scholarly journals Mechanisms of constraint: a clinical inquiry of digital infrastructuring in municipalities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jwan Khisro ◽  
Tomas Lindroth ◽  
Johan Magnusson
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Research Question ◽  
National Level ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Digital Government ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Digital Infrastructure ◽  
Infrastructure Policy ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
Generative Mechanisms

Purpose The purpose of this study is to contribute to research concerning the role of digital infrastructure in digital government. This is done by answering the research question: how does digital infrastructuring constrain ambidexterity in public sector organizations? Design/methodology/approach The research is designed as a clinical inquiry in a large Swedish municipality, involving data collection in the form of interviews and internal documents. The method of analysis involves both exploring generative mechanisms in digital infrastructuring and theorizing on the findings based on previous literature. Findings The findings identify four generative mechanisms through which stability and change in digital infrastructuring constrain ambidexterity in terms of both efficiency (exploitation) and innovation (exploration). Research limitations/implications This study’s limitations are related to international and intersectoral transferability and risks associated with its approach to clinical inquiry. The main implications are its contribution to the literature on how stability counteracts not only innovation but also efficiency and how change counteracts not only efficiency but also innovation. Practical implications This study identifies clear generative mechanisms that should be avoided by managers striving for digital government, and it offers clear recommendations for said managers regarding how to avoid them. Social implications This study offers implications for national-level digital infrastructure policy and contributes to efforts to increase the capabilities of digital government. Originality/value As two of the four identified generative mechanisms are novel contributions, this study offers a concrete addition to existing research. This study has resulted in factual change in the studied organization as well as at the national level through successful dissemination of the findings for both policy and practice in other public sector organizations.

Leveraging business intelligence systems to enhance management control and business process performance in the public sector

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Z. Elbashir ◽  
Steve G. Sutton ◽  
Vicky Arnold ◽  
Philip A. Collier
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Process Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Organizations

Purpose Recent research and policy reports indicate public sector organizations struggle to leverage information technology-based performance measurement systems and fail to effectively evaluate performance beyond financial metrics. This study aims to focus on organizational factors that influence the assimilation of business intelligence (BI) systems into integrated management control systems and the corollary impact on improving business process performance within public sector organizations. Design/methodology/approach The complete Australian client list was acquired from a leading BI vendor; and the authors surveyed all public sector organizations, receiving 226 individual responses representing 160 public sector organizations in Australia. Using latent construct measurement, structural equation modeling (SEM)-partial least squares is used to test the theoretical model. Findings When top management promotes knowledge creation among the organization’s operational level employees and support their activities with strong BI infrastructure, the same knowledge and infrastructure capabilities that are critical to assimilation in private sector hold in the public sector. However, public sector organizations generally have difficulty retaining staff with expertise in new technologies and attracting new innovative staff that can leverage smart systems to effect major change in performance measurement. When top management effectively manages knowledge importation from external entities to counteract deficiencies, public sector organizations effectively assimilate BI knowledge into performance measurement yielding strong process performance. Research limitations/implications When top management promotes knowledge creation among the organization’s operational level employees and support their activities with strong BI infrastructure, the same knowledge and infrastructure capabilities critical to assimilation in the private sector hold in the public sector. However, public sector organizations generally have difficulty retaining staff with expertise in new technologies and attracting new innovative staff that can leverage smart systems to effect major change in performance measurement. The research extends the theory behind organizational absorptive capacity by highlighting how knowledge importation can be used as an external source facilitating internal knowledge creation. This collaborative knowledge creation leads to affective assimilation of BI technologies and associated performance gains. Practical implications The results provide guidance to public sector organizations that struggle to measure and validate service outcomes under New Public Management regulations and mandates. Originality/value The results reveal that consistent with the philosophies behind New Public Management strategies, private sector measures for increasing organizational absorptive capacity can be applied in the public sector. However, knowledge importation appears to be a major catalyst in the public sector where the resources to retain skilled professionals with an ability to leverage contemporary technologies into service performance are often very limited. Top management team knowledge and skills are critical to effectively leveraging these internal and external knowledge creation mechanisms.

Croatia’s progressives could make gains in big cities

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
National Level ◽  
Digital Economy ◽  
Green Energy ◽  
Focus Attention ◽  
Health Culture ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Big Cities ◽  
Regional Elections ◽  
Earthquake Reconstruction

Significance In the first round of mayoral, municipal and regional elections on May 16, voters in Croatia’s larger cities and urban centres tilted towards challengers. This year’s local polls present a much better chance of political renewal than several recent national votes. Zagreb, Split, Rijeka and Osijek are electing new mayors, as incumbents are not standing for re-election. Impacts Mozemo!’s programme for Zagreb will focus attention on green energy, digital economy, health, culture and post-earthquake reconstruction. Challenger candidates would cut public-sector jobs to reduce city budgets, but it is unclear whether this will be followed through. A victory for Ivica Puljak in Split could boost centrist politics at national level and start dismantling HDZ dominance in Dalmatia. The election of an independent mayor in Vodnjan backed by local IT giant Infobip is a warning for the Istrian Democratic Assembly party.

Guest editorialHappy endings and successful stories in public sector financial management: a lesson drawing perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-406
Author(s):  
Sandra Cohen ◽  
Francesca Manes-Rossi ◽  
Isabel Brusca ◽  
Eugenio Caperchione
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Financial Management ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
And Performance

PurposePublic financial management has been characterized by the implementation of several innovations and reforms that embrace different areas and scope. These reforms aim at expenditure rationalization and efficiency enhancement, as well as the improvement of accountability and performance. Despite research having already paid attention to these innovations and reforms, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats empirically faced by public sector organizations still need to be investigated. This editorial introduces the special issue by emphasizing on the lessons that can be learned from past reform experiences.Design/methodology/approachThe editorial synthesizes some of the findings of the previous literature and evidences the necessity of both successful and unsuccessful stories, presenting a future agenda of research which emphasizes the use of case studies as a suitable method to get insights out of multiple experiences.FindingsThe four articles presented in this special issue, covering the topics of accrual accounting adoption, the use of financial statements by councilors, the use of performance information by politicians and the outsourcing of auditing in local governments, provide an overview of the efforts and challenges faced by public administrations by analyzing the influence of the institutional context, the relevance of political implications and their practical footprint.OriginalityIn this special issue, four successful stories that touch upon multiple facets of public financial management in different country contexts are discussed, and they signal important takeaway messages for further reforms.

Pursuing sustainable development with knowledge management in public sector

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 568-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohsenah Al Yami ◽  
Mian M. Ajmal
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Operational Efficiency ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Storage And Retrieval ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
Private Sector Organizations

Purpose Knowledge management (KM) is increasingly becoming critical to public sector organizations as it is to private sector organizations. This is because public sector organizations are increasingly held accountable for their actions and are forced to move away from traditional bureaucratic approaches to more managerial ones. For instance, public sector is facing pressure to improve its operational efficiency such as productivity, lead time and expenditure. Similarly, it is also facing pressure to improve its transparency, trust, reliability and accountability, which are key elements of sustainable development (SD). The purpose of this study therefore is to understand the intricate relationship between KM processes, operational efficiency and SD in the public sector. Design/methodology/approach A framework consisting of eight constructs (knowledge acquisition, knowledge creation, knowledge capture, knowledge storage and retrieval, knowledge sharing, knowledge utilization, operational efficiency and SD) and their underlying items was developed through an extensive literature review. Using 383 usable responses collected through a structured questionnaire from the UAE public sector, the constructs and framework were first validated and then the current level of implementation/achievement of KM processes, operational efficiency and SD was assessed along with the hypothesized relationships between the constructs. Findings The findings show that KM processes had a positive and significant direct impact on operational efficiency and SD. Also, operational efficiency was found to strongly mediate the relationship between KM processes and SD. Practical implications The findings are expected to help UAE public sector organizations devise strategies and policy interventions to align and improve their KM processes for achieving operational efficiency and SD. Public sectors looking to focus on SD must focus on KM processes and strive to improve stakeholder engagement, which is a vital aspect of SD. Originality/value Integration of KM processes, operational efficiency and SD has not been attempted previously and hence constitutes the novelty of this work.

Lean Six Sigma for public sector organizations: is it a myth or reality?

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 1402-1411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiju Antony ◽  
Bryan Rodgers ◽  
Elizabeth A. Cudney
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Improvement Strategy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
Potential Applications

Purpose Lean Six Sigma (LSS) as a process excellence has been widely adopted in both manufacturing and service organizations; however, its application in the public sector has not been widely explored. Is LSS still a myth or reality in our public sector organizations? The purpose of this paper is to make an attempt to debate about the use of LSS and its potential applications in the public sector context. Design/methodology/approach The initial approach is to critically evaluate the role of LSS in various public sector contexts, followed by showcasing four case studies from four different public sector settings: higher education, police service, public hospital and local government. Findings LSS methodology can be embraced by all public sector organizations to create efficient and effective processes to provide enhanced customer experience and value at reduced operational costs. Research limitations/implications This paper seeks to contribute to and broaden the limited body of evidence of the applicability of LSS to public sector organizations and identifies areas for further research and review. Practical implications LSS will continue to grow across many public sector organizations in Europe and other parts of the world over the forthcoming years. However, what will eventually determine if LSS is viewed by public sector organizations as just a passing management fad or not largely depends on the leadership and success of its execution. If LSS is deployed in its true sense across the public sector organizations at a global level, the hard cash savings generated can reach several billions. Originality/value The paper yields an immense value to both research scholars and practitioners who are engaged in the introduction of LSS as a business process improvement strategy to achieve and sustain competitive advantage. Moreover, this paper makes an attempt to dispel the myth of LSS which have been quite prevalent in many public sector organizations around us today.

Corporate portfolio management in the public sector

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 333-340
Author(s):  
Saša Baškarada ◽  
Brian Hanlon
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Portfolio Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Government Organizations ◽  
Business Units ◽  
Key Points ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
The Impact

PurposeAlthough corporate portfolio management (CPM) has been a popular tool for strategic management of multi-business portfolios in the private sector since the late 1960s, it has received limited attention in the public sector. Accordingly, empirical research on the use of CMP in government organizations is virtually non-existent. The purpose of this paper is to partially fill that gap in the literature by highlighting and discussing some of the key points that public sector organizations may need to consider when adopting CPM.Design/methodology/approachRather than deductively proposing and testing narrowly specified hypotheses, this study aims to answer a broad research question, namely: What are the key points that public sector organizations may need to consider when adopting CMP? Hence, the study adopts the qualitative interpretive research paradigm. The findings are based on empirical research conducted in a large Australian publicly funded research organization. Potential application of CPM was iteratively and incrementally explored with a reference group comprising 15 middle management representatives and several members of the senior leadership group over the course of one year.FindingsAssessment criteria traditionally used in CPM (e.g. growth potential and market share) are generally not applicable in public sector organizations. This paper suggests that government organizations should instead consider past performance and future potential of individual business units, which may be operationalized via capability (a function of human capital and associated resources/infrastructure) and delivery (a function of the demand for, and the impact of, relevant business units). The paper also highlights the importance of organization-wide consultation, evidence-based decision making, and contestability.Originality/valueFrom a practical perspective, the paper may assist public sector organizations with adapting and applying CPM. From a theoretical perspective, the paper highlights an important and relatively neglected research problem, and suggests several avenues for future research.

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.

Exploring the relationships between the learning organization and organizational performance

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohan P. Pokharel ◽  
Sang Ok Choi
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Learning Organization ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Individual Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
The Individual

Purpose The purpose of this research is to evaluate the Dimensions Of Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) framework from the perspective of public sector organizations. We have used performance indicator data after organizational learning inspired intervention in a semi-autonomous network of public sector organizations. Design/methodology/approach This study used original administrative data to track the learning progress, as measured by a ratio of access to funding sources. The study also collected survey data using tailored DLOQ instruments and then determined the efficacy of DLOQ framework for public sector organizations. Several data analysis techniques were used to specify a final set for the learning organization instrument with construct validity and instrument reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis was selected to test the construct validity for the measurement of the dimensions of the learning organization and to verify the adequacy of the item to factor associations and the number of dimensions underlying the construct. Findings We found evidence that confirms that the organizational level (particularly the system connection) has a positive impact on organizational performance and a mediating effect on the relationships between the individual/group levels of learning organization characteristics and organizational performance. This study extends the Watkins and Marsick’s (1993, 1996) learning–organization framework that helped to produce case-specific outcomes such as the extent of error reduction. This framework provides a useful structure for other researchers to study learning dimensions and their relationships with other organizational performance variables. The results also show evidence of internal consistency and the construct reliability of the dimensions of the learning organization. Research limitations/implications Care should be taken in generalizing the structural equation model identified in this study. Because of the multidimensional and complex nature of the learning organization, the research setting for this study might be only one of the possible settings that specify the relationships among different levels of the learning organization and performance outcomes. There are rather complicated interactions among these dimensions and in each attribute of a learning organization. Originality/value This study theoretically confirms that the organizational level (particularly the system connection) has a positive impact on organizational performance and a mediating effect on the relationships between the individual/group levels of learning organization characteristics and organizational performance. This study also methodologically shows evidence of internal consistency and the construct reliability of the learning organization measures along with significant efficiency gain in theory.

Expectations and realities in welfare technologies

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 286-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bendik Bygstad ◽  
Gjermund Lanestedt
Keyword(s):  
Work Force ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Digital Infrastructure ◽  
The Status ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Welfare Technology ◽  
Generative Mechanisms ◽  
High Level

Purpose The paper aims to add knowledge on the status of the welfare technology field. Politicians in mature economies expect welfare technologies – especially digital technologies – to contribute to bridging the gap between an increasing number of elderly and a shrinking work force. Theoretically, the paper deals with welfare technologies in a digital infrastructure perspective. Design/methodology/approach A multilevel and comparative study was conducted to understand the interplay of high-level policies and implementation projects and highlight key issues through comparative analysis of different national approaches. Japan and Norway were the chosen countries because they are both in the forefront in the use of welfare technologies. Findings Findings reveal similarities between the two countries, which are echoed in many other countries: although government expectations are high, the field of welfare technology is still in its infancy and only rather simple solutions (such as safety alarms) are widely used. Key differences in innovation strategies for welfare technology in the two countries are highlighted, where Japan seem to be aiming for a vertical integration through large corporations’ solutions, whereas Norway aims for a more open innovation arena through standardization. Originality/value From a practical point of view, the two countries have something to learn from each other, but, in particular, both countries are recommended – together with other similar countries – a more platform-oriented approach. Theoretically, it is shown that a successful implementation of welfare technologies should adopt a digital infrastructure approach and exploit the generative mechanisms of this approach.

The Role of Change Content, Context, Process, and Leadership in Understanding Employees’ Commitment to Change: The Case of Public Organizations in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Bayiz Ahmad ◽  
Zhichao Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Change ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Leadership Behavior ◽  
National Level ◽  
Public Organizations ◽  
Related Factor ◽  
Kurdistan Region ◽  
Commitment To Change ◽  
Public Sector Organizations

In times of financial austerity, public organizations are forced, either by internally motivated goals or externally mandated policies, to implement reforms and changes to cut back on expenses. While organizational change happens with increasing magnitude and frequency in public sector organizations, much of public management research concerning organizational change has mainly focused on change at the sector or national level. This study, on the contrary, focuses on a more micro-level and individual perspective by investigating the simultaneous influence of content, context, process, and leadership on employees’ affective commitment to change (ACC) in a non-Western, Islamic setting. To test the study’s hypotheses, data were collected from a sample of 147 employees in five public sector organizations that recently witnessed major structural changes in Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Regression results reveal that process-related variables and transformational leadership behavior of direct supervisors enhance commitment to change while employees’ negative perception of his or her change history (a context-related factor) impedes commitment to change. The findings support the external validity of previous findings in Western, non-Islamic settings, and, thus, would increase our understanding of organizational change theories in non-Western settings.

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