Leadership strategies and internal communication in public organizations

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Bøtcher Jacobsen ◽  
Heidi Houlberg Salomonsen
Keyword(s):  
Public Organizations ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Leadership Strategies ◽  
Communication Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Red Tape ◽  
Transactional Leaders ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Shared Understandings

PurposeLeadership can cultivate shared understandings of goals within organizations. Transformational leaders engage in vision-sharing, whereas transactional leaders apply contingent rewards and sanctions. To set the stage for better performing organizations, public managers could lead in ways to improve the communication that flows internally in public organizations, defined as the internal communication performance. Previous studies have linked transformational leadership with internal communication performance in public organizations, but no studies have considered the broader array of leadership strategies and their combination. The purpose of this study is to assess the strength of the relationship between different forms of leadership (transformational and transactional) and internal communication.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on a balanced panel dataset of 751 employees.FindingsThe analysis corroborates the existing findings of a relationship between transformational and internal communication, and it identifies a relationship between transactional leadership through verbal rewards and internal communication.Originality/valueIn so doing, the study brings new insights to our understanding of how leaders in public organizations can improve the internal communication in their organizations, which has been linked to, among others, how employees themselves perceive the red tape and performance within public organizations.

Predicting engagement and performance through firm’s internal factors

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 763-780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zulqurnain Ali ◽  
Sadia Sabir ◽  
Aqsa Mehreen
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Internal Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Goals ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Reward And Recognition

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the firm’s internal factors influence employee engagement (EE), which, in turn, enhances the performance of textile employees. Furthermore, the present study pursues to address the indirect effect of EE on the relationship between the firm’s internal factors and employee performance. Design/methodology/approach Data were taken from 355 participants working in textile mills through a survey approach. Structural equation modeling was run to confirm the proposed model and structural relationships. Findings Results highlight that internal communication and reward and recognition are significantly related to EE, except for work‒life balance. Furthermore, EE has a significant effect on the performance of textile employees. Practical implications The present study helps the textile managers to improve employee performance while focusing on the firm’s internal factors of engagement. Proactive internal communication and reward system will help to bring a competitive edge and achieve the organizational goals. The findings also provide managers the information to reduce the organization interruptions in enhancing EE and performance. Originality/value This study covered the hidden gap in the previous literature on EE and performance, especially in the field of the textile sector by employing Kahn’s theory of engagement.

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.

The relationship between learning transfer climates and innovation in public and private organizations in Korea

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 956-972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hee Jun Choi ◽  
Ji-Hye Park
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Innovation ◽  
Learning Transfer ◽  
Public Organizations ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Performance Expectations ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Type ◽  
Private Organizations ◽  
And Performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the results of an empirical exploration of the relationship between learning transfer climates and organizational innovation. Additionally, factors associated with learning transfer climate that could account for innovation in Korean public and private organizations have been explored. Design/methodology/approach – This study relies on quantitative data obtained from two survey questionnaires. The sample consists of 390 employees working for seven private and five public organizations; further, each employee has completed at least one training program within a one-year period. Findings – Results of the study demonstrate that private, rather than public organizations, have significantly higher mean scores for all five learning transfer climate variables and for perceived organizational innovation. The results of multiple regression analyses reveal that openness to change and performance coaching have common and significant impacts on perceived innovation in both private and public organizations. However, the other three variables (i.e., transfer effort-performance expectations, performance-outcomes expectations, and performance self-efficacy) have varied effects on perceived innovation depending on organizational type. Specifically, transfer effort-performance expectations has a relatively meaningful impact on perceived innovation in public organizations. Performance-outcomes expectations and performance self-efficacy have relatively meaningful effects on perceived innovation in private organizations. Research limitations/implications – The sample for this study consists of employees solely from Korean organizations. Therefore, further studies encompassing a greater sampling variety are required to determine the generalizability of these results. In addition, this study is limited to an investigation of the possible differences between public and private organizations with respect to their learning transfer climates and innovation. In studies to follow, researchers can further investigate these relationships in segmented organizations. Originality/value – The results of this study will assist human resource practitioners to promote innovation effectively and efficiently based on organizational type.

Public Managers’ Contribution to Public Service Performance

2021 ◽  
pp. 85-103
Author(s):  
Lotte B. Andersen ◽  
Christian B. Jacobsen ◽  
Ulrich T. Jensen ◽  
Heidi H. Salomonse
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Leadership Skills ◽  
Service Performance ◽  
Reputation Management ◽  
Leadership Strategies ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
And Performance

This chapter describes how public managers contribute to public service performance. First, the chapter investigates three critical contextual factors for how public leadership can make a difference to organizational performance: managerial autonomy, capacity, and ability. Second, three leadership strategies are introduced which have been positively related to organizational performance in the public sector: goal-oriented, relational, and non-leader-centered leadership. Third, a new concept with particular relevance for public management is presented—reputation management—and this points to the relevance of considering the nexus between reputation and performance. It is argued that an organization’s reputation and performance may be more or less aligned. However, more importantly, an organization’s reputation per se also provides an important but less studied contextual factor of relevance for public managers’ ability to improve organizational performance. Finally, the chapter discusses how to develop leadership skills that increase public managers’ ability to contribute to public service performance.

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.

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.

scholarly journals Managerial choices in orchestrating dialogic performance management

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomi Rajala ◽  
Harri Laihonen
Keyword(s):  
Performance Management ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Multiple Data ◽  
Dialogic Performance ◽  
And Performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a definition for dialogic performance management and investigate the managerial choices that dialogic performance management necessitates from public managers. Design/methodology/approach The research strategy was based on a narrative analysis grounded in relativism and constructivism. Multiple data collection methods were used in this case study to examine a local government in Finland. Findings The paper proposes a definition and provides practical illustrations of the concept of dialogic performance management. The empirical findings are a set of managerial choices used to orchestrate dialogic performance management. Practical implications The concept of dialogic performance management encourages practitioners to ask themselves whether their current performance management practices are based on managerial monologues, rather than dialogues that incorporate staff into the performance management. The results also show that managerial choices shape the form of dialogic performance management. Originality/value The previous accounting and performance management literature has not examined the managerial choices that are used to shape dialogic performance management. In this research, the authors identify these types of managerial choices in the case organisation. The research is valuable because only after explicating managerial choices can one start to examine why dialogic performance management either fails or succeeds when public managers orchestrate it.

Successful leadership in a rural, high-poverty school: the case of County Line Middle School

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans W. Klar ◽  
Curtis A. Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Leadership Practices ◽  
Leadership Strategies ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Principalship ◽  
Successful School

Purpose – In this paper, the authors present a case study of successful school leadership at County Line Middle School. The purpose of the paper is to identify how particular leadership practices and beliefs were adapted to increase student achievement in this rural, high-poverty school in the southeastern USA. Design/methodology/approach – After purposefully selecting this school, the authors adapted interview protocols, questionnaires, and analysis frameworks from the International Successful School Principalship Project to develop a multi-perspective case study of principal leadership practices at the school. Findings – The findings illustrate the practices which led to students at this school, previously the lowest-performing in the district, achieving significantly higher on state standardized tests, getting along “like a family,” and regularly participating in service learning activities and charity events. A particularly interesting finding was how the principal confronted the school's negative self-image and adapted common leadership practices to implement a school-wide reform that suited its unique context. Research limitations/implications – While the findings of the study explicate the specific ways the principal adapted leadership strategies to enhance student learning, this study also highlights the need to understand how principals become familiar with their community's needs, cultures, norms, and values, and exercise leadership in accordance with them. Practical implications – The case offers an example of the need for context-responsive leadership in schools. In particular, it illustrates how this principal enacted leadership strategies that successfully negotiated what Woods (2006) referred to as the changing politics of the rural. To realize this success, the principal utilized his understanding of this low income, rural community to guide his leadership practices. Critically, part of this understanding included the ways the community was connected to and isolated from dominant sub-urban and urban societies, and how to build enthusiasm and capacity through appeals to local values. Originality/value – While it is widely acknowledged that school leaders need to consider their school and community contexts when making leadership decisions, less research has focussed on understanding how this can be achieved. This case provides rich examples of how this was accomplished in a rural, high-poverty middle school.

Implementation of an integrated management system in an airline: a case study

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 629-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Palmira López‐Fresno
Keyword(s):  
Management System ◽  
Customer Orientation ◽  
Integrated Management ◽  
Direct Analysis ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Integrated Management System ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Industry Sectors

PurposeThis paper presents, through the analysis of a case study, a model based on a systemic approach that proved successful for the design and implementation of an integrated management system (IMS) in an airline, and provides guidelines and practical recommendations that may be of use to other sectors of activity when designing and implementing an IMS.Design/methodology/approachData for this paper were collected through direct analysis and implication in the process of implementation of the IMS. Also a literature review was conducted.FindingsTangible and intangible benefits were identified as derived from operating one IMS, such as cost savings, better use of resources, improved internal communication, stronger customer orientation and employee motivation. For these benefits to be realised it is essential to take into account several critical factors and be aware of the challenges accompanying integration of management systems, as detailed in the paper.Practical implicationsThis paper provides guidelines and recommendations for organisations seeking to implement and integrate several standards, being general or sectoral, particularly if they operate in highly complex industry sectors.Originality/valueThis paper incorporates the integration of sectoral standards, which the literature has not covered very widely. The research has wider value through transferable applications and experiences for other industry sectors.

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