Occupational empowerment, competency and values of managers and administrators

The civil service in Canada and elsewhere is the target of continuous criticism. According to many authors, the private sector constitutes an ideal of efficiency for state bureaucracies. Reinventing government depends on the empowerment of civil servants and a fundamental culture change. This study contains a systematic comparison of administration practitioners as regards their level of autonomy, their values and the skills they call upon in the course of their work. The sample of 120 people consists of BA and MA graduates who earned their degrees during the last ten years. After establishing a general profile of practitioners regarding these three parameters, the study identifies the components that are more specific to the private and public sector, respectively. The level of autonomy undoubtedly plays a role, but it must be broken down by type of autonomy However, it is the values that are paramount: the desire for social upward mobility and the commitment to the community.