Public Sector Management : Impact of Employee Perceptions of Managers on Managerial Effectiveness

Contemporary public sector managers are forced develop a myriad of skills in order to effectively pursue and achieve organization objectives. The art of effective public sector management requires public managers to be cognizant of the cultural, social, systemic and institutional barriers which profoundly influence their level of effectiveness. They are asked to embrace new technologies to improve the quality of service delivery and a new philosophical approach to managing and gaining the trust of the people who work for them. While these skills may be crucial to the overall effectiveness of contemporary public sector managers and ultimately the organizations they work for, it may not be enough. Public sector employees today are more knowledgeable of their jobs, better educated and demand to be managed by professionals who value them as unique individuals. With the inherent understanding that an organization is only as good as its employees, public managers are forced to address the complex human factors which influence overall organizational effectiveness. They are asked to manage people in a way which takes into account the inherent need and utility in securing the respect of their employees. The fact is, in the contemporary perspective, employees can help or impede the success of public sector managers and organizations, and their commitment to mangers and an organization is profoundly influenced by the perception and relationship they have with mangers. This paper examines the correlation between employee perceptions of managers, organizational effectiveness and managerial effectiveness