Abstract
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.
Highlights
Public servants face many competing demands on their agency in contemporary client relationships (Koppell, 2005; Schott et al, 2016)
The findings vividly demonstrate the contradictions in the interviewees’ language: All demands interviewees discussed their agency in client relationships using three mutually contradictory representations
Representation 1: Responsible public servant engaged in an authoritative relationship with incapable young people The first representation (R1) characterizes public servants as responsible and competent representatives of the service system, aiming to improve clients’ capabilities
Summary
Public servants face many competing demands on their agency in contemporary client relationships (Koppell, 2005; Schott et al, 2016). Public servants should simultaneously support the client and exercise authoritative control (Siurala, 2014), for example. These demands derive partially from the work itself, but they are emphasized in an increasingly “hybrid” discursive context with alternative perspectives on client relationships (Bryer, 2007; Denhardt and Denhardt, 2015; Hirvonen, 2014; RostilaandVinnurva, 2013). How do you interact with clients? To what extent/how do client needs guide your organization? How do you process client needs/demands? How do you solve challenging client situations? (2) Example of a service-related change initiative (3) Leadership and employee roles in service development (4) Well-being at work How do you define well-being at work? What increases your resources/exhausts you at work?
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