The modernized public servant : a poststructuralist perspective on the 'modernization' of the Canadian public service

Abstract

This dissertation takes a poststructuralist perspective on becoming the Modernized Public Servant. The term modernized is used as a means of distinguishing the public service after the Public Service Modernization Act (PSMA) of 2004. Using a Foucauldian influenced framework to conduct a discourse analysis, this dissertation explores the public service discourse using the experience of individuals from various federal departments across the country, documents retrieved from the Canadian Treasury Board and public administration textbooks. It constitutes an understanding of the public service discourse (excluding military personnel) post modernization within the context of the Canadian Federal Government. There are three anticipated contributions that arise from the outcomes of this dissertation. First it develops an understanding of the discursive practices that constitute the public service. In light of the modernization of the public service, this examination helps to explain what modernization has meant to the public service in the Canadian context. Second, this dissertation makes a methodological contribution to discourse analysis as a method. Using Rabinow’s (1984) interpretation of Foucault’s three modes of objectification as a template for examining the discourse and addressing the role of agency, I introduce the modes as a framework for conducting discourse analysis in management research. These modes are used as a template for interpreting the information from the data to understand the role of knowledge and power within the discourse. Finally, this dissertation demonstrates the value of considering the impact of agency on discourse development and perpetuation. Although Foucault did not address the use of agency until later in his career (Rabinow, 1984), this dissertation shows the importance of his eventual reconsideration on the matter. The analysis yielded ten themes or subjectivities that were categorized into one of the three modes of objectification. The first mode of objectification discussed is dividing practices. The subjectivities for this mode are entitled separate sector, accountability, pride, scope and language. The second mode discussed is scientific classification for which there were two themes: creating knowledge and the bureaucratic structure. Finally, I discuss the themes of unwritten recruitment, sense of security and employee acceptance under the subjectification mode. Each of the subjectivities is discussed by highlighting the discursive practices surrounding it and the impact, if any, that the modernization process has had on those practices.