Bonnie G. Mani

Women in the Federal Civil Service Career Advancement, Veterans’ Preference, and Education

There is a widely accepted belief that veterans’ preference is a significant barrier to women’s career advancement. This article measures the impact of these policies on the careers of women in the federal civil service. Descriptive statistics, tests for comparisons of means, and logistic regression are used to examine data describing the careers of men and women, veterans and nonveterans. The analysis reveals that the effect of the preference on women’s access to jobs is diminishing and that there are gaps between the salaries of men and women regardless of veteran status. In addition, education seems to be a strong driving force, and veterans’ preference seems to be a weak restraint for women trying to advance to higher levels.

Progress on the Journey to Total Quality Management: Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Adjective Check List in Management Development

The objective of this paper is to describe and assess a management development process utilized in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a public sector agency that has implemented Total Quality Management (TQM). The program described in this paper is unique to the Richmond District where the facilitator was qualified to enhance the process used in other offices by adding the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator1 and The Adjective Check List.2 This paper is based on three premises. It is feasible for agencies, i. e., public bureaucracies, to implement the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM) and a growing number of them are trying to do so. Management commitment is a prerequisite for TQM so the need to develop effective, committed managers is increasingly critical. Programs designed to develop new managers can be enhanced when the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and The Adjective Check List are included as part of a self-assessment.

The Employer’s Advantage in Sexual Harassment Cases How the Courts Have Discouraged the Victims of Sexual Harassment

Why does sexual harassment continue to be a problem in the workplace? Do employers have an advantage in the courts when victims file complaints? This article explores these questions by analyzing court cases, an interview with a litigant, Equal EmploymentOpportunity Commission statistics, andMerit Systems Protection Board studies. The results of this analysis suggest practical strategies for improving compliance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Although complaint processes and litigation might serve as deterrents, employers have an advantage so victims have been reluctant to file formal complaints. Women have a disadvantage in the courts because fewwomen serve on the bench, however the number of female judges is likely to increase in the future. Also, agencies need to open and legitimize the process by establishing informal aswell as formal complaint processes and networks of impartial counselors and investigators who are qualified to hear complaints.

Difficulties, Assumptions, and Choices in Evaluating Employee Assistance Programs

Existing evaluations of employee assistance programs have been criticized on a number ofgrounds. In addition to facing the difficulties thatare inherent in many program evaluations, evaluators of EAPs also encounter problems. Their reluctance to cooperate is often based on concerns about maintaining confidentiality, especially when dealing with clients who are emotionally disturbed. This article presents a description of common prob lems encountered in EAP evaluations, some suggested solutions to these problems, some preliminary steps to prepare fora more successful evaluation, anda step-by-step process for developing an evaluation research design for an employee assistance program.

Determinants of a City Manager's Tenure in Office: The Person, Job, Municipality, and Election System

Appointed officials in municipalities influence policy decisions and the distribution of services that affect everyday life. So stability or turnover of appointed officials is likely to affect efficiency and effectiveness of critical services like police protection, fire fighting and prevention, land use regulation, and public utilities. Seeking to explain the relationship between four groups of variables and appointed officials’ long or short terms in office, quantitative data collected from a random sample of appointed municipal officials in North Carolina were analyzed using hierarchical logistic regression. Tenure in office divided at median years in office was the dichotomous dependent variable. Four groups of independent variables related to the person, the job, the city, and election systems were entered hierarchically in four logistic regression models. Qualitative data collected from the same appointed officials further explain the results of the quantitative analysis. Results show that competence in formulating and implementing budgets and city government experience lead to longer terms in office, higher education leads to shorter terms in office, and political variables have no significant effect on appointed officials’ job security in North Carolina. This is useful information for city managers setting long-term career goals, citizens judging local governments’ service delivery, and elected officials making decisions about appointments and terminations.

Book Reviews : London, Manuel (1997). Job feedback: Giving, seeking, and using feedback for performance improvement. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 211pp:

Feedback efficacy depends on form as well as substance. London (38) recommends &dquo;ratingless&dquo; narrative appraisals and reward structures-that is, raises and promotions-to influence employees’ behavior. He also presents the merits of ranking employees from best to worst, self-appraisals, survey feedback and 360-degree(multi-source) feedback. How can performance be enhanced? London recommends assessment centers, computerized assessments, business games and simulations, and organizational analysis. These are non-threatening opportunities for employees to experiment with new behaviors. The author describes several corporations’ experiences with these developmental programs and offers vendor information to those who would like a contract with program facilita-

TQM Management Development in Public Agencies Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Adjective Check List: A Restropective Case Study in the IRS

vice (IRS), a federal agency that has implemented Total Quality Management (TQM). This article will assess the advantages of using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and The Adjective Check List (ACL) in public sector leadership development efforts. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Myers and Myers, 1980) is used in a variety of settings by trainers and career counselors to help individuals identify their interests and to use that information to se-