The Public Sector Human Resource Puzzle: Strategic Management of a Strategic Resource

Something has happened to public sector human resource management (HRM). The role of human resources in modem production systems has changed the significance of the HRM field and the criteria by which successful practice is to be judged. A few prescient analysts (Drucker, 1968; Schultz, 1971; Boulding, 1966; Chorafas, 1968; Machlup, 1962; Simon, 1964; Denison, 1967) grasped early the significance of human resources in information-based societies and economies. Awareness of the strategic role of human resources in post-industrial societies and organizations has penetrated management literature and practice (Meyer, 1978; Business Week, 1979; Messner, 1986; U. S. Department of Labor; Douglas et al., 1985; Fombrun et al., 1984; Odiorne, 1984). In essence, both the resource itself and the practices which manage that resource have become pivotal to the success of many public sector enterprises.