Personnel Deregulation and the High Performance Workforce

Abstract

Efforts to work better and more effectively are important themes ofthe 1993 National Commission on State and Local Service's report, Hard Truths/Tough Choices An Agenda for State And Local Reform A key recommendation urges the removal of barriers to high performance government and high performance workforces through deregulation and investment in employee training and development. This study seeks to determine the extent to which six state public personnel agencies in the New England region have invested in high quality training and development for their employees Utilizing surveys and in-depth interviews, the research assesses the extent to which four criteria m the Winter Commission Report are being met (1) rebuilding government's human capital, (2) enhancing labor/management communication, (3) creating financial incentives for learning, and (4) creating a new skills package for state government employees Thestudyconcludesby providing an assessment of these six states' efforts and the implications of these results for understanding the status of deregulation efforts in creating a "learning government"