The Performance Lens: The Public-Sector Case

This chapter makes three important contributions to the literature on the relationship between human resource management (HRM) and public-sector performance. First, the chapter presents a nuanced Harvard model that is developed by blending contemporary general HRM insights with public administration and public management literature. This refined model is more meaningful for the specific context of the public sector because it highlights multiple stakeholder interests, situational factors, and mediating factors (HRM policy choices and HRM outcomes), as well as long-term consequences from a public-sector context perspective. Second, the chapter presents an overview of studies on HRM and public-sector performance. This overview summarizes what is already known about the added value of HRM in a public-sector context. Third, on the basis of this literature review, the chapter identifies five important gaps in the literature, thereby providing a research agenda for future research.