Jonathan P. West

Workplace Relations: Friendship Patterns and Consequences (According to Managers)

This article examines orientations toward workplace friendship. Based on a survey of senior managers in cities with populations over 50,000, it addresses the following questions: Do senior managers promote, condone, or discourage workplace friendship? What risks and benefits of workplace friendships do these managers perceive? What policies and strategies that affect workplace friendship are found in organizations? How do these organizational efforts affect perceptions of employee performance? This article finds that, despite the risks, orientations in favor of workplace friendships are widespread, and many jurisdictions engage in efforts to promote them.

Reaching the top : Racial differences in mobility paths to upper-tier occupations

This study uses data from the 1988 to 1992 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to assess predictions from the particularistic mobility thesis concerning how African American and White males reach the Managers-Administrators and Professional-Technical census-based occupational categories. The findings provide support for the particularistic mobility thesis. In particular, African Americans, relative to Whites, attain both occupational categories on the basis of a narrow and circumscribed route: for African Americans, the acquisition of significant human capital credentials and experience at a similar level in the occupational structure in next-to-last job with the same employer are important prerequisites for moving into privileged occupations. Furthermore, analyses indicate that particularistic employment practices are more pronounced in the private than the public sector. The implications of the findings for explaining racial differences in representation in the two occupational categories are discussed.

Georgia on the Mind of Radical Civil Service Reformers

Georgia’s comprehensive reform of its civil service system in July 1996 removed merit system protections from all employees hired after that date and substantially altered the relationship between the state’s central personnel agency and the line agencies and departments. This article introduces the symposium by briefly tracing the driving forces, rationale, and central features of Georgia’s reform efforts. In 2000, Florida became the second state to substantially restructure its civil service system, removing merit system protections from a significant number of public employees. The interests and arguments supporting and opposing Florida’s “Service First” initiative are identified together with a short analysis of its major legislative provisions and their implications. Reforms in both Georgia and Florida are designed to enhance managerial flexibility, but there are concerns that employee rights are diminished in the process.

The Impact of Revitalized Management Practices on the Adoption of Information Technology: A National Survey of Local Governments

T he emergence of new information technologies such as electronic government, virtual workplaces, and electronic democracy has been widely discussed in recent years (Bonnett, 1999; Kamarck & Nye, 1999; Peirce, 1999). This study examines the impact of revitalized management practices on the use and effectiveness of these information technologies, as well as other factors that shape information technology in local government, such as stakeholder pressures and demands, and policies and procedures. In addition, this study examines the effect of information technology on the use of revitalized management practices. Revitalized management practices are defined in this study as those that promote increased openness, mutual support, and risk taking by employees and managers (e.g., Berman & West, 1998; Garson, 2000). This study is based on a national survey of city managers, in cities with a population of more than 50,000, conducted during the spring and summer of 2000. In addition to the above, it also provides information about the uses of new and established information technologies in local government. This article contributes to the literature by exploring, in a systematic fashion, the role of management practices that revitalize public organizations. Previous systematic studies have analyzed the adoption of information technology from other perspectives, such as the role of leadership and managerial champions, strategic planning, concern for productivity and improved service delivery, and the external environment, including user involvement and fiscal scarcity (e.g., Bajjaly, 1999; Borins, 1998; Bozeman & Bretschneider, 1986; Ewusi-Mensah & Przasnyski, 1991; Garson, 1992; Standish Group, 1995; Stevens, Cahill, Overman, & Frost-Kumpf, 1994; Swain, White, & Hubbert, 1995; Tapscott & Caston, 1993; Thompson, 1992; Weikart & Carlson, 1998). Researchers have also addressed the reasons behind information technology failures

Ending Civil Service Protections in Florida Government Experiences in State Agencies

This study examines the impact of civil service reform in state agencies. The objective is to ascertain the extent to which the elimination of the defining characteristic of the merit system—job protection against partisan interference—has affected employees. After the introduction and background, the third section describes the study method. This is followed by the presentation of findings and discussion of their implications for the future of reform.

Ethics Management in Municipal Governments and Large Firms: Exploring Similarities and Differences

This study compares the ethics management strategies of large cities and firms with the purpose of examining whether public-private sector differences that have been hypothesized in the literature are reflected in ethics management practices. The findings suggest that differences between the public and private sectors are minimal; however, cities use more regulatory-based strategies, and large firms use code-based strategies. Moral leadership by senior managers is the most important strategy for improving ethics in both sectors. Concerns about litigation, public complaints, and promoting good public relations are important reasons driving concern with ethics in both cities and firms.

Declining health insurance access among US Hispanic workers: Not all jobs are created equal

INTRODUCTION Approximately 18% of the U.S. population are uninsured, a proportion that may continue to rise, particularly among Hispanics, as the cost of medical care increases faster than the growth in wages. METHODS Health insurance trends were analyzed by race-ethnic category, and among Hispanic workers by occupation type and industrial sector, using data on employed respondents > or =18 years from 1997 to 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) (mean annual n = 17,392, representing 123 million US workers on average over this 11 year period). RESULTS From 1997 to 2007, the relative decline in health insurance coverage for US workers was greatest among Hispanics (7.0%). Hispanic workers in the Construction and Services industries had the greatest overall decline in coverage (24.9% and 14.7%), as well as Hispanic blue collar workers (14.0%). CONCLUSION Hispanic workers in general, and those employed in blue collar, construction, and services sectors in particular, are at greater risk for poor access to health care due to a lack of health insurance coverage.

Audit Committees and Accountability in Local Government: A National Survey

Abstract Financial scandals in city governments have received increased publicity in recent years. Audit committees have been suggested as a way review and improve standards and procedures for financial accountability. Audit committees assist local government managers in overseeing and monitoring the financial accounting and auditing process. They provide a communication link between elected officials, municipal managers, and independent auditors. This study relies on national survey data to examine the prevalence, role, and composition of audit committees in cities with populations over 65,000 and the conditions affecting their use and effectiveness. Interviews and a brief case study supplement survey data to provide richer detail regarding the performance of audit committees in ensuring improved accountability.

State Government Human Resource Professionals’ Commitment to Employment at Will

This article examines the attitudes of a key set of state government officials—state human resource (HR) professionals—toward employment at will (EAW) in state government. It presents original survey data obtained from HR professionals in four southern states: Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Mississippi. Drawing on these data, the article creates an index measuring respondents’ commitment to EAW, as measured by their attitudes toward arguments used to advocate for EAW. The index is used as the dependent variable in an exploratory regression analysis indicating the importance of respondents’ experiences with the exercise of EAW discretion, years of public sector service, educational background, and state context to explaining variation in commitment to EAW. The article concludes with a discussion of the findings’ implications for the future of civil service reform in the United States.

Job Satisfaction of Public Managers in Special Districts

Little is known about special districts and their personnel. This study examines the job satisfaction and professional backgrounds of senior managers in large special districts. Senior managers in these districts report very high levels of job satisfaction, possibly among the highest of all such managers in public administration. Senior managers are satisfied or very satisfied with four of the most important determinants of job satisfaction: pay, the opportunity to use one’s talents at work, job security, and the ability to make a meaningful impact on one’s region or community. About one fourth of administrators on management teams in large special districts have their highest degree in public affairs, and among those with an MPA degree, three fourths have experience in business. This study concludes that it is time to take special districts more seriously both in research and as a locus of activity and career development for public managers.