Building trust through public service co-production

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 550-565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joost Fledderus
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Service Provider ◽  
Personal Control ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Generalized Trust ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Building Trust

Purpose – Co-production of public service delivery is believed to foster trust among users, but little empirical work is devoted to this assumption. Public sector organizations have therefore little knowledge about the conditions that determine whether co-production leads to trust. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – A longitudinal mixed method is used, following participants of a co-produced activation programme over time (n=60). Quantitative methods are employed to investigate changes in trust levels, whereas qualitative methods are used to explain these changes and explore conditions for trust-building. Findings – After a half year, trust in the service provider, trust in local government and generalized trust decreased significantly among co-producing participants. Particularly, a decrease in trust in fellow participants strongly related to decreases in trust in the service provider and generalized trust. Qualitative evidence indicate that motivation during the co-production decreased, as well as personal control. Organizational support and user commitment show to be important conditions for building trust. Research limitations/implications – The study draws upon a small sample, limiting possibilities for statistical analysis. Also, comparison with other types of service delivery is required to safely assign the effects to co-production. Originality/value – Longitudinal studies on co-production are rarely performed. Additionally, the findings indicate a more critical approach to the effects of co-production, which are often assumed to be positive for the public sector and citizens.

The dimensional linkage between public service motivation and innovative behavior in public sector institutions; the mediating role of psychological empowerment

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Asim Rafique ◽  
Yumei Hou ◽  
Muhammad Adnan Zahid Chudhery ◽  
Nida Gull ◽  
Syed Jameel Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Psychological Empowerment ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Innovative Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeInnovations are imperative for organizational growth and sustainability. This study focuses on the employees' innovative behavior, a source of organizational innovations, which has received substantial attention from the researchers. Based on the psychological empowerment theory, the study exposes the effect of the various dimensions of public service motivation (PSM) on employees' innovative behavior (IB) in public sector institutions especially in the context of developing countries such as Pakistan. Moreover, the study also investigates the mediating role of psychological empowerment (PSE) between the dimensions of PSM and IB.Design/methodology/approachThis study used the cross-sectional research design. By using random sampling, the adapted survey questionnaires were used to collect data from 346 faculty members of public sector universities located in provincial capitals of Pakistan. A partial least square–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) tool was used to assess the proposed hypotheses through SMART-PLS software.FindingsResults revealed that attraction to policymaking (APM), compassion (COM), self-sacrifice (SS) have a significant impact on employees' PSE and their innovative behavior, while the relationship of commitment to the public interest (CPI) with PSE and IB was found insignificant. Moreover, PSE partially mediated the relationship between PSM dimensions and employees' IB.Originality/valueThere was a scarcity of research on IB especially in public sector institutions such as academia. This study theoretically contributed to the literature by providing a refined picture in assessing the proposed relationship of the constructs. This is also one of the original studies that examine the relationship between the dimensions of PSM and IB.

ISO 9001 and the public service: an investigation of the effect of the QMS on the quality of public service organizations

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Armando López-Lemus
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Services ◽  
The State ◽  
Iso 9001 ◽  
Knowledge Generation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the influence exerted by a quality management system (QMS) under ISO 9001: 2015 on the quality of public services organizations in Mexico. Design/methodology/approach The methodological design was quantitative, explanatory, observational and transversal, for which a sample of 461 public servants from the state of Guanajuato, Mexico was obtained. To test the hypotheses, a structural equation model (SEM) was developed through the statistical software Amos v.21. For the analysis of the data, software SPSS v.21 was used. Regarding the goodness and adjustment indices of the SEM (χ2 = 720.09, df = 320, CFI = 0.933, TLI = 0.926 and RMSEA = 0.05) which, therefore, proved to be acceptable. Findings According to the results obtained through the SEM model, the QMS under ISO 9001: 2015 is positively and significantly influenced tangible aspects (β1 = 0.79, p < 0.01), reliability (β2 = 0.90, p < 0.01), related to response quality (β3 = 0.93, p < 0.01), guarantees (β4 = 0.91, p < 0.01) and empathy (β5 = 0.88, p < 0.01) of the quality related to public services in Mexico. The study’s key contribution is that it discovered that implementing a QMS in accordance with the ISO 9001: 2015 standard has an impact on the quality of public services, with the most influential quality of response. Similarly, the assurance and dependability of service quality turned out to be important in providing public service quality. Research limitations/implications In this paper, the QMS was only evaluated as a variable that intervenes in the process of obtaining quality in public service under the ISO 9001 standard in its 2015 version. In this regard, the results’ trustworthiness is limited to the extent that the findings may be generalized in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico’s public service. As a result, the scientific community is left primarily focused on service quality to promote new future research. Practical implications The ISO 9001: 2015 standard’s QMS is one of the tools for success in both the commercial and government sectors. However, there are practical limitations, which focus on the time during which managers exercise their vision in the public sector: first, the dynamics that managers play in public policy; second, the length of time they have served in public office; and third, the interest of directors of public institutions to improve the quality of service provided by the government. Other practical consequences concern organizational culture and identity, public servant commitment, senior management or secretaries of government, as well as work and training. Originality/value The findings of this paper are important and valuable because they foster knowledge generation in the public sector through the ISO 9000 quality area. A model that permits the adoption and implementation of a QMS based on the ISO 9001: 2015 standard in public organizations that seek to provide quality in their services offered to the user is also presented to the literature. Similarly, the paper is important because there is currently insufficient research focusing on the variables examined in the context of public service in Mexico.

A review of Zimbabwe’s macro-fiscal forecasts

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chathebert Mudhunguyo
Keyword(s):  
Root Mean Square Error ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Mean Square Error ◽  
Root Mean Square ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Mean Square ◽  
Public Service Delivery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Forecasting Errors

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate accuracy of macro fiscal forecasts done by Government of Zimbabwe and the spillover effects of forecasting errors over the period 2010-2015. Design/methodology/approach In line with the study objectives, the study employed the root mean square error methodology to measure the accuracy of macro fiscal forecasts, borrowing from the work of Calitz et al. (2013). The spillover effects were assessed through running simple regression in Eviews programme. The data used in the analysis are based on annual national budget forecasts presented to the Parliament by the Minister of Finance. Actual data come from the Ministry of Finance budget outturns and Zimbabwe Statistical Agency published national accounts. Findings The results of the root mean square error revealed relatively high levels of macro-fiscal forecasting errors, with revenue recording the highest. The forecasting errors display a tendency of under predicting the strength of economic recovery during boom and over predicting its strength during periods of weakness. The study although found significant evidence of GDP forecasting errors translating into revenue forecasting inaccuracies, the GDP forecasting errors fail to fully account for the revenue errors. Revenue errors were, however, found to be positive and significant in explaining the budget balance errors. Originality/value In other jurisdictions, particularly developed countries, they undertake regular evaluation of their forecasts in order to improve their forecasting procedures, which translate into quality public service delivery. The situation is lagging in Zimbabwe. Given the poor performance in public service delivery in Zimbabwe, this study contributes in dissecting the sources of the challenge by providing a comprehensive review of macro fiscal forecasts.

“Representative bureaucracy as a leadership issue: the Canadian case”

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-410
Author(s):  
Tim A. Mau
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Representative Bureaucracy ◽  
Gender Representation ◽  
Administrative Leadership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Leadership ◽  
Federal Public Service

PurposeThe public administration literature on representative bureaucracy identifies several advantages from having a diverse public service workforce, but it has not explicitly focused on leadership. For its part, the public sector leadership literature has largely ignored the issue of gender. The purpose of this paper is to rectify these limitations by advancing the argument that having a representative bureaucracy is fundamentally a leadership issue. Moreover, it assesses the extent to which representativeness has been achieved in the Canadian federal public service.Design/methodology/approachThe paper begins with a discussion of the importance of a representative bureaucracy for democratic governance. In the next section, the case is made that representativeness is fundamentally intertwined with the concept of administrative leadership. Then, the article provides an interpretive case study analysis of the federal public service in Canada, which is the global leader in terms of women's representation in public service leadership positions.FindingsThe initial breakthrough for gender representation in the Canadian federal public service was 1995. From that point onward, the proportion of women in the core public administration exceeded workforce availability. However, women continued to be modestly under-represented among the senior leadership cadre throughout the early 2000s. The watershed moment for gender representation in the federal public service was 2011 when the number of women in the executive group exceeded workforce availability for the first time. Significant progress toward greater representativeness in the other target groups has also been made but ongoing vigilance is required.Research limitations/implicationsThe study only determines the passive representation of women in the Public Service of Canada and is not able to comment on the extent to which women are substantively represented in federal policy outcomes.Originality/valueThe paper traces the Canadian federal government's progress toward achieving gender representation over time, while commenting on the extent to which the public service reflects broader diversity. In doing so, it explicitly links representation to leadership, which the existing literature fails to do, by arguing that effective administrative leadership is contingent upon having a diverse public service. Moreover, it highlights the importance of gender for public sector leadership, which hitherto has been neglected.

Improvement of individual performance in the public sector

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 344-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaela Palma ◽  
Alessandro Hinna ◽  
Gianluigi Mangia
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reported Data

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore whether a pro-social motivation called user orientation (UO), which aims at helping specific others, may affect performance of public sector employees in addition to public service motivation (PSM), and whether any personal, and/or contextual factors affect this relationship (age, tenure, role, and context). Design/methodology/approach Utilizing cross-sectional survey data obtained from 618 Italian public teachers, PLS-structural equation modeling is used to investigate the relationship between PSM, UO, and performance, along with the moderating effects of individual/contextual factors. Findings Findings show positive relationships between the two levers (PSM/UO) and individual performance (IP), depending on job and organizational tenure, role, and the social environment of the areas the schools are located in. Research limitations/implications There might be problems related to causal inference and common method variance, due to the use of the cross-sectional self-reported data. Practical implications Managers should be aware of the crucial role UO and PSM play in order to improve IP in contexts where there is direct contact with the service beneficiaries. Originality/value The paper contributes to a clearer understanding of which motives are involved in the process that leads public service employees to enhance their performance.

Managers’ perceptions of mental illness in Barbadian workplaces: an exploratory study

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dwayne Devonish
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mental Health And Illness ◽  
Health And Illness ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Public Sector Managers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of private and public sector managers in Barbados regarding the concepts of mental health and illness at work. It also explored their interactions and experiences with persons with mental illness at work and various forms of support and resources needed to improve the overall management of these persons within the organisational setting. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study used an exploratory research design based on two focus groups of private and public sector managers. Findings The findings revealed that both private and public sector managers understood the distinction between the concepts of mental health and mental illness. However, managers believed that high levels of stigma and discrimination exist in both private and public sector workplaces due to a lack of understanding of mental illness, cultural norms, and socialisation in Barbados regarding mental illness and negative stereotypes. However, workplace education and promotion, associated workplace policies, and employee assistance programmes (EAPs) were identified as key strategies for effectively addressing issues of mental health stigma and the management of persons with mental illness at work. Research limitations/implications Due to the qualitative approach used and small sample selected based on non-probability sampling, generalising the findings to larger populations is heavily cautioned. Practical implications Organisations in both private and public sectors should emphasise workplace mental health interventions such as mental health education and awareness, the development and implementation of supportive and flexible policies, and EAPs. These strategies are likely to help destigmatisation efforts and enhance managers’ understanding of mental health and the management of persons with mental illness. Originality/value This study provided a rich and in-depth understanding of mental health and illness from the perspective of private and public sector managers in a small developing country in the Caribbean. The Caribbean region possesses a dearth of empirical research concerning issues of mental health and illness at work.

Key predictors of individual creativity in a Middle Eastern culture

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Zaitouni ◽  
Mohammed Laid Ouakouak
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Support ◽  
Perceived Organizational Support ◽  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Employee Creativity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically test a model in which antecedents of creativity are hypothesized to lead to enhance employee creativity and, subsequently, to increase innovative performance outcomes. Leader–member exchange (LMX) is posited as a moderator of the leader encouragement of creativity and employee creativity relationship. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on a sample of 163 employees working in various service organizations in Kuwait and pursuing an MBA. Structural equation modeling techniques with AMOS software were used to assess the relationships between the different constructs. Findings The findings show that all creativity antecedents are positively and significantly related to individual creativity, except for leader encouragement of creativity and perceived organizational support. The results show also that LMX mediates the relationship between leader encouragement of creativity and individual creativity, and that intrinsic motivation moderates the relationship between perceived organizational support and individual creativity. Research limitations/implications This study has several limitations including a small sample size, cross-sectional design, same-source bias and one point in time data. Future studies could examine these findings in different settings, use longitudinal design and capture a full range of creativity antecedents, Originality/value This study is the first to theorize and identify antecedents that promote individual creativity in a collectivist context (i.e. Kuwait). Moreover, this study is unique in that we predict that employee creativity is a mediating mechanism that can explain the link between creativity antecedents and creativity outcomes.

scholarly journals Circular Economy Practices and Strategies in Public Sector Organizations: An Integrative Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 4181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natacha Klein ◽  
Tomás Ramos ◽  
Pauline Deutz
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Public Service Delivery ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Organizations

The concept of the Circular Economy (CE) is an increasingly attractive approach to tackling current sustainability challenges and facilitating a shift away from the linear “take-make-use-dispose” model of production and consumption. The public sector is a major contributor to the CE transition not only as a policy-maker but also as a significant purchaser, consumer, and user of goods and services. The circularization of the public sector itself, however, has received very little attention in CE research. In order to explore the current state of knowledge on the implementation of CE practices and strategies within Public Sector Organizations (PSOs), this research aims to develop an overview of the existing literature. The literature review was designed combining a systematic search with a complementary purposive sampling. Using organizational sustainability as a theoretical perspective, the main results showed a scattered landscape, indicating that the limited research on CE practices and strategies in PSOs has focused so far on the areas of public procurement, internal operations and processes, and public service delivery. As a result of this literature review, an organizational CE framework of a PSO is proposed providing a holistic view of a PSO as a system with organizational dimensions that are relevant for the examination and analysis of the integration process of CE practices and strategies. This innovative framework aims to help further CE research and practice to move beyond current sustainability efforts, highlighting that public procurement, strategy and management, internal processes and operations, assessment and communication, public service delivery, human resources dimensions, collaboration with other organizations, and various external contexts are important public sector areas where the implementation of CE has the potential to bring sustainability benefits.

Comparing US public university and US private sector project costs

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-234
Author(s):  
Kelly Strong ◽  
Scott Glick ◽  
Gazala Syhail
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Public University ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Cost Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Project Costs ◽  
The Us

Purpose This study aims to focus on the factors influencing project cost at US public universities and compares them to similar projects in the US private sector. It also presents an analysis of the potential reasons for the difference or similarities in the two sectors. Design/methodology/approach This study utilized an exploratory, comparative case study methodology performed on a small sample of public university projects and two sources of private sector cost data. Findings The results infer that most of the US public projects have comparable costs to that of their US private sector counterparts. The cost data from the university projects were further examined to explore if there were any possible relationships between the types of delivery methods used, sustainability certifications achieved and two project performance indexes – cost and duration. Research limitations/implications A more thorough analysis with a larger dataset is required to make generalizable conclusions. However, the process used in this study does provide a good overview of how facility managers could organize their own cost comparison study to evaluate their project expenditures. Practical implications This research provides a starting point for future research into the topic of US public sector project costs when compared to US private sector counterparts and the impact of delivery system and sustainability on cost of US public sector projects. Originality/value Research on this topic is scant; as such, this paper provides a starting point for future research and offers insights into the potential impacts of project delivery method and choice of following a sustainability certification option.

Bureaucratic leadership, trust building, and employee engagement in the public sector in Ghana

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank L.K. Ohemeng ◽  
Theresa Obuobisa Darko ◽  
Emelia Amoako-Asiedu
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Trust Building ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
The Public ◽  
Building Trust ◽  
Public Organisations

Purpose An engaged workforce has never been more important than it is now. Research continues to reveal a strong link between engaged employees and employee performance. Consequently, different strategies continue to be developed to enhance employee engagement (EE) in organisations. Unfortunately, many of these strategies have not worked due to the lack of trust that some employees may have towards organisational leaders. Thus, it is argued that the first step in building an effective EE is building trust, which will erode all sorts of suspicion of the intention of leaders in the organisation. Unfortunately, the literature is not clear about how to build such trust, especially in developing countries where the organisational environment is much different from that in developed ones; making the applicability of models in the developed world quite difficulty in these countries. How can public sector leaders build trust in the organisations in an environment where informality appears to be the norm? The purpose of this paper is therefore to ascertain how trust can be built in public organisations. Design/methodology/approach In order to answer the research questions, as well as obtain in-depth understanding of what is being done, the authors used the mixed methods approach in the data collection for the paper. In using mixed method data collection, the authors took both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Both qualitative and quantitative data were, however, collected concurrently. This was done for the sake of convenience, as there is little study on how to build trust or, even, EE in the Ghanaian context. The authors set out to explore these issues, and the only way for the authors to do so was to undertake the data collection simultaneously. Findings The paper examined critically four main areas to help leadership build trust: credibility, fairness, respect and communication. The study shows that both managers and employees firmly believe in building trust. Leaders were able to discuss the efforts they make to ensure that issues concerning trust building are addressed. At the same time, employees also agreed on the need to strengthen these variables. Practical implications The research identifies areas on which both leadership and employees can continually work to help bridge the gap between them if public organisations are to reap the benefits of EE. The authors are convinced that if the issues discussed here are addressed, and parties work on them, individuals will succeed in their own areas, but so will the organisations, which in turn will help in the development of he country. Originality/value From a theoretical perspective, it extends the work on EE, and offers new insight into this emerging concept from a developing countries perspective, where informality in the public sector is common. Most of the research on trust and EE has been either qualitative or quantitative in nature. Using the mixed methods approach means the authors will be explaining how both can help us better understand the “how” in building trust in the public sector. Thus, the paper is one of the few papers that have used the mixed methods approach to examine how trust can be built in public organisations.

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