Human resource management reforms and public sector governance in Tanzania.

Reforming HRM is very crucial to any institution, particularly those in the public sector so as to improve the governance. This is supported by arguments that HR is the most vital asset and critical resource in public sector in rendering public service in accountable and transparent manner. The main objective of this study was to examine the influence of reforming HRM in Tanzanian public sector governance by specifically assessing the way employees‘ performance measurement, management of HR in a decentralized context and public sector recruitment system influence accountability and transparency. The study proposed the relationship between HRM reforms and public sector governance moderated by the political support, technological and cultural factors. The study was a quantitative in nature. Questionnaires were used for data collection from 263 public institutions in Tanzania. Structural equation modelling using AMOS 18 was used in the data analysis. The results revealed that employees‘performance measurement and public sector recruitment system have a strong significant relationship with accountability part of the public sector governance, and not transparency. It was also found that, management of HR in a decentralised context has no significant relationship with both transparency and accountability unless moderated by political support. The study results indicated the moderation effect on the influence of political support on all of the effects of HRM reforms and public sector governance. Theoretically, this study contributes to the understanding of the influence of HRM reforms on public sector governance by using the perspectives of principal - agency and contingency theories. Methodologically, the study proposes a measurement model which can contribute to the efforts towards the development of a statistically generalizable model of HRM reforms. Practically, the study contributes to the management of HR in the public sector. The study recommended that implementation of HRM reforms should consider improvement in level of technology used and management autonomy to LGAs and other public institutions and increased political support to these reforms.