Human Resources Management in the Public Sector

Abstract

This is the lead article for a special issue on “Human Resources Management in the Public Sector.” The article describes how the special issue came about and presents a number of governmental initiatives spearheaded by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, corporate HR for the federal government. This issue also showcases one state and one municipal government with award-winning HR departments. The special issue highlights the empirical research supporting government competency models, innovative assessments, and surveys of organizational culture and customer satisfaction. With nearly two million civilian employees, the federal government is the largest employer in the country. This is a success story! © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.