Spring 2002

    Imagine that you are an administrator in a public organization.  You have the responsibility of representing your organization to the 'outside' world and you have an obligation to make sure the organization runs well and is open to improvement (we take this up in POLS 512/716 The Administrative Process; related courses are POLS 511/711 Policy Analysis and POLS 675 Seminar on Budgeting).  The resources you have include money, technology, information, personnel, and a network of supporters.  Without a doubt, the "people" part of the organization is the most important part.  This course focuses specifically on the management of personnel.   We will engage in a number of activities, the most important part of the course will be the development of a portfolio of forms which you should be able to use as templates when carrying out the 'personnel' responsibilities of an agency.  In particular, we will be developing forms relating to job analysis, job description, recruitment, selection, performance evaluation, and others.  The two books we will be using for the class are:

    Richard C. Kearney (with David G. Carnevale), 2001, Labor Relations in the Public Sector, 3rd Edition, New York and Basel: Marcel Dekker, Inc.
    Patton, Witt, Lovrich, and Fredericksen, 2002, Human Resource Management  The Public Service Perspective, Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Grading scheme: 90%-100% of the total = A; 83%-89.99% of the total = B;
                          73%-82.99% of the total = C; 63%-72.99% of the total = D
Each "Experiential Exercise" is worth 50 points.  Each template is worth 300 points.  Each case is worth 200 points.  The final exam is worth 200 points.  The number of points in the class will depend on the number of cases we complete.  I will provide you with a spreadsheet that will help you keep track of your grade throughout the semester.  PLEASE NOTE:  This syllabus can be changed later in the semester.
    Graduate students will be expected to write a 20-page research paper with at least 20 sources, not more than half of which can come from the Internet.  The research paper can be about any topic related to personnel, broadly defined.  The research paper is due April 26, 2002.  Make sure to use quote marks when quoting and make sure not to plagiarize; otherwise the paper will receive the grade of zero.  Cite all sources listed in your "References," include all sources cited in the paper in your "References."  Whenever you include material from one of your sources - even when paraphrasing or summarizing, provide a citation.  You may use any of three citation techniques: in-text, foot-note, or end-note.  Please feel free to consult with me often about the research paper.  The research paper will be worth 5,000 points.  PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING ARE SUFFICIENT GROUNDS FOR RECEIVING A FAILING GRADE IN THE COURSE. For FHSU's policy on Academic Honesty, see pages 61 and 62 in the Fort Hays State University Catalog 1999-2002  Celebrating a Century of Excellence or click here for the web version.

Class itinerary

Introduction

Patton et al, chapter 1
    Discussion of the study questions
    Consideration of "Experiential Exercises" #1
    Government Retirement and Benefits, Inc. - site for  training personnelists (added 1-16-02)

Patton et al, ch 2
    Discussion of the study questions
    Consideration of "Experiential Exercises" #1 and #2
    Civil Service Commission of the Philippines (added 1-16-02)
    The comparable site for  Ireland (added 1-16-02)
    The comparable site for the  United Kingdom (added 1-16-02)
    The comparable site for  Mauritius (added 1-16-02)
    The World Bank Group's  Administrative and Civil Service Reform (added 1-16-02)

Patton et al, ch 3
    Discussion of the study questions
    Consideration of "Experiential Exercises" #1
    U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (added 1-16-02)
    Federal Labor Relations Authority (added 1-16-02)
    U.S. Office of Personnel Management (added 1-16-02)

Patton et al, ch 4
    Discussion of the study questions
    Consideration of "Experiential Exercises" #1-3
    Public Service Research Foundation's web site on "Little Hatch Acts" (added 1-17-02)
    Vedder Price is a law firm that practices in the area of the Constitutional rights for public employees (added 1-17-02)
    So also is Bredhoff & Kaiser (added 1-17-02)

Patton et al, ch 5
    Discussion of the study questions
    Consideration of "Experiential Exercises" #1-6
    Development of a template for an affirmative action policy (for your portfolio)
    See Robert G. Huber's article, which is related to the subject of this chapter (added 1-17-02)

Kearney, chapters 1-11

Patton et al, ch 6
    Discussion of the study questions
    Consideration of "Experiential Exercises" #2 and #3
    Development of a template for developing a strategic plan (for your portfolio)

Patton et al, ch 7
    Discussion of the study questions
    Consideration of "Experiential Exercises" #1
    Development of templates for job analysis, job classification,
    job description, and job evaluation (for your portfolio)

Patton et al, ch 8
    Discussion of the study questions
    Consideration of "Experiential Exercises" #4
    Development of templates for recruitment and selection (for your portfolio)

Patton et al, ch 9
    Discussion of the study questions
    Consideration of "Experiential Exercises" #1 and #2
   Development of a template for salary structure (for your portfolio)

Patton et al, ch 10
    Discussion of the study questions
    Consideration of "Experiential Exercises" #1 and #2
    Development of a template for reward system (for your portfolio)

Patton et al, ch 11
    Discussion of the study questions
    Consideration of "Experiential Exercises" #1-3
    Development of templates for evaluating job performance (for your portfolio)

Patton et al, ch 12
    Discussion of the study questions
    Consideration of "Experiential Exercises" #1-4
    Development of 'approaches to training' template (for your portfolio)

Patton et al, ch 13
    Discussion of the study questions
    Consideration of "Experiential Exercises" #1-3
   Development of 'approach to correction/termination' template (for your portfolio)

Patton et al, ch 14
    Discussion of the study questions
    Consideration of "Experiential Exercises" #1-3
    Development of a template for a policy/procedure manual (for your portfolio)

Patton et al, ch 15
    Develop a written philosophy of personal growth (for your portfolio)
        this will count as a 'template' for grading purposes

Work through as many of the 14 cases at the end of Patton et al as we can.

Final exam: Monday, May 13, 1:30-3:10
1. You are an administrator faced with a terrible dilemma.  You really hate the fact that a bureaucracy can create such a powerful environment that it actually changes someone's personality.  You are dismayed by how often in bureaucratic settings people are treated like things. Yet you have a responsibility to make sure that your organization runs smoothly.  Where do you draw the line between thinking of workers as people and thinking of workers as organizational resources?