Structural Vs. Behavioral Change: the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978

The Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA) is an attempt to change the way people behave in person nel management. This article examines four major assumptions about what was wrong with pre- reform personnel management that lead to the CSRA, and the structural changes initiated by the Act to correct these deficiences. It concludes that without a behaviorally-oriented change strategy, these structural reforms are not likely to lead to lasting behavioral change. This failure will result in the law falling short of its goals.