Assessment of People Criteria in Public Sector: A Tale Documented Through Lens of Caf

Abstract

Growing trends such as globalization, internationalization, and diversity management have increased the use of HRM practices in the South Asian region. In the recent past, various reform initiatives taking place have propelled the public sector HRM in an opportunistic direction. HRM in Pakistan is still passing through a preliminary phase. The culture in Pakistan's public sector organization is highly centralized and bureaucratic with political interference on practices. It is a descriptive study framed in a mixed-method approach. A comparative analysis has been conducted of three semi-autonomous state-owned enterprises of Pakistan which are Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL). The current research's theoretical bases are taken from the revised version of CAF 2013 model by the European Institute of Public Administration. The research objectives are twofold: To study the people criterion of CAF in WAPDA, WASA and SNGPL, and to determine the strengths and weaknesses of these enterprises required to identify areas of improvement. The qualitative data will be collected through 45 in-depth interviews; analyzed through thematic analysis. The quantitative data is analyzed through scores given by interviewers and documentary secondary evidence. The current research will be significant as it will assist other public sector organizations in using quality management techniques and improve the performance of their organizations by following the footsteps of WAPDA, WASA, and SNGPL. Keywords: HRM system; Pakistan; Common Assessment Framework; Public sector. JEL Codes: M10; O15