Large Public Sector Organization Research Articles

The Utilisation of Private Sector Governance Paradigms for the Development and Implementation of Innovations in the Public Sector

This paper considers key factors which have an impact on the development and implementation of innovations in the public sector and explores how beneficial elements of private sector governance can be utilised and incorporated into approaches to support innovation in the public sector. It discusses a number of concepts which could be important for innovation in the public sector; these include overt and covert innovation, primary and secondary innovation and organisational equilibrium. The relationship between risk and trust is considered and the importance of accountability is addressed. The utilisation of special purpose vehicles is discussed, highlighting how private sector governance can be utilised to support innovation in the public sector. The value of this approach is supported by an example which has been in operation for seven years; the special purpose vehicle operates using private sector governance but is essentially owned by a group of large public sector organisations.

What Happens to Work if you’re Unwell? Beliefs and Attitudes of Managers and Employees With Musculoskeletal Pain in a Public Sector Setting

Musculoskeletal complaints can impact on work in terms of productivity, sickness absence and long term incapacity for work. While employee attitudes and knowledge can drive absenteeism and presenteeism behaviour, managers also play an important role in influencing this via the quality of their relationships with employees and their role in implementing organisational policies and procedures. The aims of this study were to investigate the beliefs and attitudes of managers and employees with musculoskeletal pain about sickness absence, presenteeism, and return to work and to identify areas of consensus and conflict. 18 employees with musculoskeletal pain and 20 managers from two large public sector organisations in South Wales, UK, took part in individual face-to-face interviews. Data were analysed thematically using NVivo. Employees' and managers' reports indicated that there was a strong culture of presenteeism in these organisations. Establishing the legitimacy of complaints was a salient theme for both managers and employees, although their views were in conflict. Employees reported feeling that contact with employers was intrusive when sickness absence was legitimate. Managers were supportive of those who they felt were 'genuinely' unwell, but also cited examples of people 'working the system' and not reporting absences appropriately. These issues require careful consideration of the rights and responsibilities of both employees and employers, where strategies for improving communication, trust, and creating an environment conducive to successful return to work need to be investigated.

The moderating role of employability on the relationship between job insecurity and commitment to change

The development of commitment to change is an underresearched area especially in non-western settings. The aim of the present study was to determine whether employability can moderate the negative effects of job insecurity on individuals’ commitment to change. A survey method approach was used to collect 149 responses from managers of a large public sector organization in Pakistan undergoing restructuring. Hierarchical multiple regression results suggest that employability is an important coping resource during organizational change as it helps mitigate the negative effects of job insecurity on the most desirable form of commitment to change, namely affective commitment to change. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.

Benchmarking work practices and outcomes in Australian universities using an employee survey

The purpose of the current study was to benchmark a broad range of work practices and outcomes in Australian universities against other industries. Past research suggests occupational stress experienced by academic staff is worse than experienced by employees in other industries. However, no other practices or outcomes can be compared confidently. Using a well-validated and normed employee survey, responses were collected from 26 226 academic and general staff from 17 Australian universities. Results were compared against normative data from over 2000 organisations from other industries. Of the 31 practices and outcomes measured, 17 were significantly worse in universities and eight were significantly better. Fewer differences were observed, however, when university results were compared against a subset of benchmarks from large public sector organisations. Universities performed most poorly in areas such as cross-unit cooperation, processes, facilities, wellness and work–life balance. Conversely, higher scores were observed in role clarity, belief in mission and values, confidence and relationships with co-workers, and employee engagement.

The influence of union membership status on workers’ willingness to participate in joint consultation

This study investigates the willingness of workers in a unionized environment to participate in a joint consultation committee (JCC). It focuses on the differences between union members and non-members. We derived hypotheses from a consumer services theoretical approach to participation in collective activities. Using hierarchical regression, we analysed the survey responses of 1456 employees in a large Australian public sector organization. Members were more willing to participate in the JCC the more they expected instrumental outcomes and the more they valued discussion of issues that lay outside collective bargaining. They were less willing to participate the more they valued discussions about issues normally dealt with in union-based negotiations. Non-members were more willing to participate, the more they expected the JCC to result in democratic representation.

Implementation, communication and benefits of public sector codes of ethics

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the implementation, communication and benefits of codes of ethics in the public sector of Sweden.Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on a longitudinal approach. It examines the ethos of codes of ethics in the largest public sector organizations of Sweden in 2001‐2002 and 2005‐2006.FindingsOnly a few of the largest public sector organizations in Sweden have indicated that they possess codes of ethics. This finding may be explained by the current judicial legislation that governs Swedish society. The public codes of ethics have been established both recently and, in part, years ago.Research limitations/implicationsA suggestion for further research would be to examine the implementation, communication and perceived benefits of public sector codes of ethics in other countries. Another area of further research would be to replicate the reported surveys in the future to examine the existence of potential trends.Practical implicationsWhen it comes to the perceived benefits of public sector codes of ethics there appears to be only minor acknowledgement of the code being used to resolve ethical problems in society. However, there is a strong conviction that the code of ethics positively influences the operations of public sector organizations.Originality/valueThe paper examines the ethical implementation, communication and benefits put in place by private companies to embed codes of ethics into their organizations.

Inculcating the ethos of public‐sector codes of ethics in Sweden: a longitudinal approach

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the measures put in place by the largest public sector organizations in Sweden in order to communicate the ethos of their codes of ethics to their employees.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based upon a longitudinal survey approach.FindingsIn the public sector organizations of Sweden the use of regulations and staff support is rather modest in respect to the inculcation of codes of ethics artefacts into the organisations. This longitudinal approach indicates an overall increase across the examined areas in the usage of measures to support the ethos of public sector codes of ethics.Research limitations/implicationsThe artefacts to support the ethos inherent in public sector codes of ethics are rarely explored in the literature. This paper helps to fill this gap with the present longitudinal approach.Practical implicationsOne could speculate that society at large and its public sector organizations may have been influenced not only by the scandalous happenings of recent years in Swedish business, but also by the impact of an Anglo‐Saxon style of “corporatisation”, whereby public authorities take on the form of a corporation or business brought on by globalisation.Originality/valueThe present paper may be used as a point of reference for further research efforts.

The different variables that affect older males' and females' intentions to continue working

This paper examined the impact of certain work-related variables on older workers' intentions to continue paid work and whether the impact of these work-related variables varies between men and women. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of a sample of 379 employees, aged 50 years and older, working in a large public sector organisation in Australia. Results identified the work-related variables that influence older workers' intentions to continue paid work as importance of work, flexibility and interests outside of work, irrespective of gender. Results also indicated that a greater understanding can result if differences between males' and females' intentions are examined. The findings suggest a significant level of differentiation, based on gender, in relation to autonomy, work environment and interests outside work. Management will need to consider these important work-related variables in addressing attrition and turnover challenges and formulating human resource forecasts and specific strategies for increasing the retention of older workers.

Top‐down organizational change in an Australian Government agency

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assist public sector organizations to carry out better change management strategies and thus achieve better change processes and also to provide a critique of top‐down change strategies, especially when employed by public sector agencies. Furthermore, the paper uses the case of one such public sector organization to highlight the need to complement top‐down change strategies with other approaches.Design/methodology/approach – The paper used a three‐year longitudinal case study approach to ascertain the efficacy of top‐down change in a large public sector organization. Data were collected by means of a series of employee focus groups and interviews with key management personnel. This was supplemented by organizational communication outputs.Findings – The paper finds that a top‐down change strategy needs to be coupled with other change strategies for change to become successfully embedded in the organization. Organizational factors and processes can limit the effect...

Executives' Leadership Development and Yoga Practices

Yoga practice is a cosmic training programme which increases deep and constant self-awareness in the individual by evolutionary process of development. This evolutionary development of leadership by higher level spiritual practice of yoga is the need of the hour in management science. This study was focused to probe the leadership behaviour differences among the yoga practicing and non-practicing groups of executives. With this objective a survey was conducted on 334 executives (out of 334, 167 were yoga practicing executives) of large scale public sector organization in India. The executives were selected at random to assess the common character difference among the yoga practicing and non-practicing executives. About GI dimensions of executives' leadership behaviour were measured through six standardized tools. Discriminant analysis was applied in this study. The results revealed that yoga regularly practicing executives had good self-management and social facilitator capabilities than occasionally and non-yoga practitioners.

End‐to‐end business process scenarios

PurposeEnterprise integration endeavors are complex because they compel an organization to understand how its cross‐organizational business processes are enabled by multiple systems. For any large‐scale implementation project, specific business process and system information is included in the enterprise‐solution architecture. To understand the totality of any organization's business processes, managers must define and document all core and support processes.Design/methodology/approachThe examples used in this paper are from large public sector organizations, but the underlying methodology and conceptual basis for the paper apply to any complex organization.FindingsThe main conclusion of this paper is that end‐to‐end (E2E) business process scenarios must be used for defining the requirements for any system implementation project in any organization. If the new system does not align with the E2E‐business processes, then management requirements cannot be realized. We also note that E2E scenarios must be considered when implementing enterprise software in a non‐enterprise environment.Originality/valueThe paper notes that E2E scenarios represent the requirements definition level for composite applications enabled in a service‐oriented architecture (SOA). Traditional implementation methodologies that enable standard software modules (or integration scenarios across modules) are not effective in non‐enterprise environments.

The role of behavioral factors on safety management in underground mines

Traditional approaches on the prevention of accidents/injuries in mines reached its limit of effectiveness in improving safety performance and a fresh approach is utmost required. Behavioral safety analysis has been identified as an effective alternative in many industries. This paper is therefore sought to examine the role of behavioral factors on the occurrence of mine accidents and injuries through a case study. Data were collected from two neighboring underground coalmines operating under a large public sector organization of India. High–low plots and t-test were done to explore the differences between behavioral characteristics of accident involved (case) and non-involved (control) workers. How these differences could cause accidents/injuries in mines was estimated through structural equation modeling. The case study results show that accident group of workers (cases) are more job dissatisfied, negatively affected, and highly risk taking compared to the non-accident group of workers (controls). The accident model path analysis shows that negative affectivity, job dissatisfaction, and risk taking behaviors predict an increased number of injuries in mines. Apart from direct influences to work injuries, negative affectivity and job dissatisfaction make workers to take more risks and behave unsafely. These findings contribute to the design of safety programs including safety training, which should be behaviorally motivated. Mine safety management of the case study mines should outskirt their age old belief that accidents/injuries are due to hazardous nature of mining and only engineering control and regulatory monitoring are sufficient for improving safety of the mines. The multivariate analysis also shows that experience bears no relationships with work injury indicating that a less experienced worker is equally likely to be injured as an experienced worker. It implies that experience though helps workers in understanding the physical hazards, however, avoiding the imminent danger is much more behavioral. The variables negative affectivity, job dissatisfaction, and risk taking behaviors are therefore crucial in avoiding accident/injuries in mines.

Family-friendly policies and equal opportunities: a contradiction in terms?

ABSTRACT This paper presents the findings from a research study of one large public sector organisation's strategy to promote gender equality and family friendliness. An examination was made of the organisation's policy documentation in this area and a questionnaire survey containing both closed and open-ended questions was undertaken across all staff in the organisation: women and men, professional, technical, administrative, secretarial, cleaning, catering and security staff. This paper reports the findings from this investigation. It analyses the informants’ knowledge of, and views on, the impact of the equal opportunities strategy, and any suggestions they had for its development. Also, their views on gender equality more generally within society were interrogated to explore any interconnection between these views and resistance to change within their organisation. By exposing the complex nature of this equal opportunities/family-friendly (EO/FF) project in one organisation, the findings have potentially interesting implications for gender equality, which could benefit from further investigation.

Breastfeeding works: the role of employers in supporting women who wish to breastfeed and work in four organizations in England

An important factor influencing duration of breastfeeding is mother's employment status. The main aim of this study was to determine the experience and views of employees (n = 46) in four large public sector organizations concerning breastfeeding support at work. Participants were recruited if they were employed by one of four public service employers and if they were planning to go on maternity leave in the next 6 months, on maternity leave or within 6 months of return from maternity leave. They completed a questionnaire anonymously. Almost 80% of women wanted to continue breastfeeding after returning to work. However, 90% of all respondents were not aware of any employer policy nor offered any information concerning support to enable breastfeeding after returning to work, despite two organizations having a range of maternity- and breastfeeding-related policies in development and some facilities in place. Almost 90% of respondents stated the employers should do more to support breastfeeding. This should include providing pregnant staff with information about breastfeeding support that they should expect and could therefore plan to use, including access to facilities to express and to store breast milk, to enable them to work flexible hours and to take rest breaks during working hours. Recommendations are made for employers.

Exploring career transitions: accounting for structure and agency

PurposeTo apply and develop Stephen Barley's model of career structuration to offer insights into the transition into portfolio working.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative case study methodology is used. Interviews were conducted with managers who had left the National Health Service to develop portfolio careers.FindingsThe adoption of the Barley model of career structuration as a sensitising device has made it possible to show how individuals have drawn from existing scripts embedded in institutional forms but have also contributed to developing new career scripts, such as portfolio working. Their enactment of career scripts is a dynamic process whereby they impact back on those scripts in both intentional and unintentional ways. Thus the transformative capacity of individual career actions is asserted but, critically, alongside awareness of constraints as bound up in structures which have salience for individuals and for collectives.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a study based in one large public sector organisation. Further exploration of the potential role of career as a way of understanding socially embedded action and its capacity for change is required, which takes account of different occupational settings.Practical implicationsThe study outlines some of the frustrations experienced by portfolio workers and has practical implications for the ways in which they should be managed.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the debate concerning structure and agency in career theory.

Shared services: a conceptual model for adoption, implementation and use

The 'shared services' concept, which can be described as a business model for the management of internal service functions, is extremely popular in many large public and private sector organisations. This is having a tremendous impact on how these organisations operate. However, research relating to the concept is at an early developmental stage, leading to a lack of understanding of how this concept manifests itself in organisations. This paper aims to provide some formative research into the concept by investigating the issues of its adoption, implementation and use within a large Australian publicly owned organisation. To frame this research, shared services was conceptualised as an organisational innovation, thus providing for the use of existing theories of innovation diffusion and implementation. Empirical data were gathered from interviews with 15 managers. Using the grounded theory approach, analysis of the interview data allowed for the development of a conceptual/theoretical model of shared services adoption, implementation and use. This model provides insights into the concept that can be useful for practitioners as well as researchers.

Absenteeism in times of rapid organizational change

Unscheduled absenteeism is a costly and disruptive phenomenon that remains problematic for organizations. It is imperative that managers understand more fully the antecedents and consequences of this complex behaviour. This study aims to shed light on the issue by analysing the absence trends in a large public sector organization undergoing modernization and downsizing. It is argued that employer assumptions about the legitimacy of individual absenteeism will guide decision making with regard to appropriate absence management strategies. This study highlights the danger of falsely attributing individual-level causes of absenteeism to what may be better understood as a group-level phenomenon. This phenomenon represents a predictable response in the context of major organizational change. This research has implications for human resource management strategies in organizations experiencing rapid change. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Leadership Climate in the Public Sector: Feelings Matter Too!

Although there is substantial empirical evidence supporting the important role of leadership in organizational contexts, there is limited empirical evidence that focuses on the distinction between how employees feel about senior leaders and what they think about senior leaders. This is particularly true in the public-sector environment. In this paper, a model is tested that identifies key consequences of affectively and cognitively based perceptions of public-sector senior leadership. Data collected from a large public-sector organization were examined to identify the correlates of affectively and cognitively weighted perceptions of leadership. A series of regression analyses was conducted to identify more clearly the extent to which affectively and cognitively based perceptions of leadership influenced affective commitment, attitudes to change, intention to turnover, and extra-role performance. The results suggest that both affectively and cognitively based perceptions of leadership influenced organizational commitment and cynicism toward change. Extra-role behavior was influenced by the affective dimension alone, and intention to turnover was influenced by the cognitive dimension alone. The results also showed a significant interaction between the affective and cognitive dimensions in predicting intention to turnover. In general terms, the findings will prove helpful to human resource practitioners interested in diagnosing and managing the transformational leadership climate in public-sector organizations.

Interpersonal Mistreatment in the Workplace: The Interface and Impact of General Incivility and Sexual Harassment.

This article examined the relationships and outcomes of behaviors falling at the interface of general and sexual forms of interpersonal mistreatment in the workplace. Data were collected with surveys of two different female populations (Ns = 833 and 1,425) working within a large public-sector organization. Findings revealed that general incivility and sexual harassment were related constructs, with gender harassment bridging the two. Moreover, these behaviors tended to co-occur in organizations, and employee well-being declined with the addition of each type of mistreatment to the workplace experience. This behavior type (or behavior combination) effect remained significant even after controlling for behavior frequency. The findings are interpreted from perspectives on sexual aggression, social power, and multiple victimization.

Transportation Skills Needed by Private-Sector and Public-Sector Organizations: Some Common Themes

The University of Rhode Island requested an assessment of the potential demand for developing new academic programs in the areas of transportation and logistics. Although the research focused on Rhode Island public- and private-sector organizations, it was concluded that the results have broader applications for the academic community. The research was accomplished by interviewing a total of 24 key executives in four large private companies and five large public-sector organizations. The questions focused on skills required to do your job. The interviews resulted in the following conclusions: (a) a distinct difference must be made between education needs, training needs, and outreach needs; (b) concerning public agency needs, responses tracked closely to the several national studies that have taken place over the past several years; (c) private-sector organizations view logistics and supply chain management as critical to their bottom line; (d) there appears to be a common interest among interviewees fo...