THE PUBLIC SERVICE STAFF RELATIONS BOARD OF CANADA: A STUDY OF ORGANIZATIONAL EVOLUTION

GEORGE T. SULZNER

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DOI: 10.2190/3E9A-BR6A-5FEG-MRA8

Abstract

Organizational histories of public sector labor agencies are almost non-existent. No one has examined the Public Science Service Staff Relations Board of Canada in this manner prior to the present study. This study looks at the twenty-five-year-old existence of the Board. Three time frames are apparent. A period of start-up and development under the first Chairman, Jacob Finkelman; a period of consolidation and stability under the second Chairman, Harold Brown; and a period of challenge and crisis under the third and present Chairman, Ian Deans. These different organizational climates can and should produce distinct organizational strategies for fulfilling its mission. They also can lead to changes in the mission of the agency. Both occurred during the organizational history of the Board. An examination of the way the Board has evolved to relate effectively to its political and operational environment reveals not only the limits of organizational adaptation but also the distinct nature of the process of regulating employee relations in the public sector.

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