Demand for Accountability

In an environment of the loss of prestige for government services and the rise of informal actors the recruitment of a new generation of public servants is a significant challenge. Thus, human resource managers face a serious challenge to replace the government employees who are retiring in large numbers.

loss of tHe tenuRe system Globalization has facilitated the widespread adoption of the western ideology of New Public Management and Reinventing Government, which has led to spread of the privatization movement across the world. One of the consequences of privatization is outsourcing and the rise of the At-Will and contractual employment, that resulted in the end of the tenure system, which had earlier provided an incentive to join the public service. However, with the rise of At-Will employment, the tenure system is under attack. So, the government is losing one of the major attractions to recruit the best people. In previous decades, one of the major attractions for public sector jobs is the tenure and protection enjoyed by civil servants. With the rise of the At-Will and contractual employment, for example, in the United States, the public servants no longer enjoy the security formerly associated with the job. The tenure system protected civil servants from the arbitrary loss of jobs and political ramifications. The loss of this system has also led to an erosion of the commitment and loyalty of public servants. This has removed the psychological contract that prevailed in government services.

Lavigna and Hayes (2004) have outlined the following problems associated with present-day public personnel management: the aging of public employees, the erosion of loyalty, competition from the private sector, and budget shortages. The developed world faces the aging of the public employees who are dedicated to their services. The older generation was committed to their services, and was dedicated to the preservation of its organizational culture. The loss of the tenure system is depriving the government of the services of these experienced people. In an age of globalization with complex problems that require immediate action, government services need to be run by experienced people. Without such personnel, crises in governance will grow and this will result in serious consequences. The loss of experienced people may threaten the organizations’ stability. As Thompson (1967) remarked much earlier, in order to survive the organization needs both stability and change. Organizational stability is crucial for