Dylematy Metodologiczne i Praktyczne Problemy Badania Zarządzania Zasobami Ludzkimi w Administracji Publicznej

The article aim is to identify the methodological dilemmas and practical problems associated with research of human resource management (HRM) in public administration, which now needs urgent modernization of this area of its operation. Identified dilemmas of public administration research including: isolation and definition the public administration as the subject of the study (group of organizations and employees forming the public administration), the impact of elements of strategic management of the state of HRM in the public administration, methods of research appropriate for the study of the public administration problems. In the last dilemma the advantages and weaknesses of different methods and tools were discussed including: economic and praxeological analysis of law and „inside law” in public administration, the possibility of using surveys, in-depth interviews and focus group interviews, comparative studies and case studies. The last part of the article presents a proposal for resolution of the previously mentioned methodological dilemmas and practical problems by using a matrix approach to identify the current status of human resource management in public administration as a whole. Part of the proposal allows the study of public administration as a whole, and the rest of this proposal concerns the study of purposely-selected groups of organizations and pubic administration employees. The dimensions of the matrix include: existing law, the most important elements strategic management of the state, key areas of HRM described in the existing human resource management strategies (programs) in public administration and recognized by managers of organizations within the public administration. Selection of research methods and techniques is a result of the assumptions and characteristics of isolated research problems.