PLSC 515 – Public Personnel Administration
Political Science Department
College of Arts & Sciences
Eastern Michigan University
Winter 2014
Gregory K. Plagens
601J Pray-Harrold
(734) 487-2522
gregory.plagens@emich.edu
Class Time: 6:00 to 8:40 PM, Mondays
211 Porter
Office Hours: 2 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays
4 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays (Livonia Center)
and by appointment
Course Description
This course examines contemporary practices and leadership challenges in public sector personnel
administration. Since the mission of the MPA Program at EMU is to prepare leaders for public and
nonprofit organizations, particularly at the local level, attention is given to both sectors. Practices of the
national and state governments are covered since many practices of local personnel administration are
guided by federal and state laws or practices.
In constructing this course, two guiding principles have been used purposefully to determine the
material covered and the assessments required. I believe that continuous reflection on the concepts of
fairness and professionalism are essential for responsible public personnel administration. You will see as
the semester unfolds how these ideas can be, and should be, used in designing personnel systems and
acting on personnel matters.
Public personnel administrators should understand the mission of the organizations they serve and
how a strong personnel system can contribute to achieving organizational goals and objectives. This
semester we will take time to learn from one another in group sessions and discussions. You will be
asked to learn about and share the practices of the organizations where you currently work. If you are not
currently employed, or do not wish to share information from your organization’s personnel department,
you may choose a public organization at the national, state or local level about which to learn in detail.
Course Objectives
Students will learn to…
…conceptualize fairness and professional ethics, relating them to public personnel administration;
…relate public personnel administration to the ideas and ideals of public service;
…identify significant historical events in the evolution of public personnel administration;
…identify important legal issues in public personnel administration;
…connect public personnel administration to the mission of an organization;
…identify significant challenges in contemporary public personnel administration;
…think critically about and solve problems in contemporary public personnel administration.
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Course Activities to Meet Objectives:
Several assessments will be used to determine progress toward course objectives. Please note that
there are some objectives for which there are no clear assessments. The constraints of a 16-week semester
require compromises, but I show the additional objectives so you will see what I hope to convey this
semester through readings, discussions and assessments.
1. Fairness Exercise (10%)
Assigned: Jan. 6
Due: Jan. 13
2. Case Study 1: Government Regulation of Sex (15%)
Assigned: Feb. 3
Due: Feb. 10
3. Best Places to Work Exercise (15%)
Assigned: Feb. 17
Due: Mar. 3
4. Case Study 2: Mentoring (20%)
Assigned: Mar. 17
Due: Mar. 24
5. Case Study 3: Personnel Conditions at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (25%)
Assigned: Apr. 7
Due: Apr. 21
6. Group Reports (15%)
Assigned: Jan. 13, Jan. 27, Mar. 10
Due: Whenever you complete them, but must be turned in within two weeks of being
assigned.
Course Resources
Required
Naff, Katherine C., Norma M. Riccucci, and Siegrun Fox Freyss. 2014. Personnel Management in
Government: Politics and Process, Seventh Edition. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press.
Course Outline
PART I: INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION
Week One – Jan. 6
Introduction
Syllabus Review
Fairness Exercise
Ideas and Ideals of Public Service
Recommended
Wilson, James Q. 1989. Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It. New York:
Basic Books. (Ch. 8, People)
Lecture Resources
Horton, Sylvia. 2008. “History and Persistence of an Idea and an Ideal.” In Motivation in Public
Management: The Call of Public Service, edited by James L. Perry and Annie Hondeghem, 17-32.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
PLSC 515
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Goodnough, Abby. 2013. “Tennessee Race for Medicaid: Dial Fast and Try, Try Again.” The New
York Times, March 24.
Fineberg, Kenneth R. 2012. Who Gets What: Fair Compensation after Tragedy and Financial Upheaval.
Public Affairs
Stone, Deborah. 2011. Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision Making. New York: W.W. Norton.
Assessment
Fairness Exercise Assigned
Week Two – Jan. 13
Professional Ethics and the Public Personnel Administrator
Reading
Cooper, Terry L. 2006. “Administrative Responsibility: The Key to Administrative Ethics.” In The
Responsible Administrator, written by Terry L. Cooper, 80-105. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Naff, Katherine C., Norma M. Riccucci, and Siegrun Fox Freyss. 2014. Personnel Management in
Government: Politics and Process. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press. (p. 71-72 only)
State of Michigan. 1999. “State Ethics Act: Standards of Conduct for Public Officers and
Employees (Act 196 of 1973).” Accessed November 12, 2013.
http://www.michigan.gov/mdcs/0,1607,7-147-6881_13592-26139--,00.html#print
Lecture Resources
State of Michigan. 2013. “Rules of Practice and Procedure State Board of Ethics.” Accessed
November 12, 2013. http://www.michigan.gov/mdcs/1,1607,7-147-6881_13592-26824-,00.html#print.
West, Jonathan P. 2009. “Ethics and Human Resource Management.” In Public Personnel
Administration: Problems and Prospects, edited by Steven W. Hays, Richard C. Kearney, and Jerrell
D. Coggburn, 275-89. New York: Longman.
Facer, Rex L. III, and Mark D. Bradbury. 2005. “Practical Strategies for Increasing Ethical
Behavior in the Workplace.” In Handbook of Human Resource Management in Government, edited by
Stephen E. Condrey. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Pugh, Darrell L. 1991. “The Origins of Ethical Frameworks in Public Administration.” In Ethical
Frontiers in Public Management: Seeking New Strategies for Resolving Ethical Dilemmas, edited by
James S. Bowman, 9-33. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Assessment
Fairness Exercise Due
Group Report 1 Assigned
Week Three – Jan. 20
MLK Holiday: No classes
Week Four – Jan. 27
Political and Historical Foundations
Required
Naff, Katherine C., Norma M. Riccucci, and Siegrun Fox Freyss. 2014. Personnel Management in
Government: Politics and Process. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press. (Chapter 1)
State of Michigan. 1908. “Constitution of Michigan.” Accessed November 12.
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/%28S%28bmwhd345kr2wekiw5wehxsr3%29%29/documents/histo
rical/miconstitution1908.htm. (Article VI, Sec. 22, only)
Lecture Resources
Van Riper, Paul P. 1958. History of the United States Civil Service. Evanston, Ill.: Harper & Row.
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Klinger, Donald E. 2009. “Competing Perspectives on Public Personnel Administration: Civil
Service, Patronage, and Privatization.” In Public Personnel Administration: Problems and Prospects,
edited by Steven W. Hays, Richard C. Kearney, and Jerrell D. Coggburn, 3-16. New York:
Longman.
Rosenbloom, David H., and Joshua Chanin. 2009. “What Every Public Personnel Manager Should
Know About the Constitution.” In Public Personnel Administration: Problems and Prospects, edited
by Steven W. Hays, Richard C. Kearney, and Jerrell D. Coggburn, 17-33. New York: Longman.
Selden, Sally Coleman. 2009. “Personnel and Human Resource Management in the States.” In
Public Human Resource Management: Problems and Prospects, edited by Steven W. Hays, Richard C.
Kearney, and Jerrell D. Coggburn, 46-63. New York: Longman.
Mason, Susan G., and Lana Stein. 2009. “Local Government Personnel Administration: Heritage,
Contemporary Practice, and Portents.” In Public Human Resource Management: Problems and
Prospects, edited by Steven W. Hays, Richard C. Kearney, and Jerrell D. Coggburn, 64-78. New
York: Longman.
Assessment
Group Report 2 Assigned
Week Five – Feb. 3
Legal Framework of Public Human Resource Management
Required
Naff, Katherine C., Norma M. Riccucci, and Siegrun Fox Freyss. 2014. Personnel Management in
Government: Politics and Process. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press. (Chapter 2)
Lecture Resources
Hartman, Jerry, Gregory W. Homer, and Alisa H. Reff. 2005. “Human Resource Management
Legal Issues.” In Handbook of Human Resource Management in Government, edited by Stephen E.
Condrey, 377-402. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Sowa, Jessica E. 2009. “Employee Rights to Address Wrongs: Trends in State Government
Grievance Practices.” In Public Human Resource Management: Problems and Prospects, edited by
Steven W. Hays, Richard C. Kearney, and Jerrell D. Coggburn, 203-216. New York: Longman.
Assessment
Case Study 1 Assigned
PART II: CORE PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS
Week Six – Feb. 10
Job Analysis
Required
Foster, Mark R. 2005. “Effective Job Analysis Methods.” In Handbook of Human Resource
Management in Government, edited by Stephen E. Condrey, 528-555. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Lecture Resources
Klinger, Donald E., and John Nalbandian. 2003. Public Personnel Management: Contexts and
Strategies. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
Daley, Dennis M. 2002. Strategic Human Resource Management. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice
Hall.
Assessment
Case Study 1 Due
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Week Seven – Feb. 17
Classification and Compensation
Required
Naff, Katherine C., Norma M. Riccucci, and Siegrun Fox Freyss. 2014. Personnel Management in
Government: Politics and Process. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press. (Chapters 4 & 5)
Lecture Resources
Daley, Dennis M. 2002. Strategic Human Resource Management. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Prentice Hall.
Naff, Katherine C. 2003. “Why Public Managers Hate Position Classification.” In Public Personnel
Administration: Problems and Prospects, edited by Steven W. Hays, and Richard C. Kearney. Upper
Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
Siegel, Gilbert B. 2005. “Designing and Creating an Effective Compensation Plan.” In Handbook of
Human Resource Management in Government, edited by Stephen E. Condrey, 598-618. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Roberts, Gary E. 2009. “Employee Benefits.” In Public Human Resource Management: Problems and
Prospects, edited by Steven W. Hays, Richard C. Kearney, and Jerrell D. Coggburn, 123-141. New
York: Longman.
Assessment
Best Places to Work Exercise Assigned
Week Eight – Feb. 24
Winter Recess: No Class
Week Nine – Mar. 3
Recruitment and Selection
Required
Naff, Katherine C., Norma M. Riccucci, and Siegrun Fox Freyss. 2014. Personnel Management in
Government: Politics and Process. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press. (Chapter 6)
Lecture Resources
Gazley, Beth. 2009. “Personnel Recruitment and Retention in the Nonprofit Sector.” In Public
Human Resource Management: Problems and Prospects, edited by Steven W. Hays, Richard C.
Kearney, and Jerrell D. Coggburn, 79-92. New York: Longman.
Daley, Dennis M. 2002. Strategic Human Resource Management. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Prentice Hall.
Hays, Steven W., and Jessica E. Sowa. 2005. “Staffing the Bureaucracy: Employee Recruitment
and Selection.” In Handbook of Human Resource Management in Government, edited by Stephen E.
Condrey, 97-124. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Assessment
Best Places to Work Exercise Due
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PART III: KEY PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CONCERNS
Week Ten – Mar. 10
Human Resources Planning and Information Technology
Required
Naff, Katherine C., Norma M. Riccucci, and Siegrun Fox Freyss. 2014. Personnel Management in
Government: Politics and Process. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press. (Chapter 3)
Lecture Resources
Getha-Taylor, Heather. 2012. “The Challenges of Succession Planning in Turbulent Times.” In
Public Personnel Management: Current Concerns, Future Challenges, edited by Norma M. Riccucci,
148-156. New York: Longman.
Coggburn, Jerrell D. 2009. “Outsourcing Human Resources: Problems and Prospects for the
Public Sector.” In Public Human Resource Management: Problems and Prospects, edited by Steven W.
Hays, Richard C. Kearney, and Jerrell D. Coggburn, 308-324. New York: Longman.
Jacobson, Willow S. 2009. “Planning for Today and Tomorrow: Workforce Planning.” In Public
Human Resource Management: Problems and Prospects, edited by Steven W. Hays, Richard C.
Kearney, and Jerrell D. Coggburn, 179-202. New York: Longman.
Rainey, Glenn W. Jr. 2005. “Human Resource Consultants and Outsourcing.” In Handbook of
Human Resource Management in Government, edited by Stephen E. Condrey, 701-734. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Wooters, Robert T. 2009. “HR Information Technology Systems in State Government: Findings
from the 2007 Government Performance Project.” In Public Human Resource Management: Problems
and Prospects, edited by Steven W. Hays, Richard C. Kearney, and Jerrell D. Coggburn, 253-274.
New York: Longman.
Coursey, David H., and Samuel M. McCreary. 2005. “Using Technology in the Workplace.” In
Handbook of Human Resource Management in Government, edited by Stephen E. Condrey, 189-214.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Assessment
Group Report 3 Assigned
Week Eleven – Mar. 17
Benchmarking and Metrics
Required
Ammons, David. 2005. “Benchmarking Performance.” In Handbook of Human Resource
Management in Government, edited by Stephen E. Condrey, 623-647. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Lecture Resources
Daley, Dennis M. 2002. Strategic Human Resource Management. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Prentice Hall.
Klinger, Donald E., and John Nalbandian. 2003. Public Personnel Management: Contexts and
Strategies. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
Hays, Steven W. and Robert Lavigna. 2009. “Human Resource Metrics in Government:
Measuring the Impacts of HRM.” In Public Human Resource Management: Problems and Prospects,
edited by Steven W. Hays, Richard C. Kearney, and Jerrell D. Coggburn, 160-178. New York:
Longman.
Assessment
Case Study 2 Assigned
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Week Twelve – Mar. 24
Performance Management
Required
Naff, Katherine C., Norma M. Riccucci, and Siegrun Fox Freyss. 2014. Personnel Management in
Government: Politics and Process. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press. (Chapter 7)
Lecture Resources
Wilson, James Q. 1989. Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It. New York:
Basic Books. (Ch. 9, Compliance)
Daley, Dennis M. 2009. “The Trials and Tribulations of Performance Appraisal: Problems and
Prospects in the Twenty-First Century.” In Public Human Resource Management: Problems and
Prospects, edited by Steven W. Hays, Richard C. Kearney, and Jerrell D. Coggburn, 107-122. New
York: Longman.
Kellough, J. Edward. 2012. “Managing Human Resources to Improve Organizational
Productivity: The Role of Performance Evaluation.” In Public Personnel Management: Current
Concerns, Future Challenges, edited by Norma M. Riccucci, 173-185. New York: Longman.
Gabris, Gerald T., and Trenton J. Davis. 2009. “Challenges in Motivating the Public Sector
Employee: Theory and Practice in a Dynamic Environment.” In Public Human Resource
Management: Problems and Prospects, edited by Steven W. Hays, Richard C. Kearney, and Jerrell D.
Coggburn, 142-159. New York: Longman.
Assessment
Case Student 2 Due
Week Thirteen – Mar. 31
Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action
Required
Naff, Katherine C., Norma M. Riccucci, and Siegrun Fox Freyss. 2014. Personnel Management in
Government: Politics and Process. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press. (Chapter 8)
Lecture Resources
Kellough, J. Edward. 2009. “Affirmative Action and Diversity in the Public Sector.” In Public
Human Resource Management: Problems and Prospects, edited by Steven W. Hays, Richard C.
Kearney, and Jerrell D. Coggburn, 219-235. New York: Longman.
Hoyman, Michele M., and Lana Stein. 2005. “Sexual Harassment in the Workplace.” In Handbook
of Human Resource Management in Government, edited by Stephen E. Condrey, 423-439. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Pfeiffer, David. 2005. “Understanding the Americans with Disabilities Act.” In Handbook of
Human Resource Management in Government, edited by Stephen E. Condrey, 440-464. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Riccucci, Norma M. 2005. “A Practical Guide to Affirmative Action.” In Handbook of Human
Resource Management in Government, edited by Stephen E. Condrey, 403-422. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
Week Fourteen – Apr. 7
Diversity in the Workplace
Required
Naff, Katherine C., Norma M. Riccucci, and Siegrun Fox Freyss. 2014. Personnel Management in
Government: Politics and Process. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press. (Chapter 9)
Lecture Resources
Foldy, Erica Gabrielle. 2004. "Learning from Diversity: A Theoretical Exploration." Public
Administration Review 64 (5):529-38.
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“Riccucci, Norma M. 2012. “Diversity and Cultural Competency.” In Public Personnel Management:
Current Concerns, Future Challenges, edited by Norma M. Riccucci, 50-59. New York: Longman.
Assessment
Case Study 3 Assigned
Week Fifteen – Apr. 14
Labor and Conflict Management
Required
Naff, Katherine C., Norma M. Riccucci, and Siegrun Fox Freyss. 2014. Personnel Management in
Government: Politics and Process. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press. (Chapter 10)
Lecture Resources
Ferris, F., and Hyde, Alfred C. 2004. “Federal Labor-Management Relations for the Next Century
– or the Last? The Case of the Department of Homeland Security.” Review of Public Personnel
Administration 24(3): 216-233.
Mareschal, Patrice M. 2009. “Current Developments in Public Sector Labor Relations.” In Public
Human Resource Management: Problems and Prospects, edited by Steven W. Hays, Richard C.
Kearney, and Jerrell D. Coggburn, 290-307. New York: Longman.
Klinger, Donald E., and John Nalbandian. 2003. Public Personnel Management: Contexts and
Strategies. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
Daley, Dennis M. 2002. Strategic Human Resource Management. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Prentice Hall.
Herrman, Margaret S. 2005. “Understanding and Using Conflict in the Workplace.” In Handbook
of Human Resource Management in Government, edited by Stephen E. Condrey, 326-350. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
PART IV: MOVING FORWARD
Week Sixteen – Apr. 21
Strategic Human Resource Management
Required
Pynes, Joan E. 2009. “Strategic Human Resources Management.” In Public Human Resource
Management: Problems and Prospects, edited by Steven W. Hays, Richard C. Kearney, and Jerrell D.
Coggburn, 95-106. New York: Longman.
Lecture Resources
Brown, Roger G., and Mary Maureen Brown. 2005. “Strategic Planning for Human Resource
Managers.” In Handbook of Human Resource Management in Government, edited by Stephen E.
Condrey, 648-668. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Daley, Dennis M. 2002. Strategic Human Resource Management. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Prentice Hall.
Assessment
Case Study 3 Due
Exam Week – Apr. 28
There will be no final exam. 