Knowledge that Transforms

This is the lead article for a special issue on “Human Resources Management in the Public Sector.” The article describes how the special issue came about and presents a number of governmental initiatives spearheaded by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, corporate HR for the federal government. This issue also showcases one state and one municipal government with award‐winning HR departments. The special issue highlights the empirical research supporting government competency models, innovative assessments, and surveys of organizational culture and customer satisfaction. With nearly two million civilian employees, the federal government is the largest employer in the country. This is a success story!

When new company leadership took the helm in 2001, TRW sought to create systems that supported what was, in essence, a cultural revolution—a new culture driven by six company‐wide “Behaviors.” Impeding this revolution, however, were the countless systems and methods for evaluating and managing the development of TRW's nearly 100,000 employees. The senior Management Committee challenged TRW's human resources function to create a common, on‐line, company‐wide system that supports performance appraisal, professional development, and succession management. A cross‐disciplinary and cross‐business team led by the Director of Leadership Development created a uniform Web‐based system in four short months. This system is now in place company‐wide in 36 countries on five continents. The approach we took and the success we have enjoyed can be replicated by other organizations seeking a uniform and effective way to evaluate and develop employees.

Companies in the United States are concerned with retaining minority employees to maintain or increase the diversity of their workforce. Here we assess the value of one approach companies have used to retain minority employees: “network” groups. Based on data obtained from a large company with extensive network groups, this study compares the turnover intentions of minority employees who have joined one of the company's network groups to those who have not joined one of the company's network groups. The data show that employee network groups can be useful in helping companies retain managerial‐level minority employees. Extensive recommendations are provided to help organizations maximize the effectiveness of network groups.

This article provides a brief discussion of the changing nature of work and describes how automation and the Internet are changing the way the U.S. government recruits and hires employees. The authors discuss the validity of various assessment methods used to select and promote employees and the return on investment that can result from using valid assessment techniques. The authors review several illustrative assessment programs used in the federal government. Finally, the authors explore the next generation of assessments.

This article presents a comparative study of compensation, by exploring nine items which measure pay and benefits practices in ten locations (nine countries and one region). First, similarities and differences in employee compensation are examined. Second, emerging issues for international compensation are identified. Third, gaps are identified between current practice and employee preferences for future compensation. Overall, the results of this study provide some support for previous research, although a number of counterintuitive findings are identified with respect to the ways in which culture might be expected to impact employee preferences for cross‐cultural compensation practices. The research suggests several challenges for compensation practice and directions for future research.

The ability of profit sharing to increase organizational performance via positive changes in employee attitudes has yielded mixed results. Drawing on principal agent, expectancy, and organizational justice theories, we assess how perceptions of profit sharing (capacity for individual contribution and organizational reciprocity) alter organizational commitment and trust in management using longitudinal data provided by 141 engineering employees. Favorable perceptions of profit sharing served to increase organizational commitment while only organizational reciprocity predicted trust in management. The relationship between organizational reciprocity and commitment was partially mediated by trust in management. Implications for the design of profit sharing initiatives are noted.

Striking a balance between globalization and localization in human resource management (HRM) requires a better understanding of the cross‐national differences in terms of both the status quo and the socially desirable HRM practices. With this purpose in mind, we examined the hiring practices in ten different countries or regions using the Best International Human Resource Management Practices Survey (BIHRMPS). Our empirical findings revealed more divergence than convergence in current recruiting practices, but they also suggest that organizations around the world are indeed in the process of converging on ways of recruitment even though the current selection criteria may still be driven by each country's prevalent cultural values.

Today, competencies are used in many facets of human resource management, ranging from individual selection, development, and performance management to organizational strategic planning. By incorporating competencies into job analysis methodologies, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has developed robust competency models that can form the foundation for each of these initiatives. OPM has placed these models into automated systems to ensure access for employees, human resources professionals, and managers. Shared access to the data creates a shared frame of reference and a common language of competencies that have provided the basis for competency applications in public sector agencies.

No Abstract.

This article describes how Prudential—in a dramatically changed marketplace—engaged its 55,000 employees as partners in transforming the company's many disparate businesses into one integrated company. Using a combination of large‐and small‐scale meetings, follow‐up actions at the work unit level, and sophisticated performance enhancement processes, OPX (One Prudential Exchange) is helping transform Prudential from a staid insurance company to a modern financial services powerhouse. OPX has introduced the One Prudential vision to the company's 55,000 employees in nearly 300 large‐scale meetings in 12 cities, and has institutionalized problem resolution and breakthrough dialogue processes in over 3,500 follow‐up work unit meetings.