Resumo

The new business scenario, defined as complex and volatile, has been experiencing changes in processes and structures, which imposes new demands on workers. In this context, organizations need to promote healthy work environments so that their employees can perform their roles in seeking greater professional fulfillment and obtaining better results at individual, group and organizational levels. Certainly, public and private companies operate differently in this scenario of crises, uncertainties and new challenges, impacting the perceptions of their employees.

In addition, there is literature gap regarding the performance of comparative studies encompassing variables of organizational behavior in public and private companies. Thus, the present study has the central purpose of broadening the debate on issues that influence attitudes and behaviors at work, such as leadership, organizational virtues and people management practices, with a special focus on comparing the perceptions of employees from private companies and public servants from public institutions.

Bass (1990, p.11) argues that leadership focuses on persuasion and influence, defining it as "a power relationship, an instrument to achieve goals, an interaction effort, a differentiated role". Cameron, Bright, & Caza (2004, p.3) argue that "organizational virtuosity includes actions of individuals, collective activities, cultural attributes and organizational processes". Organizations should establish HRM practices that advocate the promotion of positive attitudes, as well as the engagement, valorization and motivation of employees (Aktar & Pangil, 2018).

The research covered 771 workers from public and private companies and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to check if there are significant differences in the responses of the participants. The questionnaire-type research instrument, which was used in this study, consists of three scientifically validated measurement scales with good psychometric parameters, namely: the Management Style Assessment Scale – MSAS, the Organizational Moral Virtues Perception Scale – OMVPS, and the Human Resources Policies and Practices Scale – HRPPS.

The result shows that employees have a greater perception of leadership with a focus on the task than the public servants. The result shows that employees of private companies have greater organizational confidence when compared to the servants of public companies. In the HRPPS, in relation to the type of company variable, it was identified that only the factors Recruitment and Selection (RS), Involvement (I), Training, Development & Education (TDE) and Working Conditions (WC) presented significant difference of perception between public servants and employees.

The main objective of this work was achieved, since the results engendered showed significant differences in the perceptions of public servants and employees when leadership, organizational virtues and human resources management practices are on the agenda. Comparative studies with these organizational behavior variables were indicated as necessary to fill gaps still little explored in the literature. And there resided the main advance of this study.

Aktar, A., & Pangil, F. (2018). Mediating role of organizational commitment in the relationship between human resource management practices and employee engagement: Does black box stage exist?. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, (just-accepted), 00-00. Bass, B. M. (1990). Bass and stogdill’s handbook of leadership: theory, research, and managerial applications (3rd ed.). New York: Free Press. Cameron, K. S., Bright, D., & Caza, A. (2004). Exploring the relationships between organizational virtuousness and performance. American Behavioral Scientist, 47(6), 766-790.