Human Resource Policy and Practice in a Devolved Structure: A Failed Experiment or the Way of the Future

Dr. Griselda Leaver and Dr. Martyn Lowe

Abstract

Much has been written on changes in the public sector human resources (HR) function in recent years. It might be expected from the literature that the role of HR as a leader of change has been resolved. HR should have completed the transformation from administrator of staff needs to strategic facilitator over the last twenty-five years, but the reality is that in many organisations the HR function is still grappling with the changing role.

This study found that the HR function in local government is poorly equipped to drive change and support line managers seeking to achieve higher organisational performance. HR is still bogged down in its traditional personnel management role and struggles to develop the HR expertise amongst managers that is needed to achieve the promises made in the ‘excellence’ literature so many years ago.

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