Employee involvement in the public administrative sector: an exploration of the engagement drivers in Cameroon

Abstract

In many developing countries, despite the efforts made to roll out New Public Management, public service quality is still more of an ideal than a reality. Employee disengagement emerges time and again in reflections on the causes of the problem, without, in most contexts, having any precise explanations. The article sets out to identify the engagement drivers likely to secure the effective involvement of public officials tasked with providing the public administrative service. To do this, an empirical study is conducted in Cameroon. The analysis makes use of both statistical inference and content analysis. Its results tell us that the involvement of public officials is linked, in particular, to work organisation, human resources management practices and the recognition of their potential by their superiors.

Points for practitioners

This study identifies some major current issues. For anyone involved in human resources management, work involvement is a competitive tool that creates value. It is considered as one of the general objectives that staff management practices should help to achieve. A high-quality public service requires particular attention to be granted to work involvement. The study reveals many employee engagement drivers that can boost the performance of public administrations, particularly in developing countries.