Analysis of the use of personnel reserves in the public administration system

Abstract

The article considers approaches to the formation and use of personnel reserves in public administration and options for their development under the new social challenges. Based on a generalization of approaches to the formation of personnel reserves, the authors conduct a comparative analysis of management practices and sociological research, and identify conditions and factors influencing the effectiveness of the use of personnel reserves. The existing approaches to the formation and management of personnel reserves (normative, deficit, competence-based) do not allow an adequate response to the new challenges of the changing social environment, which explains the request for a new integrative model and principles of work with personnel reserves. The authors’ conclusions are based on the results of the sociological study focused on the perception of personnel reserves and their purposes by the subjects of management: the meaning and factors of the efficiency of personnel reserves among other personnel technologies. The study was conducted in the second quarter of 2020, and 56 civil servants were interviewed - heads of structural divisions and employees of personnel services. The authors identified a shift in the perception of the reserve - from the ‘bench’ to the ‘development resource’, but the staff turnover typical for federal bodies has a negative impact. The lack of interconnections between different types of personnel reserves was named by the respondents as one of key challenges. The 2020-2021 studies focused on reservists’ assessments of their career prospects. The article explains the need for a unified system of managerial personnel reserves, which can increase the efficiency of personnel decisions in the public administration system. In this system, the key elements are the level of managerial readiness and the integrity of personal-professional development. Within the proposed approach, the personnel reserve is an ecosystem based on the capabilities of platform solutions, developed on a common methodological basis and having a network topology.