Poster apresentado na 8.ª Conferência da European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology, em Valencia, 12-14 de novembro de 2008

Baptista, Conceição

Ferraz, David

Repositório de Administração Pública

European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology8th Conference 12-14 November, 2008The Portuguese Public Administration reforms potential impact in the development of civil servants work related stress: SIADAP Case Baptista, C. & Ferraz, D.Portuguese National Institute of Public Administration (INA,IP)Many studies have found strong associations between organizational change, the experience ofstressful work conditions, and sick leave (Alexanderson & Norlund, 2004; Arnetz, 2005; Hasson,2005; Kivimaki, Vahtera & Thomson, 1997; Parker, Chmiel & Wall, 1997; Vahtera et al., 2000).This means that work context and content may contain stressful features which contribues tophysical and psychological harmful consequences (e.g. Baker, 1985; Cox & Cox, 1993). As weconsidered this evidence, we see that some of the most refered organizational stressfulcharacteristics are present in the concept, principles, objectives and structure of the IntegratedSystem for Management and Performance Assessment in Public Administration (SIADAP).Therefore, for example, we emphasize the absence of clear and comprehensive principles forsystem implementation, the principle of fostering a completely different paradigm of dynamicintergoup relations to accomplish goals, in a prevailing bureacratic and rules driven culture.It´s important to note that many stressful features are “hidden” in the principles and objectives ofthis regimes resultant from the present reform agenda. This stressful features could affect the civilservants job performance, well being and organizational developmentof public services.As a final remark, we emphasize the need to proceed for diagnosis – intervention projects whichaim to prevent in a primary level work related stress in Public sector workers. It’s important thatpublic decision makers consider the potential harm of WRS and start eliminating is impact in aprimary phase : legislation conception. The participative role of civil servants is also very importantand should be effective in putting into action better practices which promote a modernized publicadministration, but also, a protective safety culture that create better psychosocial conditions atwork and, of course, in their relations with the citizens.INTRODUCTIONMETHODSREFERENCES•Alexanderson, K., & Norlund, A. (2004). Sickness absence – causes, consequences and psysicians’ sickness certificationpractice. A systematic literature review by Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care. ScadinavianJournal of Public Health, Supplement 63, 1-263.•Arnetz, B. (2005). Subjective indicators as a gauge for improving organizational well being. An attempt to apply thecognitive activation theory to organizations. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 30, 1022-1026.•Baker, D.B. (1985). The study of stress at work . Annual Review of Public Health, 6, 367 – 381.• Cox, T. & Cox, S. (1993). Psychosocial and organizational hazards: monitoring and control. Occasional series inOccupational health, n5, WHO (Europe).•Bogg, J. & Cooper, C. (1995). Job satisfaction, mental health and occupational stress among senior civil servants.Human Relations, 48 (3), 327 – 341.• Cox, T, Griffiths, A. & Rial – González, E. (2000). Research on work related stress. European Agency for Safety andHealth at work.•Hasson, D. (2005). Stress management intervetions and predictors of long term health. Uppsala: Uppsala University.•Tavares, LV. & Alves, A. (2006). The future of Portuguese public administration and a new agenda for publicadministration sciences in the 21st century. Public Administration, 84 (2), 389 – 406.MAJOR FINDINGSCONCLUSIONOBJECTIVES The aim of this analysis is to reflect on which characteristics within the new legal frameworkrelated with the Portuguese public administration reform may promote distress amongPortuguese civil servants. For the purpose we considered the Integrated System forManagement and Performance Assessment in Public Administration (SIADAP). Anassociation will be establish between the legal framework and the main factors of WRSpresented by the I-WHO (2000).Nowadays, Portuguese Public Administration steps toward a fundamental changeconcerning the modernization of strutures, models and processes. Until now, the strongadministrative law tradition affected the attention devoted to organizational behaviorissues and impaired the required cultural and organizational changes necessary todevelop a more pragmatic, modern, efficcient and participative culture in several areas.Human resources management is one of these areas where the Portuguese publicadministration reform seems to be more pressing and problematic. As we analyze thecontent of the Integrated System for Management and Performance Assessment in PublicAdministration (SIADAP) we found several intrinsic characteristics that may promotedistress among Portuguese civil servants.The purpose of SIADAP is to assess the performance of public services, their respectivemanagers and other staff. This system highlight the need for establishing integratedperformance indicators that assess the effectiveness , efficiency and quality of the publicservices. Although this principles and others (e.g. sense of coherence from organizationalstrategic objectives to managers and staff objectives; transparency; participation in theprocess) appear in the law no.66-B/2007, it is difficult to effectivelly apply this model insome public services. This result from several factors. First of all, its clear the conflictbetween the prevailing procedural and normative culture and the desirable innovationand objective cultural paradigm that underlies the public administration reform agenda.This fact tends to create a “conflict demanding” and a resistance to change climate.SIADAP is considered, by public decision makers, as an example of the desirablepragmatic system of HR management and organization in Public services. In theory, thisappraisal regime promotes principles related with the importance of a participativeattitude and reinforces the role of team work as the key factor to accomplishorganizational and unit objectives (e.g. in terms of products / services / results) .The Restructuring of State Central Administration Programme (PRACE) was launched in2005 as the first step towards the Portuguese Public Administration reform. The mainobjective was, in a brief sentence, to cut costs and raise efficiency of public services.Beside PRACE, others systems started to be discussed and implemented. This was thecase of the Integrated System for Management and Performance Assessment in PublicAdministration, known as SIADAP. This reform process affects several areas (e.g.reduction of administrative structures) and civil servants face new challenges concerningnew management practices and greater demands related with the necessary continuosaquisition of relevant knowledge and competencies, in order to cope with the publicservices changes and new requirements (e.g. pressure from public opinion in order todevelop services/products with better quality).The relation between public sector reforms and work related stress is not fully study and,in Portugal, the subject also remains without special attention although the empirical, day– to – day, evidence shows an overall dissatisfaction among the civil servants concerningtheir work conditions (context and content).We applied the documental analysis technique to the Portuguese Public Administrationperformance appraisal system (law no.66-B/2007), approved by the Assembly of theRepublic in December 2007. This qualitative analysis was based in the research framework“Factors associated with work related stress” presented in the Report on Work RelatedStress, produced by the I-WHO, from the University of Nottingham (2000).When we explore the main ideas of SIADAP, we find a system that, for instance, doesn’t createthe conditions to balance individual capacities and organizational objectives. The latter assumethe main priority creating situations where an individual feels lack of support and resorces toeffectively develop their activities. It’s important to remember that one of the structural ideias ofPRACE was to cut costs and raise efficiency. Other stressful factors are associated with thisinterpersonal /group needed cooperation to accomplish unit objectives, specially because peopleare not “familiarized” with the concept and practice of common goals, interdependent workflowsand team work (unit) appraisal with subsequent consequences. In a basic sense, until now,everyone felt internal control over their own pace of work because the organizational dynamicwas, mainly, based in the individual work. SIADAP represents a shift towards a new form ofconceiving the individuals contribution to the organizational development in public services: theintegration of all performance levels within the organization. As SIADAP and others regimes(mobility, careers and pay system; new work contract applied to public administration) are beingimplemented in public services, people are coping, in a dialy basis, with some of their stressfulfeatures.Some of these stressful factors are also related with the ambiguity concerning thecomprehensiveness of “new” terms and conceptions underlying this appraisal system and howthey should be applied to respond to complex and completely different work contexts. Alongwith this factor, is the lack of widespread technical practical guidance in the implementation ofthe system. This lack of specific information contribue to the perception of confusion anddecreased credibility on the added value of this system to HR management.

The portuguese public administration reforms potencial impact in the development of civil servants work related stress : SIADAP case

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The portuguese public administration reforms potencial impact in the development of civil servants work related stress : SIADAP case

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