Human Resources

Questions for Critical Thinking

Chapter 1

1. Are advances in technology likely to increase or decrease the strategic importance of human resources in local governments?

2. Is it realistic to expect that line manages who have traditionally viewed HR procedures and rules as an impediment to operational efficiency will become partners in HR management?

3. What barriers can hinder the evolution of HR management from focusing on administrative activities to being a strategic contributor?

4. What are the implications of the certification program recently established by IPMA? Should HR professionals in local government who are presently certified by the HRIC earn this certification?

Chapter 2

1. Is it really necessary to study the history of HR management in order to understand contemporary theory and practice or is this something that is merely “nice to know”?

2. To what extent are current developments in HR management a reaction to the unintended consequences of historical movements such as civil service reform that were seen at the time to be major advances?

Chapter 3

1. Federal laws protect individuals and groups from employment discrimination based on such factors as race sex, age, disability, and so on. Is this sufficient, or should additional “protected classes” such as sexual orientation be established?

2. Are affirmative action programs still needed to ensure adequate representation of minorities and woman at all levels of local government organizations, or have these kinds of initiatives outlived their usefulness?

3. Would local governments implement policies that carried out the intent of EEO and other employment laws in the absence of voluminous federal regulations?

4. Which workplace rights of local government employees are based on principles of fairness and justice that HR management should support based on professional considerations and ethical standards even if they were not protected by the Constitution?

Chapter 4

1. Are...