The listening hermeneutic of public servants: building on the implicit

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 359-374
Author(s):  
Maria Veronica Elias ◽  
Justin T. Piccorelli
Keyword(s):  
Political Theory ◽  
Democratic Governance ◽  
Interpretive Phenomenology ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hermeneutic Phenomenological ◽  
Reflection In Action ◽  
Governance Processes ◽  
Deliberative Governance ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of phenomenological or attuned listening and explore its implications for deliberative governance. Drawing on examples from urban planning and city administration, we make a case for listening as a hermeneutic phenomenological practice of crucial importance for public organizations.Design/methodology/approachThis research relies on interpretive phenomenology, critical reflection, and political theory. Through the examination of case studies, we show that attuned or phenomenological listening contributes to greater participatory processes in organizations and to democratic governance processes, more generally.FindingsBy enhancing both collaborative endeavors and discretionary action, phenomenological listening acknowledges the unpredictable, dynamic and political aspects of organizations. Finally, it helps transform the latter into spaces where democratic and accountable action can take place.Practical implicationsThis perspective encourages public deliberation and attentive listening for practitioners to make decisions on the spot that are sensitive to people’s needs.Originality/valueEmbodied and attuned listening fosters reflection-in-action, as well as a reasoned pathway toward public accountability and deliberative democracy.

scholarly journals Public servants coping with competing demands on their agency in client relationships

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 595-611
Author(s):  
Tiina Tuominen ◽  
Mervi Hasu
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Discursive Strategies ◽  
Client Relationships ◽  
Competing Demands ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Improve Service Quality ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis paper analyzes how public servants who work with young people discursively cope with competing demands on their agency, defined as their orientation toward and capabilities to influence their clients. Previous studies revealed how public servants treat their clients when facing competing demands but paid less attention to how public servants define their agency.Design/methodology/approachMicro-level discourse analysis is applied to analyze how public servants represent their agency in client relationships, drawing on interviews with nine individuals in a Finnish city who work with young people lacking jobs or school placements.FindingsInstead of describing their agency coherently, the interviewees applied several discourses to represent their agency differently in relation to different demands. This ability to navigate contradictory discourses is discussed as reflexive discursive coping strategy, which enables public servants to maintain a positive image of their agency despite tensions at work.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the method does not allow direct generalizations, it reveals discursive strategies likely to be found in many contemporary public organizations.Practical implicationsThe study indicates a need to better acknowledge and nurture the multifaceted nature of agency to improve service quality.Originality/valueThe findings deepen the view on tensions in public servants' work and show that diverse discourses not only create anxiety but also help individuals dealing with contradictory work.

scholarly journals Political ties and corporate performance: why efficiency matters?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rabia Najaf ◽  
Khakan Najaf
Keyword(s):  
Political Theory ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Corporate Performance ◽  
Political Connections ◽  
Stewardship Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Political Ties ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine and explain the complex interrelationships which influence the performance of politically connected firms to create value for their providers of finance and other stakeholders. In doing so, it examines the interrelationships between efficiency and delivering on corporate performance of a firm with political ties.Design/methodology/approachThe authors gathered the literature from the Scopus website. They reviewed the literature of 58 manuscripts about the efficiency and performance of politically connected firms.FindingsThe research finds that the better quality of efficiency of politically connected firms is positively related to the corporate performance of politically connected firms. The authors’ theoretical findings corroborate the political theory, agency theory, stakeholder theory, resource dependency theory and stewardship theory. These theories prove that political connections have an impact on firm performance as a politician reinforces the efficacy. To better understand the effect of political connections on solid performance due to efficiency, this study classifies various efficiencies and links them with political ties.Research limitations/implicationsSeveral avenues of research are suggested to examine further the interrelationships identified.Practical implicationsThe authors’ conceptual findings are valuable for institutional investors, policymakers and stakeholders. To sum up, all theoretical shreds of evidence prove that politically connected firms can enhance performance via efficiency.Originality/valueThe paper conceptualizes the efficiency and performance interrelationships of politically connected firms. The extant literature comparison allows an assessment of the extent to which different efficiency contexts lead to differences in performance.

Production of entrepreneurship in small business activities of students

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 180-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taina Järvi
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Continuous Process ◽  
Small Enterprise ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entrepreneurial Skills ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Reflection In Action ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The importance of entrepreneurship education and the lack of studies at the vocational level, have created a need to develop a model of entrepreneurship learning. The purpose of this paper is to determine what vocational college students learn about entrepreneurship from working in a small enterprise, how they learn it and what role the teacher has in the learning process. Design/methodology/approach – The data used are drawn from discussions between eight students (aged 16-18), where they assessed and developed their business activities conducted over the course of a year. Using qualitative data collection and analysis methods, content connected with entrepreneurship was examined to provide information about activities they undertook and how the learning process occurred. Findings – The findings indicate that learning in a small enterprise is a continuous process, where content, activities and process are intertwined. The core of learning is reflection-in-action, to develop entrepreneurial skills and behaviour. Practical implications – This paper may offer a means of applying a small business learning model to entrepreneurship learning. The results can benefit teachers planning entrepreneurship learning. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the understanding of student learning in small enterprises by empirically examining what learning takes place and how.

Stories of grey zone between corruption and whistleblowing: insights from the Italian public administration

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 1037-1058
Author(s):  
Andrea Tomo ◽  
Ernesto De Nito ◽  
Paolo Canonico ◽  
Gianluigi Mangia ◽  
Stefano Consiglio
Keyword(s):  
Future Research ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Grey Zone ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Individual Outcomes ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The literature on corruption and whistleblowing is increasing over the past years. However, the authors contend that individual reactions to a corrupt proposal could differ from the mentioned behaviours. On these grounds, the authors contend that a “grey zone” between accepting corruption and whistleblowing does exist. This paper aims to explore what are the behaviours defining this “grey zone” as nuanced behaviours adopted to react to a corrupt proposal. Design/methodology/approach The authors draw from Miceli and Near’s process of whistleblowing to open the scope for the comprehension of grey behaviours in the decision-making process following to a triggering event. The authors adopted a qualitative and explorative approach by interviewing 27 Italian public servants through open questions and storytelling to explore what kind of behaviours could define the grey zone. Findings The findings unveil nuanced behaviours in the grey zone configuring neither as corruption nor whistleblowing, ranging from ignoring the corrupt proposal to explicit contraposition. Also, they reveal different social and individual outcomes affecting future relationships in organizations. The findings allow to extend Miceli and Near’s process of whistleblowing to the wider spectrum of response behaviours to triggering events such as receiving or assisting to a corrupt proposal. Research limitations/implications Limitations might be recognized in that the situations detected could be only a part of a possible wider “grey zone”. However, the authors believe that the findings could encourage future research to continue exploring the grey zone to enrich its comprehension. Also, the paper offers useful and interesting insights on an undebated issue that has a prominent value under the theoretical, practical, social and policymaking perspectives. Practical implications From the practical and policymaking perspective, the advancement of a debate contending the existence of a grey zone made of nuanced behaviours between corruption and whistleblowing could provide support both for organizations and policymakers to a better understanding of individual behaviours and improving actions and policies to prevent corruption and encourage whistleblowing. Originality/value As the authors are at least unaware of studies debating on the grey zone with specific reference to corruption and whistleblowing, the paper advances a discussion on the grey zone between corruption and whistleblowing as a continuum of nuanced behaviours that could provide a starting point for further fine-grained analyses.

Experimentalist systems in manufacturing multinationals

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 362-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary B. Herrigel
Keyword(s):  
Multinational Enterprises ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Action Theory ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative Case Studies ◽  
Institutional Rules ◽  
Effective Operation ◽  
Governance Processes ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to apply experimentalist framework to understand self-optimizing efforts within German manufacturing multinationals. Benefits and characteristic obstacles to diffusion are discussed. Mechanisms for combatting obstacles are outlined. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative case studies, interview-based research, processual and reflexive action theory are applied to the governance of manufacturing-based multinational enterprises. Findings Uncertainty is an ineradicable element in multinational companies (MNC) FDI operations. Self-optimizing systems, many with an experimentalist character, are a pervasive form of response to this uncertainty. Obstacles to the diffusion and effective operation of self-optimization are chronic and, indeed, endogenously generated. But as a result, so are superordinate efforts to undercut the continuous emergence of obstacles. MNC development is, thus, characterized by continuous self-recomposition. Research limitations/implications Implication is that managers and management theorists should focus as much on the management of dynamic process and learning that results in the recomposition of institutional rules as they do on the constraining and enabling effects of those rules. Practical implications Superordinate mechanisms for the disruption of incipient insulation and exclusion are crucial for the implementation of successful experimentalist (learning) systems. Social implications Transparency, stakeholder involvement in MNC governance processes has positive implications for learning, innovation and competitiveness. Originality/value This paper presents the application of experimentalist learning theory to MNC global governance.

scholarly journals “I’m not homosexual or heterosexual, I’m paedosexual”: exploring sexual preference for children using interpretive phenomenology

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie S. Walton ◽  
Simon Duff
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Sexual Preference ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Interpretive Phenomenology ◽  
Sexual Offences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Inherent Problem ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose There is little research that examines the experiences of individuals who were assessed as having a sexual preference for children. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the lived experience of five incarcerated participants who possessed a sexual preference for either prepubescent or pubescent children and had completed an accredited programme for males convicted of sexual offences in HM Prison Service in England and Wales. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were carried out and the data were analysed using the principles of an interpretative phenomenological approach. Findings Three recurrent themes were identified. These were: internal battle, I am always going to have these thoughts, and there is no help out there. In particular, these participants perceived that their sexual preference was relatively enduring and would require continuous management. Practical implications The results have implications for clinical practice and further research. Clinicians may need to think particularly creatively about their therapeutic plans and extend the parameters of desirable treatment goals for clients with sexual preferences for children. Originality/value To date there are very few studies that have examined the accounts of men with a sexual preference for children regarding their lived experience. Paedophilia constitutes a stable sexual preference, suggesting that convicted perpetrators with such a preference face an inherent problem. Whilst sexual urges may be regulated and arousability reduced, the underlying attraction may remain intact. In response to the lack of research in this area, the aim of this study was to investigate the lived experience of a sexual preference for children.

Neutrality as it never was: a short treatise on public administration theory

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 192-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh T. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Political Theory ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Political Institution ◽  
Public Administrators ◽  
Administrative State ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Is public administration neutral? Scholarship does not interpret public administration as neutral, even though, on moral–ethical grounds, it frequently advises neutrality for practitioners. Five main schools of thought are surveyed. Neutrality and alternative expressions of it, such as nonpartisanship, expertise, impartiality or facilitation, are role prescriptions for practicing public administrators, and are typically offered as appropriate comportments in interacting with citizens and groups. At the same time, public administration is undeniably a political institution having political purposes and constitutive impacts. Indeed, the very existence of the administrative state is politically contestable. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Critical reflection, political philosophy, political theory. Findings Scholars across the various schools of thought in public administration do not presuppose the presence of a neutral public administrator. However, there is sometimes an admonition to practitioners to behave as if they were politically neutral. Practical implications Advising practitioners that their practices are neutral masks the fact that public administration is an inherently political institution. Originality/value Neutral public administration is revealed as empty cant.

scholarly journals Examining bribery in Papua New Guinea's public sector: forms and accountability implications

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samson Tiki ◽  
Belinda Luke ◽  
Janet Mack
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Accountability System ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine bribery and its accountability implications within Papua New Guinea's (PNG's) public sector.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 senior public servants from three central government departments. Perceptions, forms and accountability dimensions compromised through bribery were analysed through an actor network theory (ANT) lens to understand the actors contributing to bribery and how it might be addressed.FindingsForms (and variations) of bribery included “promises” by clients, pre-commitments by public servants and expectations/obligations imposed by public servants. Multiple and interdependent actors (including compromised accountability perceptions) are identified.Practical implicationsFindings provide important insights for public servants and policy-makers within and beyond PNG's government departments, highlighting the associated implications for individuals, the public sector and the country more broadly.Originality/valueThe incorporation and analysis of accountability dimensions through an ANT lens provides new perspectives on bribery. Further, the significance and extent of compromised accountability dimensions within the network suggests a broken accountability system.

Leadership on the run: time management among deputy ministers in Canada

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrice Dutil ◽  
Andrea Riccardo Migone
Keyword(s):  
Private Sector ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Time Allocation ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Survey Instrument ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe authors examine the time allocation and management of deputy ministers (DMs) in Canada.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyze the results from a 2020 survey of DMs.FindingsThe authors observe that, like private sector leaders, DMs work very long hours and tend to allocate their time fairly consistently across functions. Nevertheless, important differences exist particularly depending on the size of their department.Research limitations/implicationsWhile a substantial percentage of answers were returned, these skew toward provincial rather than federal public servants and not all jurisdictions are equally represented.Practical implicationsThe distribution of areas of focus for DMs and their time allocation differences speak to potentially important discussions to be had in time management practice.Originality/valueThis is the first and only analysis of time management for senior public service executives based on a survey instrument.

scholarly journals Controlling superprojects – information management requirements

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brett Parnell ◽  
Merlin Stone ◽  
Eleni Aravopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Information Management ◽  
Control Process ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Cost Overruns ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Remedial Actions ◽  
Public Money ◽  
Governance Processes ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to explore the problems of managing superprojects and identifies how a different approach to controlling them can reduce the incidence of cost and time overruns and benefit shortfalls. Design/methodology/approach Literature review accompanied by conceptual analysis. Findings Project cost and timing overruns and benefit shortfalls are very frequent in superprojects. These problems can be ascribed partly to the way in which they are planned is not taken into account in designing and implementing control systems, particularly the governance processes and the information they have available. Practical implications This paper has serious implications for those designing control processes, governance and information management for superprojects. It suggests that if a new approach is taken, fewer superprojects will suffer from cost overruns and benefit shortfalls because remedial actions will be taken earlier for projects, which are experiencing problems, while learning will be fed back to those planning new projects. Social implications There will be saving of public money and reduced deferment of benefits that normally result from failed or delayed projects and reduced allocation of large incremental budgets dedicated to resolving problems. Originality/value The taxonomy of different types of superprojects is original, as is the idea of ambidextrous control, and the diagnosis of failure reasons lying in the nature of control and governance processes, and the lack of relevant information available during the control process.

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