The human resource function within the Maltese public service : a critical analysis

Abstract

Human Resource Management is the ideology which characterises the present era of management. This ideology has managed to filter the reform proponents within the Maltese public service. It is within this environmental context that this study on the role of Human Resource Managers has been carried out. Research on this subject matter took the form of both field research and desk research. The field research consisting of semi-structured interviews with all the Human Resource managers within the different Ministries/Divisions in the Maltese public service is the major contributor to the critical analysis carried out. The semi-structured interviews with the Human Resource Managers incorporated three main tiers - the organisational structures of the Human Resource branches, profile building of Human Resource Managers and their roles and responsibilities. The critical analysis was developed with the aim of better analysing the role of Human Resource managers in instilling a culture of Human Resource Management. The findings clearly suggest that this culture of Human Resource Management has not sieved through the fabrics of the Maltese public service. Both from personal observation and from the research carried out it emerges that the structure of the Maltese public service and the rules and regulations that guide the working practices within the Maltese public service limit Human Resource Managers from taking a coherent Human Resource Management approach. To render this study complete, some recommendations are outlined which would make the role of a Human Resource Manager within the Maltese public service more significant in the operations of this complex organisation.