Strategic Personnel Management in Public Sector: the Case Study of Kaunas Municipality

Abstract

The article deals with the main peculiarities and problems of strategic personnel management in public sector. Today, strategic management has moved beyond forprofit business organizations to include governmental agencies, hospitals, and other not-for-profit public organizations. Although strategic management in public organizations has not been as well researched as that in for-profit or business organizations, it is important for these organizations as well. Personnel management of public organization is very important, because personnel is not only the most important resource of public organizations, but also the most sensitive field, therefore when managing it, it is necessary to invoke modern prime methods and refer to the new personnel management scientific research results. Changed creed and cultural values change personnel management methods radically. During the public management reforms the main attention is paid not to traditional personnel administration means, but to such, which would stimulate growth of personnel motivation, qualification, efficiency and flexibility. Strategic goal orientation in personnel management helps to find and solidify long-term personnel policy goals and, following these goals, to coordinate individual functions of personnel management. Having organised personnel management and each component of it in every specific organization in such way it is possible to achieve the best results. There are some essential problems in personnel system of public organization. The most important are the following problems: lack of motivation; status of officials; lack of possibilities to pursue career and to develop; limitations of motivation and salary systems; automatic position preferment; limited possibilities to select personnel. Personnel management strategy is an active, longterm approach, forming a total concept of the organization, to the most common aspects of the organization personnel. In its turn it is related with management strategies. Four versions of the connections of these strategies are possible: Personnel and management strategies exist separate from each other; Personnel strategy arises from management strategy; Management strategy arises from personnel strategy; Personnel and organization strategies are developed in mutual interaction and coordination way.