Value Conflicts in Public Organizations

2021 ◽  
pp. 239-253
Author(s):  
Ulrich T. Jensen ◽  
Carina Schott ◽  
Trui Steen
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Current Literature ◽  
Public Organizations ◽  
Value Conflicts ◽  
Organizational Contexts ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Individual Service

The public sector and all its entities are characterized by a plurality of values. As a result, public service professionals and public managers often find themselves in situations where different conceptions of what is deemed desirable conflict with one another and render a singular, unambiguous path to better performance a hallucination. This chapter reviews research on value conflicts in public organizations to offer three contributions. First, it identifies the consequences of value conflicts on professionals’ attitudes, behaviors, and performance. Second, the chapter discusses how individual service professionals and public managers can address value conflicts in organizational contexts. Third, and finally, the chapter outlines a series of critical questions on the antecedents and consequences of value conflicts the current literature has yet to address.

Elucidating the Linkages Between Entrepreneurial Orientation and Local Government Sustainability Performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Deslatte ◽  
William L. Swann
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Entrepreneurial Orientation ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
The Public ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences ◽  
And Performance

Linking strategic management to performance has been called essential for public managers to confront pernicious environmental and community problems in the 21st century. This article examines the role that an organization’s entrepreneurial orientation (EO) plays in the linkages between organizational capacities, strategies, and perceived performance. An EO is considered a key driver of a public organization’s willingness to engage in risk taking, innovation, and proactivity aimed at enhancing organizational routines, decision-making, and performance. Scholars have provided empirical guidance for the antecedents and consequences of entrepreneurialism in bureaucracy, yet we know little systematically about how EO links to strategies that may affect performance in the public sector. To investigate, we employ a mixed methods design using a nationwide survey of U.S. local governments and interviews with local government managers about their experiences in sustainability programs. Quantitatively, we find evidence for environmental factors of political and administrative capacities positively influencing EO, and that strategic activities of performance information use, venturing, and interorganizational collaboration mediate the relation between EO and perceived sustainability performance. Interviews corroborate these findings and illuminate how local government managers proactively engage stakeholders, consider risk taking, build capacity, and pursue innovation in sustainability.

Empirical analysis of HPO framework in public sector organizations of Pakistan

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalimullah Kalimullah ◽  
Mohd Anuar Arshad ◽  
Qaiser Khan ◽  
Shahid Khan
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Public Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Continuous Improvement Process ◽  
Five Factors ◽  
Public Sector Organizations

Purpose Building on high-performance organizations (HPO) framework, the purpose of this paper is to hypothesize the direct impact of five factors of HPO framework on public organizations’ performance in Pakistan. This is first research to employ the partial least squares (PLS) method to provide empirical evidence of the predictive power of the framework in public organizations. Design/methodology/approach This is a cross-sectional study conducted in non-contrived settings thereby keeping researcher interference to a minimum. Data collection was carried out by distributing online questionnaires to 513 employees from three different service-based public organizations in Pakistan. PLS is used to examine the statistical and substantive significance of five factors by employing SmartPLS 3.2.6. Findings This study concludes that the HPO framework has predictive relevance for public organizations’ performance surveyed in this study. Furthermore, three out of the five factors of HPO framework, namely, management quality, workforce quality and long-term orientation have positive relationships, while openness and action orientation (OAO), and continuous improvement process and renewal have a negative relationship with the performance of public sector organizations (PSOs) surveyed in Pakistan. Research limitations/implications The study’s small sample size limits this research, and only quantitative methodology is applied. A significant limitation of this research is that this study relied on a subset of respondents of surveyed organizations and may not representative of the population. Therefore, result should be carefully interpreted as some degree of biasness may be present. Furthermore, findings of the study cannot be generalized to all PSOs of Pakistan. Practical implications The implication for public managers is that the HPO framework has predictive relevance and substantive significance. However, the ideal value of HPO framework will occur when leadership considers HPO factors and struggles persistently to improve performance. The useful implication is that public managers should focus on continuous improvement process and renewal and OAO to meet stakeholders’ satisfaction. Originality/value This study answer two questions, first “is there any significant relationship of five factors of HPO framework with public organizations’ Performance in Pakistan?” and second “what is the predictive relevance level of HPO framework in the Public organizations in Pakistan?” The answers to these research questions will fill the gaps in the literature by providing empirical evidence to the existing knowledge on improvement methods, especially the public sector (PS), and contributing insights on the real world working of the five factors of HPO framework in a PS.

scholarly journals Transformational leadership for organizational change in the Lebanese public sector

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-216
Author(s):  
Bissane Harb ◽  
Dina Sidani
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Organizational Change ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Leading Change ◽  
The Public ◽  
Idealized Influence ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
And Performance

The public sector is facing multiple changes. In a constantly changing environment, that is more and more demanding in terms of innovation and performance, the concept of leadership is of particular importance, as it is one of the few tools available to public managers.Based on the transformational leadership theory, the aim of this study is to explore how transformational leadership characteristics influence organizational change within the public sector in Lebanon. To serve this purpose, a qualitative approach is adopted based on a series of semi-focused interviews conducted with ten public managers running 10 public administrations. These administrations have undergone significant changes over the past five years.The results point out the importance of transformational behaviors adopted by public managers in leading change within the public sector in Lebanon, despite the multiple obstacles. They confirmed the role of two transformational dimensions related to idealized influence and inspirational motivation in the successful implementation of organizational change. This study contributes to better understanding of the role of transformational leadership in promoting change in the public sector.

Linking practices to results: an analysis toward Lean Six Sigma deployment in the public sector

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Juliani ◽  
Otávio José de Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Public Organizations ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Scientific Discussion ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Multiple Case

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present relationship between operation and management practices analyzing the results achieved by both public organizations prone to deploy Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and public organizations that have already implemented the method. The goal is to support the start of method deployment by public managers and the creation of more efficient and effective processes in public organizations. Design/methodology/approach An analysis of synergies between findings in the multiple case study carried out in Brazilian public organizations from health and education sectors and successful implementations found in the LSS literature is made. Findings The fact that this research comprised organizations from different segments allowed good practices and difficulties to be identified in a unique way, adding more value to the research carried out and increasing the potential of support to the public manager. In addition, it was possible to map the most mentioned benefits of LSS deployment in both health and education sectors and link them to systematized LSS practices. Research limitations/implications The presenting research should initiate a scientific discussion on public sector areas more prone to LSS and guide researchers in the development of case studies aimed at the application of this method in public organizations in general. Practical implications This paper can assist public managers to become aware of the potential of the organization they manage in the adoption of LSS principles and practices enabling a better quality of services provided to citizens. Originality/value The finding that public health organizations are more likely to implement LSS principles and practices when compared to public organizations from other segments can guide more in-depth studies that justify why some organizations would be better able to implement the LSS method and others would face more difficulties in a hypothetical deployment.

What Makes Performance-Related Pay Effective in the Public Sector? Target, Pay Design, and Context

2021 ◽  
pp. 0734371X2199072
Author(s):  
Jinsol Park
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Organizational Contexts ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Employee Characteristics

While performance-related pay (PRP) has been implemented in most OECD countries over the past four decades, its effectiveness is still up for debate. What is under-investigated in the previous literature is under what conditions the public sector can effectively implement an optimal design of a PRP system. This study investigates how the target of PRP, the design of performance pay, and organizational context affect the effectiveness of PRP. The findings indicate that PRP has a positive association with organizational performance but the aspects of performance it affects differ depending on to whom it is implemented and how PRP is designed. This study also finds that the positive effect of PRP for top executives is attenuated if organizational outcomes are not easily observable. This article suggests that public managers should pay careful attention to employee characteristics, pay design, and organizational contexts for the successful implementation of PRP in the public sector.

Mapping public value processes

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 334-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Alford ◽  
Sophie Yates
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Child Nutrition ◽  
Process Mapping ◽  
Public Value ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Big Picture ◽  
Comprehensive Framework

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to add to the analytic toolkit of public sector practitioners by outlining a framework called Public Value Process Mapping (PVPM). This approach is designed to be more comprehensive than extant frameworks in either the private or public sectors, encapsulating multiple dimensions of productive processes. Design/methodology/approach – This paper explores the public administration and management literature to identify the major frameworks for visualising complex systems or processes, and a series of dimensions against which they can be compared. It then puts forward a more comprehensive framework – PVPM – and demonstrates its possible use with the example of Indigenous child nutrition in remote Australia. The benefits and limitations of the technique are then considered. Findings – First, extant process mapping frameworks each have some but not all of the features necessary to encompass certain dimensions of generic or public sector processes, such as: service-dominant logic; external as well internal providers; public and private value; and state coercive power. Second, PVPM can encompass the various dimensions more comprehensively, enabling visualisation of both the big picture and the fine detail of public value-creating processes. Third, PVPM has benefits – such as helping unearth opportunities or culprits affecting processes – as well as limitations – such as demonstrating causation and delineating the boundaries of maps. Practical implications – PVPM has a number of uses for policy analysts and public managers: it keeps the focus on outcomes; it can unearth a variety of processes and actors, some of them not immediately obvious; it can help to identify key processes and actors; it can help to identify the “real” culprits behind negative outcomes; and it highlights situations where multiple causes are at work. Originality/value – This approach, which draws on a number of precursors but constitutes a novel technique in the public sector context, enables the identification and to some extent the comprehension of a broader range of causal factors and actors. This heightens the possibility of imagining innovative solutions to difficult public policy issues, and alternative ways of delivering public services.

Moving On Up? Effects of Leadership Training and Intersectoral Mobility on Women’s Advancement in Danish Public Administration Management

2021 ◽  
pp. 0734371X2110548
Author(s):  
Müge Kökten Finkel ◽  
Caroline Howard Grøn ◽  
Melanie M. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Leadership Training ◽  
Career Advancement ◽  
Gender Inequalities ◽  
Upper Management ◽  
The Public ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
Public Managers

Women’s underrepresentation in middle and upper management is a well-documented feature of the public sector that threatens performance and legitimacy. Yet, we know far less about the factors most likely to reduce these gender inequalities. In this article, we focus on two well-understood drivers of career advancement in public administration: leadership training and intersectoral mobility. In theory, training in leadership and experience across government levels and policy areas should help both women and men to climb management ranks. We use logistic regression to test this proposition using a representative sample of 1,819 Danish public managers. We find that leadership training disproportionately benefits women, and this helps to level the playing field. However, our analyses show that differences in intersectoral mobility do not explain the gender gap in public sector management.

Leadership of change in South Africa public sector turnarounds

2018 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mampe Kumalo ◽  
Caren Brenda Scheepers
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Current Literature ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Director General ◽  
Change Processes ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Financial Consequences

PurposeOrganisational decline has far-reaching, negative emotional and financial consequences for staff and customers, generating academic and practitioner interest in turnaround change processes. Despite numerous studies to identify the stages during turnarounds, the findings have been inconclusive. The purpose of this paper is to address the gap by defining these stages, or episodes. The characteristics of leaders affect the outcome of organisational change towards turnarounds. This paper focusses, therefore, on the leadership requirements during specific episodes, from the initial crisis to the full recovery phases.Design/methodology/approachA total of 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted with executives from the public sector in South Africa who went through or were going through turnaround change processes and 3 with experts consulting to these organisations.FindingsContrary to current literature in organisational change, this study found that, in these turnaround situations, leadership in the form of either an individual CEO or director general was preferable to shared leadership or leadership distributed throughout the organisation. This study found four critical episodes that occurred during all the public service turnarounds explored, and established that key leadership requirements differ across these episodes. The study shows how these requirements relate to the current literature on transactional, transformational and authentic leadership.Practical implicationsThe findings on the leadership requirements ultimately inform the selection and development of leaders tasked with high-risk turnaround change processes.Originality/valueFour episodes with corresponding leadership requirements were established in the particular context of public sector turnaround change processes.

scholarly journals Identifying Strategies for Managing Critical Success Factors of BPM initiatives in Brazilian Public Organizations

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Higor M. Santos ◽  
Carina F. Alves ◽  
George F. Santos ◽  
André L. Santana
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Business Process ◽  
Business Process Management ◽  
Critical Success Factors ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Process Management ◽  
Public Organizations ◽  
The Public ◽  
Critical Success

Business Process Management involves theoretical and operationalelements from different areas, being a multidisciplinary field. In previousstudies, we identified critical success factors of BPM initiatives in BrazilianPublic Organizations. In this work, we intend to investigate how to managethese factors. To achieve this goal, we performed a focus group with fiveprofessionals with experience in BPM initiatives within the public sector. Themain contribution of this study is to fill the gap in the literature concerningcritical success factors for BPM initiatives in public organizations.

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