UNIT 4: CIVIL SERVICE MANAGEMENT

1. WARM-UP

Activity 1:

In groups of five, discuss the meaning of civil service management.

Activity 2: Group discussion

Describe the civil service management in Vietnam.

1. TEXTS AND PRACTICE

Activity 3: Pre-reading of Text 1

Make sure you know the meaning of the following words or pharases. Use your dictionary if necessary and then fill in the gaps:

                     to recruit                                                          professional cadres

                     overstaffing                                                      cutting down the staff

                     early retirement                                                positions

                     benefits

1. …………….. is one way to reduce numbers of employees.

2. They have a vacancy for a secretary. It is necessary ……………… a new one.

3. Income of civil servants usually comprises of monthly salary and other kinds of ……………..

4. When you have too many people to do the work needed, this creates the problem of …………………….

5. ……………………. Are jobs of paid employment that people hold in an office or organization, especially in the public sector.

6. I think ……………….. are engineers, accountants, doctors and people like these.

7. When there is too much staff in the civil service, governments use ………………… as a measure to reduce the size and cots.

Activity 4: Text 1

Read the following text to get the general understanding of it:

Some Issues in Civil Service Management

1. An important aspect of effective Public Administration is efficient managenment of human resources throung an appropriate civil service system. Indeed  the needs to recruit, develop and utilized professional managerial cadres to conduct the core government function become pressing as the public service becomes focuses on strategically oriented activities of the state. An overall  focus on improved management of human resources, as well as improved development of those human resources, is an essential  element. Governments must decide how the staff will be organized, managed, recruited and selected, compensated, trained, evaluated and prometed. Therefore the issues should be addressed through coherent policies, which should be carried out in conformity with national development strategies. Firstly, the governments should re-define the role of the public sector in the light of its political objectives, its resources and the real capacity of its public service.
2. At present, many governments are faced with the problems of overstaffing and inefficiency in performance of their civil servant. In order to sovle the problems, various governments have been using different interventions to reduce the cost and the size of the public service. Yet the measures they used, such as cutting down the staff, recruitment through competitive examination, reorganization and early retirement have some considerable results. But in fact, these initiatives have generally been ad hoc. There  should be systematic policy orientation later on. The government will have to do more with fewer but better qualified and motivated human resources. The civil service needs to focus on achieving programmed goals.
3. There are two systems of service in the world:
   • Career system,
   • Job system.

Some of the directions to reform civil service are sa follows:

• Defining the kind of needs for knowledges, skills and abilities.
• Clarifying the categories of government employees to be included in the civil service system.
• Strengthening the role of the agencies responsible for civil service management.
• Classifying the mechanism to designate levels, responsibilitities, and positions.
• Methods for recruitment and selection of public servants.
• And appropriate system of salary, benefits, allowances etc., including the conditions of work.
• Training public servants, including pre-service training, in-service training and career development programs.
• Finally, there should be well-established mechanisms for performance evaluation.

Activity 5: What is the main idea?

Read again to find out the most important ideas in each paragraph:

Paragraph 1:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Paragraph 2:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Paragraph 3:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Activity 6: Vocabulary work

Match the words or phrases on the left with their definitions on the right:

Managerial cadres	Training before starting a job
Career system	Amount of money givent  regularly
Job system	Employees who hold hight-level posts
Public services	Civil service system that is quite closed and focuses on careers of civil servants
Allowance	Assessment based on achievements
Performance evaluation	Public utilities such as water supply, waste collection etc.
Per-service training	Civil service system that is open and based on specific positions of civil servants

Activity 7: Multipe choice

Choose the answer that best completes the  meaning of the phrase:

1. Governments must decide how the staff
2. Will be organized, managed, recruited and selected;
3. Will be compensated, trained, evaluated and promoted;
4. Will be looked after;
5. a and b.
6. A number of measures have been undertaken by governments in their efforts to reform the civil service, including
7. Overstaffing and inefficiency in performance of their civil servants;
8. Cutting down the staff, recruitment through competitive examinations, reorganization and early retirement;
9. The role of the public sector in the development process;
10. To focus on achieving planned goals.
11. The following are the forms of civil service systems in the world:
12. Career system
13. Job system
14. Cadre system
15. All the above
16. Some of the directions to reform the civil service are:
17. Defining the needs for civil service, clarifying the categories of employees to be included, strengthening the role of HRM, appropriate methods for selection, recruitment, promotion, salary, training and evaluation;
18. Measures for cutting down the staff;
19. Pre-service training, in-service training and career development programs for the staff;
20. Code of conduct and management by objective.

Activity 8: Work in pairs

Now discuss in pairs and then tell the whole class about civil service reform measures that the Government of Vietnam undertakes, using your own words and phrases.

Activity 9: Pre-reading of Text 2

Match the words on the left with their equivalents on the right:

Non-partisan	More than what is needed or used
Merit	An ability to do something in a skilled or expert way because of training and practive
Reliability	Activity in which a real situation is represented in training form
Proficiency	The quality of deserving praise; personal worth
Surplus	The quality of being dependable and therefore deserving trust
Recruitment	Not favouring one person or group of people more than another
Adverse	Suitability, for example, for a certain position
Simulation	Information about the results of a set of actions, passed back to a person, so that changes can be made if necessary
Eligibility	The process of seeking and hiring new members
feedback	negative, unfavourable

Activity 10: Text 2

Skim through the text and write down its topic:

TOPIC:

…………………………………………………………………………………..…..

1. in order to have a public service that is highly competent, non-partisan and representative of Canadian society, great importance is attached to the staffing process. The main principles of hiring public servants are set out in the Public Service Employment Act. The Act requires that all appointments be made on the basis of merit. This means that the most qualified person or the one who best meets the standard of competence for a position should be appointed. The responsibility for selecting candidates and appointing staff lies with the Public Service Commission, departmental deputy heads and human resources specialists.
2. The staffing process goes through several phases. The first one is the preparation phase. Here the main task is to define the nature of the vacant position (what kind of work is to be performed, the level of responsibility it requires, the context in which duties will be carried out, etc.), and then to specify, the qualifications needed. Usually the following types of qualifications are considered: knowledge, skills, experience, education, previous performance, inter-personal relationships, official language proficiency as well as reliability and medical suitability. The next step is to choose means by which qualifications of candidates will be assessed (interviews, simulations, written test, ect.).
3. The second phase in the staffing process is the priorities phase. Certain persons are given priority consideration; for example, surplus employees or those returning from leave. Such people are appointed during this phase, if they are found qualified.
4. During the recruitment and selection phase, it is determined whether it will be better to fill the vacancy through an internal selection process or to invite candidates from outside. Then, to ensure a broad area of selection, the position is advertised in newspapers and magazines as well as by means of Internet and email. Next a selection board is set up and the process of screening and assessing candidates begins.
5. Following the competition, appointment are made from eligibility lists, which rank candidates in order of merit. This is called the appointment phase. All candidates that took part in the competition receive post-selection feeldback. They are informed in writing about the result of the competition and they have the right to obtain further information about the selection process if they wish. Unsuccessful candidates or persons adversely affected by a staffing decision may appeal the selection, and an investigation will be conducted.
6. Public Service Employment Regulations prescribe that employees who are appointed from outside the Public Service should undergo a probation period of 12 months.

Activity 11: Comprehension questions

1. How many stages are there in the staffing process in the public service of Canada?
2. What is an eligibility list?
3. What is post-selection feedback?

Activity 12: Word study

Pair up the words so that they make logical units:

Attach	An investigation
Meet	A vacancy
Find a	Employee
Probation	Standards
Surplus	Period
Fill	Importance to
conduct	qualified candidate

Activity 13: Multiple choice

Read the following sentences and then decide which of the three answers A, B or C restates it, i.e. puts the information into other words:

1. The responsibility for selecting candidates and appointing staff lies with the Public Service Commission.

(A). The Public Service Commission shifts responsibility for selecting candidates and appointing staff to someone else.

(B). The Public Service Commission has no responsibility for selecting candidates and appointing staff.

(C). The Public Service Commission bears responsibility for selecting candidates and appointing staff.

1. Certain persons are given priority considerations.
2.  Person who are sure of themselves are considered first.
3. Some categories of people are considered first
4. People first consider what is sure to happen.
5. Next the selection boards are set up and the process of screening and assessing candidates begins.
6. After a selection board is established, candidates are shown on a screen.
7. A selection board deals with sheltering candidates.
8. A selection board tests candidates to see whether they are suitable for the job.

Activity 14: Summary

Summarize the text into 6 sentences:

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

1. EXENSION

Activity 15: Conjunctions/ connectors

1. Look at these examples taken from the texts:
2. An overall focus on improved management of human resources, as well as improved development of those human resources, is an essential element.
3. Government must decide how the staff will be organized and managed, therefore, the issues should be addressed through coherent policies.
4. They are onformed in writing about the result of competition and  they have the right to obtain further information about the selection process if they wish.
5. Notes:
6. Conjunctions are words like and, as well as, but, therefore, because, although. They are used to join clauses together, and to show the relationship between the ideas in the clauses.
7. One conjunction is enough to join two clauses. Don’t use double conjunctions to join two clauses. (e.g.although the manager was tired, but he went to work).
8. However, two conjunctions can be used to join three clauses (e.g. although the manager was tired, but he didn’t stay there long).
9. Make one sentence from two. Use the work(s) in brackets in your sentences:
10. Administration is as old as the state. Much debate is still going on about it. (although)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

1. My parents earn very little money. They are happy. (in spite of)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

1. The civil service is faced with a number of constraints and sluggishness. There is a requirement to reform it.( therefore)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

1. The merit system recognizes personnel management as an essential element of executive management. As such, personnel management can not be isolated from politics. (and)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………

1. The office is overstaffed. It is now in the process of cutting down the staff.( because)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

1. HOMEWORK

Exercise 1: Supplementary reading

Read the text carefully, then answer the questions that follow:

Issues in Human Resource Development in the Public Service

1. Human resource development, a concept in public administration, introduces a new philosophy about human resources at both the national and organizational levels of concern: that a nation’s people as well as the personnel in public organizations are their most critical resources. Compared to non-human resources, human resources can produce more outputs in relation to inputs. This may be attributed to the creativity and innovativeness of the human resource which when applied to money, material, and technology convert these into desired outputs and outcomes. Non-human resources, however plentiful, cannot automatically convert themselves into outputs without the intervention of managerial and technical knowledge and skills of human resources.
2. At the national level, human resource simply means people. The people of a countru are critical to its pursuit of national development. They play various roles: as change agents, beneficiaries, as well as constraints to development. Human resources development (HRD) involves the creation, development,, and improvement of the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of a people to prepare them for meaningful participation in the political, economic, social, cultural, and spiritual-moral aspects of their individual as well as national lives.
3. Human resource development prepares people for active and meaningful participation in the political process of leader selection and in the formulation of policy decisions affecting their lives. It equips them with knowledge and skill so that they can be gainfully employed and economically self-sufficient and thus gain self respect and dignity. It develops social attributes which will enable them to cope with the requirements and pressures of social life and make them acceptable to the society and community. HRD prepares people to identify themselves with and be proud of their culture, their art, and their history. Finally, HRD prepares people for a morally and spiritually upright way of life (Harbison and Myers, 19464).
4. At the organizational level, HRD paves the way for adequate and fair recruitment, training and development, including motivation, utilization and conservation of human resources in organizations. Organizational effectiveness depends on the capability and competency of the personnel responsible for implementing the organization’s policies, programs and projects and in the delivery of goods and services to its clientele and beneficiaries.
5. The HRD philosophy provides for a personnel management system that ensures a developmental and systematic treatment of employee concents. Unlike the traditional personnel management system which focuses more on rules and processes for personnel actions and transactions, the developmental system’s major forcus in human resources is organization.
6. The public bureaucracy is the center stage for human resource development which, however, does not exist in a vacuum. It is directly conditioned and affected by its contextual environment. The societal and political culture obtaining within definite time periods under a specific political system and leadership set the contextual realities under which bureaucracy develops its distinct administrative culture. The different variants, in turn, determine the characteristics and qualities of the bureaucracy’s human resources.
7. Recent events in many developing countries show a shift from authoritarianism to democracy; and from traditionalism to modernization. However, the experience towards modernization is marred by a growing dependency on foreign loans and technical assistance which, sometimes, results in people carrying the burden of development rather than enjoying its fruits as beneficiaries. Often, the rapid changes and redevelopment of national resources place challenging pressures on the human resource development function. How to avoid the unintended consequences of development like poverty and a lowering of the people’s standard of living is a real problem faced by HRD decision-makers.
8. Governments are, today, confronted with competing HRD issures, namely: (1) avoiding conflict and the searching for balance between merit and political patronage in public service employment; (2) increasing size of the bureaucracy; (3) sustaining personnel motivation and morale to ensure positive work behavior and high levels of performance; and (4) continuing training and development of civil servants to equip them with the necessary knowledge, attitudes, and skills to meet the present and future challenges of public service.

Answer the following questions:

1. In what ways do human resources differ from non-human resources?
2. What is meant by human resource development (HRD)?
3. What are the aims of HRD?
4. What role does HRD play at the organizational level?
5. How does HRD philosophy differ from the traditional personnel management system?
6. Explain why “ The public bureaucracy is the center stage for human resource development which, however, does not exist in a vacuum.”
7. What is the real problem that HRD decision- makers in developing countries are faced with?
8. What are competing HRD issues with which governments are, today, confronted?
9. REVIEW TEST

You have 20 minutes to complete the following test. When you have finished, your teacher will give you the key and you will mark your own answer.

Test 1: Questions and auxiliary verbs

Write questions for the following statements:

1. An important aspect of effective public administration is efficient management of human resources through an appropriate civil service system.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

1. The government should re- define the role of the public sector in the light of its political objectives, its resources and the real capacity of its public service.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

1. The civil service needs to focus in achieving programmed goal.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..?

1. The Public Service Commission has the responsibility for selecting candidates and appointing staff.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

(4 points)

Test 2: Translation into Vietnamese

1. Another source of expansion of public bureaucracies is the legislature.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

1. In response to the demands of their constituents, legislators pass laws which launch new policies and programs addressing problems for which the voters press for resolution.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

1. Sometimes, such laws provide for new administrative structures to carry out the policies and programs.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(6 points)