The “pros” and “cons” of career development in the Greek public sector

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the nature and role of the politico‐administrative institutions on career development in the Greek state employment. It attempts to achieve this by exploring the extent to which such institutions are still fitted within the Napoleonic and Weberian traditions and how these may affect the policy implementation of career progression within one public organisation in Greece.Design/methodology/approachThe study takes an interpretivist inductive perspective and its nature is qualitative with an exploratory and explanatory aim. It adopts a case‐study strategy and data were collected through documentary evidence, structured questionnaires and semi‐structured interviews with key informants.FindingsThe emerging career model in the Greek public sector is still embedded within a highly bureaucratic yet clientelistic system. It frequently overlaps with employment due to external institutional influences and though being bureaucratic thus objective at national level it is political manifested thus subjective at organisational level. Objective careers have by no means disappeared while subjective careers are seen as a political vehicle for inter‐organisational advancement.Research limitations/implicationsDespite the in‐depth and rich qualitative analysis of this study further case‐examples are required in similar national and industrial contexts.Practical implicationsThe study provides a useful real‐life practical example on the interlocking of career progression and political clientelism in a national context in which politico‐administrative mechanisms have traditionally oiled the wheels of the civil society.Originality/valueThe paper adds to the limited body of scientific and academic debate engaging with public sector management issues and the emerging state career models in European Mediterranean countries. It also contributes to the impartial knowledge on the traditional career mechanisms, underpinned by a relational psychological contract, that have long been an implicit feature of state employment in bureaucratic public sector organisations.

New Public Management: Promote the Public Sector Modernization Through Service Quality. Current Experiences and Future Challenges

“…On one hand, it is the political "clientelism" (Lyrintzis 1984), which is firmly linked with "bureaucratic inefficiency" (Spanou 2008;Featherstone 2005), while, on the other hand, it is the bureaucratic nature of the Greek state (Chondroleou et al 2005;Sotirakou and Zeppou 2005). This situation results in "a bureaucratic labyrinth" that has led to over-centralisation of responsibility and masses of civil servants, who have to deal and comply with a series of fixed procedures and rigid rules (Koskina 2008). All this, together with the fact that public servants and managers are usually untrained, does not really help them to communicate effectively.…”

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“…These included 10 men and 23 women from different educational backgrounds and who undertake a range of different roles. Furthermore, because research to date has focused on the career perceptions of professionals and higher-level managers (Baruch, Wordsworth, Mills & Wright, 2016), we chose to follow the suggestions of , who argue that research should explore the career perceptions of non-professionals, in order to advance career theory and to bring forward voices inaccessible to the wider audience, such as the Hellenic public sector (Koskina, 2008). In addition, career theory is in need of further research into white-collar workers (King, 2000;Walton & Mallon, 2004).…”

“…In spite of this, the provision of a generous pension, benefits, complete job security, and pay increases that are not based on performance means that public sector jobs are highly sought after within Greece (OECD, 2001). This is exacerbated by the country's high unemployment rate, and the low wages offered in the private sector in comparison to other EU member states (Koskina, 2008).…”

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“…Existem aqueles que estudam a estrutura do callcenter (Bozionelos, 2008), debatem a importância das agências de emprego e relativizam a tradicional condenação a seu tipo de atuação no mercado de trabalho (Smith & Neuwirth, 2009), investigam os principais fatores que afetam a tomada de decisão sobre promoções (Lockamy III & Service, 2011), pesquisam a identificação e o desenvolvimento de pessoas consideradas de elevado potencial para as organizações (Dries, Vantilborgh, & Pepermans, 2012), entre outros (Kellett, Humphrey, & Sleeth, 2009), incluindo a referência ao setor estatal grego (Koskina, 2008) e a crítica foucaultiana à lógica organizacional (Kamoche, Pang, & Wong, 2011).…”

“…Os dados obtidos nessa categoria podem favorecer àqueles pesquisadores que anseiam conhecer a lógica da gestão empresarial do trabalho, enriquecida com o rigor acadêmico das investigações em questão. Chama a atenção o estudo acerca do setor estatal na Grécia (Koskina, 2008).…”