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there is an increased emphasis on the role of human resources management (HRM) in the public sector. In Pynes’s view, HRM is a dynamic and evolving process that must acknowledge environmental changes and challenges (e.g., economic, social, cultural, and educational) and adapt its tactics to strategically address the environmental factors (Pynes 2009, p. 4). The major tasks faced by HRM are “planning, acquisition, development, and discipline” (Klingner 2009, p. 3). Farazmand (2005a, b) advocated capacity building to cope with the global challenges of cooperation, competition, and pressures. Capacity building requires well—trained public personnel who are able to cope with a globalized world that faces complex and divergent problems. According to Farazmand (2005a, b), the crucial challenges regarding capacity building are the allocation of natural resources, infrastructure building and the development of a culture of accountability. The government is both a principal and an agent. Similarly, the consumers of services are the principals and the organizations providing the services are the agents (Alchian and Demsetz 1973; Fama 1980). By emphasizing the changes occurring in public personnel management, Burke (1999) suggests the activities include human resource planning, tracking legal and ethical issues, incorporating global innovations, assessing the trends in the workforce and assisting in restructuring and rightsizing of public personnel functions. Globalization has brought new challenges for HRM in the public sector. Marquardt and Berger (2003) assert that human resource development can maximize the beneficial elements of globalization in the areas of political and economic development, organizational and workplace learning, education and vocational training, global leadership development, technology and knowledge, and environmental sustainability. In what follows, the chapter analyzes how globalization poses challenges for public personnel management.
The Challenges of Recruitment Of all the factors that contribute to organizational performance, the human element is the most fundamental. Managers across the public, private, and non-profit sectors are increasingly “recognizing that employees are their organization’s most important assets and that the most significant source of competitive advantage comes from having the best systems in place for attracting, motivating, and managing their organization’s human resources” (Mesch 2010, p. 173). Governments are the largest employer in many countries. According to Light (2002), government at all levels faces a growing challenge in efforts at recruitment and retention.
