity, fairness or transparancy.
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