An identification of civil servants’ needs (Case study: North-West Development Region, Romania)

Simona Claudia Creţa[1]

Felicia Cornelia Macarie[2]

Ioana Alexandra Tuţă[3]

Abstract

ThePublic Administration Reform, all over the world, is strongly influenced by factors like globalization, technological innovation, an efficient human resources’ management, cost – efficiency relation of services, etc., and the general trend is toward adapting a more and more flexible system of personnel management (respectively, civil servants), underlining mobility and professionals’ recruiting. With all steps made by Romania in order to reform publicsector, the analyses of the past years brought into light many deficiencies, among which are, in our opinion, the most important ignoring civil servants, and especially their needs. We live in a society where the number of those really involved in their activities increase rapidly. The job does not represent anymore just a source of income, but a way to accomplish dreams – career, social and professional recognition, and even power. Nowadays, the issue of work satisfaction is an omnipresent one in Romania. What does the civil servant really want? Increasing pressure for improving management inpublic sector comes from citizens and businesses. On the other hand, too much job specialization may lead to an imminent fragmentation of activities, setting more and more specific goals and objectives and, eventually, to an incapacity of thepublic sector to adapt to the continuing economic, social and politic changes (an incapacity to reformpublic sector). Due to their importance, civil servants should be well trained, efficient, accountable, creative, etc. However, in order to increase the attractiveness ofpublic sector, first of all, we should identify and analyze civil servants’ needs. Finally, it is a win-win situation, and both sides will meet their interests.

Our research aims to identify civil servants’ needs; we considered such a research necessary, due to the small number of researches regarding employees’ needs from different sectors, and most of the studies were focused on employees’ motivation and motivation techniques that should be used by managers. For our study we used a semi-structured interview based on an interview guide. Along with some general factors that determinejob attitude, we also identified specific needs of civil servants regarding plurality of offices, improvement and promotion of publicinstitutions’ image and civil servants’ image in the eyes of citizens, the limitation of political involvement inpublic sector or the need to operate with a clear, coherent and consistent legislation. Moreover, important steps were taken in the last decade with respect to civil servants’ career, recruiting and selection process, transparency, code of conduct, etc. Still, there are some important issues that were left behind, especially those regarding wage system.

1. Introduction

Public Administration Reform, all over the world, is strongly influenced by factors like globalization, technological innovation, efficient management of human resources, cost-efficiency relation of the services provided, etc., and the general trend is toward adapting a more and more flexible system to managepublic sector personnel. In Romania, reform measures should consider first the human resources responsible with adaptation of internal legislation and decision-making. Still, with all steps made by our country in order to reform civil service, the analyses of the past yearsbrought into light many deficiencies, especially regarding civil servants’ needs.

There is a wide range of terms used to define the changes in civil services and civil servants’ management. Terms like reform, transition, change, adapt, innovation, reorganization, reinventing, etc. are used depending on the nature and the intensity ofpublic sector changes, and their level. In practice, countries of the world have initiated some kinds of administrative reform, one way or another:

A change in employment conditions of some civil servants - the new practices are more similar with those in private sector(payment for performance, more flexibility in promoting, transfer and short time contracts);

Financial management reform – managers have more flexibility in order to optimize programs’ results;

Minimize civil servants’ number for a higher efficiency inpublic sector’s activities;

Some attributions of the ministers/departments regarding human resources management reform were transferred to more or less autonomous organizations;

Different types of decentralization; or

Implementing intensive programs of reform – Canada, New Zeeland, Great Britain.

We may start our study regarding civil servants’ needs with the question “What civil servants really want?” The answer is quite simple at a first look – civil servants, like millions of employees want everything, all they could have but/and all they couldn’t have. But there is a problem; none employer, publicor private organization can become the fairy that can offer everything to individuals. At the best, they can consider factors like payment, working conditions, promotion opportunities, etc. in order to reduce the dissatisfaction of those on the labor market. What about intrinsic motivation?

We live in a society in which the number of those really involved in their work and workplace is visibly increasing. For a long time now, the job isn’t just a source of income, but a way through which more and more individuals see their dreams come true – career, personal growth, recognition, power. The problem of job satisfaction is also ubiquitous in nowadays Romania.

2. Scope of the research

What do civil servants really want?

There’s a lot of pressure from citizens and businesses for the improvement of management inpublic sector. On the other hand, an overspecialization may effect an imminent fragmentation of activities,setting increasingly specialized objectives and goals, which will eventually lead to the incapacity of civil service to adapt to the constant economic, social and political changes (incapacity toreform public sector).

Given their importance in a country, civil servants must be well trained, efficient, responsible, creative, etc. But, in order to increase the attractiveness ofpublic sector, an analysis of civil servants’ needs is requested. It is a win-win situation, with mutual gains.

The present study tries to identify some needs of civil servants. We considered such a step necessary because of the small number of researches on the employee’s needs in various sectors, and the fact that most studies are focused on employee motivation and motivation techniques to be used by managers.

3. Theoretical framework regarding employee’s needs

In all organizations, including formal, publicorganizations, there is a variety of individual behaviors. What exactly determines this diversity? Why two individuals, working in the same environment, performing the same activities, comply to the same rules and procedures, function differently, having even different results? Obviously, there are a lot of possible explanations – the differences are given by individual abilities, different interests, different goals and objectives, different wishes, needs, etc. Ever since the 19th century, the concept of need was meticulously analyzed because of the possible explanations it may offer for the large diversity of individual’s behavior. The needs determine us to want something specific, either something we lack, or something we don’t consciously miss. The needs motivate us; an activated need causes a certain inner tension that determines us to act in a specific manner.

Most psychologists define need (or necessity) as the psychological characteristic that determines an organism to act in order to realize a goal; it represents the motive of action, which gives sense and direction to behavior. On the one hand, we can assume that individuals have the same fundamental needs, because they are objective (Thompson, 1987), universal (Doyal, Gough, 1991) – we can observe a certain unity in the large diversity of behaviors; on the other hand, individuals’ needs may vary intra- and intercultural because of the large variety of individuals and their perceptions – namely the relative character of needs (Allardt, 1973,Goodin, 1990). Because of the different approaches regarding needs (and the multitude of individuals’ potential needs), researchers do not concord about an exact definition of needs, about needs’ hierarchy (priorities of needs) (Maslow, 1943 Alderfer, 1972), about needs’ character, or criteria to identify needs (Ryan, 1995). What do needs mean - lack, desire, or motive? Do they refer to assimilated individual differences (learned from early childhood and varying from culture to culture) or are they universal, inherent to human nature?

Needs theoriesmay support motivational theories, and determination of a set of individual needs. Motivational theories based on needs (e.g. content theories) start by defining human needs as states of necessity manifested through the occurrence of tension and a state of unbalance which require an action in order to reestablish balance. For this, a goal that will satisfy the need has to be identified, and a behavior that will lead to the achieving of that goal has to be selected. Human behavior is, therefore, motivated by unsatisfied needs.

Motivation is a very important aspect in human resources management, and an important element for civil service reform measures. Special literature points out four elements that contribute to achieve an adequate motivation: job stability, especially in countries with a career system; social prestige conferred by a civil service, or the feeling of affiliation to a group with a certain social status (affiliation to the corps of civil servants). Moreover, there are potential motivations, the possibility to influence political decisions, to realize certain objectives, and the feeling that through their work, civil servants contribute to the well-being of the community or the individuals, etc. However, the most important are material motivations (payment, benefits, and other forms of material rewards), along with job stability, mentioned above.

We centered our study on Herzberg’s dualfactor theory (Herzberg, 1959, 1993). He sustainsthat individuals have basic needs – hygiene needs – that lead to dissatisfaction when not meet them. Also, in case we meet these needs, we will not be satisfied but we will have an optimum level of functioning (maintenance needs). Along with these basic needs, Herzberg distinguishes motivator needs (satisfiers) that lead to satisfaction. According to his theory, individuals have two types of needs – animal need to avoid harm and human need of personal growth (physiological needs – hygiene factors, external, and motivator needs – motivator factors, internal). Motivator factors, internal, refer to achievement, recognition, promotion, etc. while hygiene factors, external, refers to work conditions, supervision, status, etc. (see Diagram 1).

Diagram 1

Herzberg considers that hygiene needs should be met in order to assure optimum working conditions.Moreover, it seems that is no situation of no-dissatisfaction because there will be always reasons of dissatisfaction among individuals. The two types of needs are not opposite, they are separate, distinct (Diagram 2). If you are satisfied though satisfiers you will not have implicitly met hygiene needs.

Diagram 2

4. Methodology

For our study we used semi-structured interview, setting only the main themes for discussions (in our case, motivation and civil servants’ needs). For our research, interviewing civil servants at their work place was beneficialin order to limit non-answers. The instrument is flexible, increasing the possibility to gather complex, profound data from a small number of respondents. There have been applied 24 individual, semi-structured interviews in urban and rural areas (in decentralized and deconcentrated institutions and City Halls). The subjects have ages between22 and 54, average age is 37.3), and seniority between one month and 35 years. Our interview guide contains seven items which aimed to identify initial motivation of our subjects when choosing their present job, and their needs conform to Herzberg’s dual factor theory. Most of our respondents are women (18) and execution civil servants (19). Generally, civil servants were co-operating, and there was only one non-answer (from an officemanager).

5. Findings

Our interviews have as a starting point the initial motivation of the civil servants; we wanted to find out what exactly determined our subjects to choosepublic sector, their jobs (so blamed by ones and desired by others).The subjects were asked to tell why they did choose their actual job and what factors influenced them. The answers were grouped as following, in the order of their frequencies:

Opportunity – opportunity to work (anywhere), opportunity to work inpublic sector (9);

Formal education – competence (5);

Work itself (4) – work with people, exciting and complex tasks;

Stability (3);

Organizational dynamics (3);

Social position (2);

Career (1);

Wish to help others (community);

Family values.

Civil servants employment is influenced by labor market (offer-demands balance), the rules of the employment system, and human resources management (job description, recruiting, selection, job evaluation, career management). In Romania, the offer is quite big, due to deficiencies in private sector (a lack of stability, comparable salaries) – the candidates are motivated mostly by stability (60%), prestige, social status (19%), and promoting opportunities(19%)[4].

Each employee is motivated one way or another. Each of us choose an activity area or organization where he/she may satisfy his/her needs. Clark and Wilson (1961)grouped the incentives that may be used to motivate employees in four main categories –tangible incentives (financial), solidarity, status and potential incentives. Status refers to the prestige provided by apublic sector job, the feeling of affiliation to a group with an important position in society (civil servants corps), and potential motivation refers to opportunity to influence decision-making process, to achieve objectives, and the belief that their work contribute to community and individuals welfare. The most important incentives are financial incentives (salary, and financial benefits) along with job stability – not mentioned but extremely important in those countries that present a career system.

Unfortunately, the initial motivation of the civil servants is not enough. Many times, Romanian human resources management proved to be inconsistent, institutions’ managers weren’t sensible to employees needs, no matter their type – communication, interpersonal relationships, recognition, responsibility, etc. Ignoring civil servants’ needs may lead to dissatisfaction, to a limitation of their involvement in organizational activities, and to a low performance. If we really want to reformpublic administration, the human resource and services, and we want a client-oriented approach, along with citizens’ needs and organizational needs, we should remember employees’ needs, whose attitude and behavior regarding tasks is essential in achieving organizational goals.

The following questions respected Herzberg’s formula, and attempt to classify hygienic and motivator factors (Diagram 3).

Diagram 3

None of our subjects refers to promotion as motivator factor, even if their seniority in present job varies between one month and twenty five years. If the Law 188/1999 regarding civil servants was not quite explicit in relation with civil servants’ promotion (the regulations aimed advancement based on seniority and annual evaluations), in 2003 it was made a clear distinction between “automat” advancement on pay scales and promotion (appointment in a new superior position) through competition, exams organized by NACS (National Agency of Civil Servants) for leading positions, with the exception of office manager and department manager positions and by the publicauthorities and bodies of the central and localpublic administration, for executive publicpositions, office manager and department manager, as well as for specific positions left vacant, with prior approval from the National Agency of Civil Servants. There is still a possibility that the contests to be organized in a manner that favor some candidates.

Contrary to Herzberg theory, we find that salary, supervision, relationships with peers and participative management – all external factors – represent satisfiers for our subjects (motivator factors). Amonghygiene factors, only responsibility is contrary to dual theory. Romanian civil servants’ retribution is based on basic salary and other supplements and benefits[5]. As we see below, average earning in PA and Defense are higher than national average earnings (higher than in education, for example) not because of the basic salary but of the other benefits.

Diagram 4

Source: National Institute of Statistics (

Positive and negative job attitude of our subject are shown below (Table 1).

Table 1

Factors
Positive attitude / Factors
Negative attitude
Interpersonal relationships (with co-workers and clients) / Salary differences (equity)
Lack of benefits
Team work / Work itself
Potential motivation / Responsibility (job description - lack of responsibilities)
Supervision / Supervision
Work itself / Organizing
Salary / Work environment, work conditions
Work conditions / Corruption
Responsibility / Institution image – civil servants image
Appraisal/Recognition / Political involvement, spoil system
Plurality of offices
Ambiguous legislation
Difficult communication with central administration
Stress

There were identified, along with general needs of the employees, some specific needs of the civil servants like the need for plurality of office, need to reduce political implication in internal management, a strict delimitation of spoil system (and a need of merit system in local administration, promotion and recruitment based on competence and expertise) a need to improve institutions’ and civil servants’ image in the eye of citizens, a need for good communication with decision-makers and clear, simple legislation. There are problems regarding working conditions – inappropriate buildings, a lack of technology, software, etc.

As regarding the plurality of offices, article 44, section 1 of the Law regarding civil servants[6] stipulates that civil servants shall not held positions in private organizations or other positions, except a position in education system.