Personnel-Related Management Tools in Municipal Administration

Abstract

For public organizations, municipalities in particular, the issue of personnel costs has taken on more significance as administrators are faced with diminishing sources of revenue and an overall loss in purchasing power. Public managers must therefore face the challenge of this new era of government and develop appropriate strategies for effectively utilizing their human resources. One such set of strategies is the use of formal management tools.Chief administrative officers of 456 municipalities responded to a nationwide survey on such issues as the use and perceived effectiveness of four management tools: MBO, productivity improvement programs, incentive systems, and productivity bargaining. The influences of professionalism and fiscal status were also tested.The findings indicate that the use of these techniques have increased markedly in the last six years. MBO and productivity improvement programs were reportedly used by a clear majority of cities; and those tools that are used city-wide tend to be perceived as more effective.

Values Management in Local Government

“…Hayes, 1977;Layden, 1980;Greiner, 1980;and West, 1984; suggest that jurisdictional characteristics (city size, geographic region, form of government) may affect the development of and progress in the above value management areas. Based on the available literature, it is suggested that progress is furthered by the availability of a larger resource base in bigger cities; by the heightened professionalism that is associated with the council-manager form of government; and by the innovative tendencies which characterize Western cities (McGowan and Poister, 1983;Saltzstein, 1990;Cayer, 1991). The literature also suggests that values management is associated with efforts to increase quality and productivity.…”