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

Contemporary public sector managers are forced to 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. Contemporary public sector managers are asked to do more than simply mobilize resources aimed at achieving specific organizational goals and objectives. They are asked to work smarter rather than harder and to take steps to ensure they are getting the most out of public resource investments. They are asked to embrace new technologies which may improve the quality of service delivery and assists them in managing numerous employees working on multiple, varied and diverse projects. While these skills may be crucial to the overall effectiveness of contemporary public sector managers and ultimately, to the organizations they work for, it may not be enough. With the passage of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 came major changes in the way public managers' function within organizations. Public sector employees are smarter, better educated and demand to be managed by people who are professionals and by managers who value them. 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 productivity levels. 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 morale and commitment to mangers and an organization is profoundly influenced by the perception and relationship they have with mangers. This paper examines the impact of manager and employee relations on managerial success and overall organization effectiveness