Personnel System of U.S.A.

Dr. Upul Abeyrathne, Dept. of Economics,

University of Ruhuna,Matara

Nature of Personnel System

• Nature of Public Administration • A special set of expectation• Rewards accruing

Personnel System in the Founding Period

• It was a very small, close knit one.• Core government activities have been conducted by a highly qualified

group of persons(Education was more pertinent than wealth).• It was regarded as a craft. Government work has been learnt through

experience and practice. • Commitment to service has been highly regarded. • Politics as ideology was highly valued in appointment rather than

partisan politics.• Most of them have been the war veterans. Service in the war was

considered a litmus test of loyalty to the new government.• Loyalty to the government, not to the political figure was a criterion in

selection

Nature of the work

• It was technical and experimental. They learnt the craft. Held at least a college degree.

• Work was more idiosyncratic than reutined.• Individual moral character was considered

with educational qualifications.• It was a calling and have to work with a person

whom the applicant knew.

Spoils System

• Election of Andrew Jackson in 1828 marked the departure point of Burkean Concept of representation as a trusteeship.

• During the Foregone period, Personnel system has been marked on personal ties rather than political connections. Personal ties was regarded as undemocratic.

• Political appointments have been regarded as an expanded opportunity to participate in the governance of the country as a public servant.

• Patronage system was regarded as a kind of reform at the time Jackson.

• Jackson Justified his position on the followings: 1. It would give ordinary citizens to serve in government 2. It helps to remove superannuated officials. 3. It removes the nepotism.

First Modern Civil Service Legislation

• The law was passed in 1871.It provided the president powers1. To prescribe rules and regulations for the admission of

persons to civil service2. To ascertain fitness of each candidate in respect of

age, health, character, knowledge and ability3. To employ suitable persons to conduct said inquiries4. To prescribe their duties5. To establish regulations for the persons who are

appointed to the civil service.

President’s Response

• President Grant responded positively• He appointed seven member commission with George

Curtis (Curtis was a leading reformer)This law is important because 1. It provided authority to president over federal personnel

management for the first time. 2. It provided central personnel Agency3. It provided line and staff agency for the first time for

advice and assistance.Commission failed in 1873 and 1874 when congress refused

funding.

Outside Forces for Reform

• 1877, New York Civil Service Reform Association

• 1881, National Civil Service Reform League (Prodigious Propagandists)

• President James Garfield was assassinated in 1881.

• Civil Service Reform was the major issue of congressional election in 1882.

Pendleton Act.

• Senator George Pendleton Placed a reform bill in 1881.

• This act is based on British Civil Service Mode

Provisions in the Pendleton Act

1. To establish a civil service commission to help president in the personnel management.

2. The division of civil service into Two Categories. i.e. Classified and non-classified. President is empowered to decide whom shall be included in the category of classified.

3. Appointment to classified category shall have to be done on the basis of competitive examination conducted by the Civil Service Commission.

• 4. The competitive examination has to focus on the practical skills of the candidates and commission is responsible to prepare a priority list depending on the abilities of the candidates. The list shall form the basis in appointing to the classified service

• 5. In appointing persons to the civil service, the representation of each and every states shall be respected.

• 6. The civil servants in the classified services have to prevent from party politics and government have to adopt policies to prevent political interference on them

7.There shall be a six months probation period.8. The provisions in the act are not applicable to

appointments that the president make with the concurrence of the Senate.

9. The ex- soldiers and their widows shall be given preference in appointing civil servants.

Specific Features

• It provided for a open system. Many entry point to the service

• Political Neutrality as well as political expediency

The Criticism

• The Civil Service has been criticized on many account.

• Government has made attempt to bypass it on many occasion.

• The insufficiently responsive nature of the commission to the need of the president.

Another Watershed

• Civil Service Reform Act 1978.• The actual content of the law has been an

amalgam of virtually all the reform proposals proffered for the last forty years.

Major Changes in Seven Areas

1. The law abolishes the Civil Service .Commission.

• Reassigned some of its functions to Office of Personnel Management. The Director of the OPM serves at the pleasure of the president.

2. Creation of a merit system board.To hear grievances and ensure the efficiency of

the merit system.It would be the watchdog, anti-corruption, anti-

politics aspects of the civil service system.It is a three member independent agency and

members serve seven year staggered terms.

3. Federal Labour Relations Council was created to perform on behalf of federal employees some of the functions of the National Labour Relations Board.

• 4. Creation of the Senior Executive Service (SES)

• It was to respond to the problem of the interface between career bureaucracts and political appointees at the head of agencies.

• This group is arround 9000 executives formally in the general schedule grades 16,17 and 18.

• They became a cardre of general managers.

• They could be assigned to work in any agency because their expertise was in management.

• They were put in a separate pay plan and expected to compete for bonus monies based on performances.

5. Midle Level Managers (GS 13-15) was created. They were also supervisory personnel. They have been assigned to a new performance appraisal and pay schedule. The objective was that future salaries were to be based on performancee of Management Assignement and task.

6. Protection for Whistleblowers.

7. Incorporation of a definition of “merit system” into the law.