Antecedents of managers’ people management: Using the AMO model to explain differences in hrm implementation and leadership

This chapter examines managers’ role in people management within a public sector setting and the factors explaining differences in people management performance between managers. The main question guiding this contribution is: What are the antecedents (favoring and hindering factors) of public managers’ HRM implementation and leadership behavior? The AMO model is used as a conceptual framework to map and examine the antecedents of public managers’ people management. Under the Ability category of the AMO model, the focus is on managers’ people management abilities and management development. Under the Motivation category, the focus is on managers’ willingness to take up people management responsibilities and their priorities. Under the Opportunities category, support from different organizational stakeholders (HR department, upper management, etc.) and (personnel) red tape are covered. As such, this chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the impact that typical public sector characteristics have on managers’ people management performance.