Implementing a component approach to productivity measurement in a large public service organisation

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aki Jääskeläinen
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Productivity Measurement ◽  
Service Organisation ◽  
Component Approach

Exploring Knowledge Management and Knowledge Sharing in a Non-Profit Human Service Organisation

2007 ◽  
Vol 06 (01) ◽  
pp. 69-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly Stauss
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Human Service ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
Embedded Knowledge ◽  
Service Organisation ◽  
Public Service Agencies ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Service Agencies

Non-profit, human service organisations are continuing to struggle for limited money and are being held accountable more than ever before to prove an increase in quality and efficacy of services. Agency administrators have to think creatively in order to help their agencies stand out. Efforts include tapping not only into the knowledge of their employees but also knowledge of their consumers. Utilising qualitative methods, with a highly successful non-profit agency, this document investigates the information sharing activities and the knowledge gained from consumers when knowledge transfer backflow was allowed. Shared are findings on how public service agencies, often dealing with those individuals in need, can use knowledge management processes to inform and improve future service delivery. The thick descriptions provided in this document give context to the multi-layered knowledge dimensions involved. Highlighted is the importance of the embedded knowledge their participants come in with and the need for agencies to consider the intricacies of this knowledge. Noticeably, this study also delineates how the historical and current oppression experienced contributes to this complexity. The data reported in this study is the first step in understanding the individual and organisation factors contributing to the collaboration efforts of non-profit agencies.

Client and contractor roles in a changing local government environment

1989 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryn Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Local Authority ◽  
Value For Money ◽  
Direct Service ◽  
Strategic Issues ◽  
Competitive Tendering ◽  
Service Organisation ◽  
Audit Commission ◽  
Service Standards

The advent of Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT)1 exposes large swathes of local authority services to private sector competition. The challenge facing those in local government who wish to protect in-house services is how to adjust to a new commercial contracting culture without losing the values of public service. The Audit Commission argues that such a culture requires a hard split between the Council as a client, who sets service standards and ensures value for money and its contractor side that concerns itself with performing to standard and price. This article looks at both the legal and operational impetus for such a client-contractor split, from a DSO (Direct Service Organisation) perspective, and examines the strategic issues raised for local authority reorganisation.

scholarly journals What determines the audiences that public service organisations target for reputation management?

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Boon ◽  
Koen Verhoest ◽  
Jan Wynen
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Environmental Turbulence ◽  
Reputation Management ◽  
Service Organisation ◽  
The Media

Why do public sector organisations target different stakeholder audiences in their reputation management? Despite the recognition that reputation management is an audience-based exercise, the field lacks studies that systematically analyse which audiences matter for reputation management by different public service organisations. This article examines reputation management by public service organisation in a multi-audience framework. The relevance of different audiences is surveyed at public service organisations that differ in formal-legal distance from government, task, size and environmental turbulence. The strongest and broadest effects are found for more autonomous organisations, who focus their reputation management more on politicians in general and the media and less on their directly responsible Minister.

Prolonged or preserved working life? Intra-organisational institutions embedded in human resource routines

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Roy Liff ◽  
Ewa Wikström
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Middle Management ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Retirement Age ◽  
Further Training ◽  
Older Employees ◽  
Service Organisation

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of why people are still retiring earlier than would have been expected, despite policies that increase the retirement age. This is a qualitative study in a large public-service organisation in Sweden focusing particularly on how human resource routines aimed at middle management tend to inhibit the promotion of a prolonged working life, despite government efforts aimed at changing these actions. The results highlight three key routines (development talks, salary talks and internal recruitment) that inhibit prolonged working life. These routines seem rational and appropriate to the organisation's managers, because the demands of the job must have priority over employees’ capabilities in recruitment routines. Furthermore, it could be considered economically rational to prioritise salary demands of younger employees over those of older employees, and it may appear economically rational to stop further training efforts for older employees. In general, then, it seems reasonable to managers to make decisions based on objective criteria like age. Nevertheless, our results suggest that these routines may need to be redesigned in order to support a prolonged working life and to avoid a discrepancy between accepted prolonged working-life policies and the actions of organisational actors. The study further reveals how intra-organisational institutions (e.g. taken-for-granted mind-sets and norms) embedded in human resource routines may promote or inhibit prolonged working life, suggesting a need for change in those institutions.

scholarly journals Human resources engagement practices: An investigation of organisational justice perceptions

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 611-619
Author(s):  
Veronica Hlongwane ◽  
Ophillia Ledimo
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Measurement Instrument ◽  
Correlational Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Organisational Justice ◽  
Service Organisation ◽  
Justice Perceptions

Literature assumes that organisational justice has an impact on employee related behaviours. Yet there is limited empirical research on organisational justice and employee engagement to support the literature. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of organisational justice for human resources engagement practices in a South African public service organisation. Organisational Justice Measurement Instrument (OJMI) was used as a measure of organisational justice and the Ultrech Work Engagement Scale measured the participants’ levels of work engagement. Data was collected from a random sample of employees working in a public service organisation (n=350). Descriptive statistics and correlational analysis were conducted to analyse the data. Results of the correlational analysis indicated a significant correlations between organisational justice and work engagement dimensions namely; vigour, dedication and absorption. In terms of contributions and practical implications, insight gained from the findings is relevant for practitioners and managers in the field of organisational behaviour to initiate interventions to enhance employees’ work engagement levels as well as to conduct future research.

scholarly journals Evaluating the internalisation of core values at a South African public service organisation

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna M. O’Neil ◽  
Andre L. Horne
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Measurement Instrument ◽  
The Public ◽  
Service Organisation ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Organisational Values

Orientation: Fully entrenched and internalised organisational values have proved a competitive advantage for many leading organisations. The benefits range from higher profit margins to the improvement of employees’ commitment and ethical performance. Nevertheless, the process of value shaping is often no more than a management goal. It is rarely truly internalised by the whole organisation.Research purpose: This article presents an effort to describe a value internalisation effort within a South African public service organisation as well as the results of a subsequent evaluation to ascertain to what extent those efforts actually led to internalisation throughout the organisation. A set of actions and practices were implemented within the public service organisation; the intent was that they should enhance value internalisation in the organisation. A long-term strategy of value internalisation was followed that focussed mainly on the clear articulation and communication of the values through different communication mediums and platforms, such as road shows and branded value material hand-outs, as well as through extensive value internalisation training.Motivation for the study: Documentation of value internalisation processes and its evaluation, especially in South African public service organisations is extremely rare. To ensure that public service organisations do not repeat the same mistakes in their value internalisation practices and implementation processes, proper documentation of these processes in the public and research domains are needed. The need for the evaluation of value internalisation programmes should also be propagated as in many instances, programmes are implemented, but the subsequent success thereof is never evaluated.Research design, approach and method: A survey questionnaire consisting of a 5-point rating scale was developed to measure the extent of value internalisation after the implementation of long-term internalisation strategies. Employees at different levels and in different units of the organisation participated in the survey.Main findings: Results (N = 941) reflected lower than expected mean scores for each value component. In addition, differences in internalisation extent were found between two demographic variables, namely population groupings and organisational units.Practical/managerial implications: The results of this study confirmed certain shortcomings in value internalisation processes, such as the way values are identified, communicated and reinforced. Knowledge of the latter may help human resource (HR) practitioners to apply more effective value shaping practices.Contribution/value-add: This study provides specific guidelines that may enable practitioners to evaluate their own value internalisation practices. These guidelines include creating institutional value parity through employee engagement and encouraging leaders to facilitate both the emotional and cognitive interface of value internalisation efforts. Furthermore all leaders in the organisation should be exposed to training and development programmes that address the importance of leaders’ own credibility in efforts to institutionalise values within the organisation. The measurement instrument developed for this study may also provide HR practitioners with a means to evaluate the extent of value internalisation in an organisation.

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