Professional Bureaucracy Research Articles

Stjórnun og fagleg forysta í grunnskólum

Samfara aukinni valddreifingu í íslensku skólastarfi hefur umfang starfs skólastjóra grunnskóla aukist verulega. Í skólastjórn felst bæði stjórnun og fagleg forysta en skólastjóra er fengið það hlutverk samkvæmt lögum að móta stjórnskipan síns skóla og skipta verkum á milli kennara og stjórnenda. Sjónir fræðimanna hafa í vaxandi mæli beinst að hlut skólastjóra í að bæta námsárangur en sýnt hefur verið fram á að skýr tengsl eru á milli faglegrar forystu skólastjóra og árangurs nemenda. Með kjarasamningum 2001 var samið um störf aðstoðarskólastjóra og deildarstjóra í þeim tilgangi að efla kennslufræðilega forystu í grunnskólunum og fjölgaði stjórnendunum talsvert fram til ársins 2008. Markmið þessarar rannsóknar var að kanna hverjar væru starfsaðstæður og bakgrunnur skólastjóra og hvaða viðfangsefni hann kysi sjálfur að axla í stjórnkerfi skólans. Gagna var aflað með rafrænni spurningakönnun sem send var öllum stjórnendum í grunnskólum með meira en 100 nemendur. Niðurstöður sýna að skólastjórar grunnskóla hafa umtalsverða starfsreynslu og mikill meirihluti þeirra hefur lokið framhaldsnámi í stjórnun. Þrátt fyrir viðleitni til að binda skólana saman sem faglegar stofnanir virðast þeir enn vera talsvert laustengdir. Tilhögun stjórnkerfis skólanna er óljós og hefur í för með sér ákveðin einkenni óreiðu fremur en fagveldis. Hlutverk aðstoðarskólastjóra og deildarstjóra eru óljóst skilgreind en algengast er að skólastjóri gegni sjálfur hlutverkum stjórnenda. Hinum mikilvægu faglegu forystuhlutverkum er skipt með óljósum hætti milli stjórnenda og oftar en ekki er vísað til ábyrgðar stjórnendateymis. Benda niðurstöður til þess að áform kjarasamnings árið 2001 um að efla kennslufræðilega forystu í grunnskólum hafi ekki gengið eftir.

War, the State and Local Office-Holders in Britain, 1689–1750

Abstract Research on the British ‘fiscal-military state’ has placed great emphasis on the development of a financial infrastructure and professional bureaucracy in explaining Britain’s rise to superpower status in the eighteenth century. This article argues instead that, to appreciate fully the extent of the British state’s involvement in warfare, historians need to acknowledge the crucial and varied roles that local office-holders played in raising manpower for the army and supporting many of its requirements. Such an emphasis allows for a more nuanced understanding of the nature of the British fiscal-military state and the relations between centre and localities. This article illuminates the impact of war at a local level by examining how local office-holders, principally justices of the peace and parish constables, found and enlisted men into the army, secured deserters, intervened in mutinies, organised quarters for soldiers and transport for the army, and assisted former and injured soldiers and soldiers’ families. This work added to their burdens of office, it could jeopardise their authority and create bitter tensions within communities. Nevertheless, there was a high level of co-operation from local office-holders. The article analyses why local office-holders complied with the demands of central government and stresses their importance within the British ‘fiscal-military state’.

Breaking down barriers: Overcoming silo mentality in bureaucratic reform

Background: Silo mentality has emerged as a significant obstacle in the bureaucratic reform process in Indonesia. This paper aims to investigate the underlying causes, adverse effects, and potential solutions to address silo mentality within the context of bureaucratic reform in government organizations.The study employs a qualitative approach, conducting a comprehensive review of relevant literature and analyzing the phenomenon of silo mentality in government organizations. Methods: The research draws upon various scholarly articles, government reports, and case studies to gain insights into the dynamics of silo mentality and its impact on bureaucratic reform efforts. Findings: The findings reveal that silo mentality stems from a range of factors, including leadership issues, lack of effective communication channels, and a focus on individual goals rather than organizational objectives. The presence of hierarchical structures and a lack of transparency in information sharing across different divisions contribute to the formation of silos. The impacts of silo mentality are far-reaching, resulting in reduced productivity, decreased employee morale, and diminished customer satisfaction. Conclusion: To overcome these challenges, the paper proposes several strategies. These include ensuring employee vision convergence, achieving common goals collectively, providing motivation and incentives, precise execution, and fostering collaboration among departments. The bureaucratic reform in Indonesia aims to establish a competent, professional, and integrity-driven bureaucracy that is free from corruption and serves the public effectively. However, the presence of silo mentality hinders the realization of these goals by creating barriers to communication, collaboration, and innovation. Future research should focus on developing practical frameworks and tools to facilitate the implementation of the proposed strategies for breaking down silos and promoting a collaborative work environment within government organizations undergoing bureaucratic reform. Empirical studies examining the effectiveness of these strategies in real-world settings would provide valuable insights into their applicability and potential for success. Additionally, exploring the role of technology in enabling seamless communication and collaboration across departments could offer new avenues for addressing silo mentality in the digital age. Novelty/Originality of this Study: The novelty of the 'silo mentality' phenomenon within the context of bureaucratic reform in Indonesia, identifying its causes, impacts, and proposing strategies to overcome it in order to achieve effective governance

Esbozos para una construcción posmarxista en la microgestión en salud

Abstract The purpose of this article is to analyze the contributions of Mouffe and Laclau from post-Marxism, agonist democracy, and populist logic that innovated the ways of building collective identities and political viability. The potency of these theories for the micropolitical development of health management was investigated. The theoretical contributions indicate passion as the driving force of politics; they propose to sublimate conflicts into action via institutional channels, establish hegemonic practices as the capacity to articulate heterogeneous demands, and explain the capacity to configure a collective identity with a contingent leadership. The particularities of health work such as the hands-on approach, the margins of autonomy, the micropolitical exercise for its development and the organization as a professional bureaucracy, enable the proposals to be put into practice. We point out that the experience of building identities within the organization from an affective bond and the vehiculation of unmet demands reduces the discomfort in the services and promotes a stance of transformation.

The Effect of Organizational Change on Enhancing Government Employee Performance

Bureaucratic simplification is one of the focuses of the 5 Priorities of the Advanced Indonesian Cabinet under the leadership of President Joko Widodo and Ma'ruf Amin for the 2019-2024 period. The bureaucratic simplification stage consists of three stages, namely simplifying the organizational structure to 2 levels, equalizing administrative/structural positions into functional positions, and adjusting the work system. The bureaucratic simplification is expected to create a dynamic, agile, and professional bureaucracy in supporting public service performance and can have a positive impact on employee performance. However, after the implementation of this policy, several reactions needed to be in line with expectations, especially in terms of employee job satisfaction. In this study, bureaucratic simplification is described by an organizational change in the government sector, with a research locus at The Ministry of Industry of The Republic of Indonesia. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of organizational change on employee performance through job satisfaction. Data collection was carried out by questionnaire using Google form. The questionnaire results were processed using Structural Equation Modeling Partial Least Square (SEM-PLS) using SmartPLS 4.0 software. The results of this study indicate that organizational change has a direct effect on job satisfaction. Job satisfaction has a direct effect on employee performance. However, organizational change has no direct effect on organizational performance. Organizational change can affect employee performance through the mediation of job satisfaction. Keywords: Bureaucratic simplification, employee performance, job satisfaction, organizational change, SEM-PLS.

Leading early childhood education centers as professional bureaucracies – social organizational structures in Finnish early childhood education

PurposeThis study examines the social organizational structure of one early childhood education (ECE) center in Finland and the relationship between this structure and the roles and the responsibilities of the members of the organization.Design/methodology/approachThe research is a qualitative case study with ethnographic features. Its variables for content analysis are based on Henry Mintzberg's theory of organizational design.FindingsThe study's results show that the organizational structure of the ECE center follows the organizational configuration of a Professional bureaucracy and that the multiprofessional teams follow the configuration of a Simple structure. The structures for centralization and decentralization are suitable for a professional bureaucracy, but the roles of the members of the organization and the processes for shared decision-making lack clarification. The shortage of qualified ECE teachers disrupts the function of the organization and the work of ECE leaders.Research limitations/implicationsThe educational background of subjects may have affected the findings.Originality/valueThe study uses Henry Mintzberg's organizational structure theory to evaluate how and why power is distributed and activities are coordinated at the ECE center. The results also show what parts of the organization pose challenges that most commonly disrupt the organization's operations. With these findings, it is possible to expand the understanding of roles and responsibilities in the currently reforming ECE environment and what ECE centers need to function effectively. The study is part of a larger research project and will be continued to examine the leadership culture of the ECE center.

MODEL GAYA KEPEMIMPINAN TRANSFORMATIF DALAM MENINGKATKAN DAYA SAING PENDIDIKAN DI ERA INDUSTRI 4.0

Organizational culture at the school level requires leaders who are creative, in mobilizing madrasah, so that the learning carried out becomes meaningful and produces quality education. Transformative leadership design model is needed as an effort to produce education that is competitive and produces students who have personality integrity, a disciplined attitude, are creative, innovative and competitive. This article seeks to elaborate on the transformative leadership model of madrasah headmaster in increasing the competitiveness of education in the industrial era 4.0 with the object of Madrasah Aliyah. Using library research, this article argues that transformative leaders have several indicators: first, the existence of team work that collaborates across the entire academic community. Second, there is an increase in teacher work ethic, thereby fostering teacher professionalism. Third, it enables the implementation of the supervisory leadership role. Fourth, creating madrasah organizational arrangements, a relationship climate that is loose coupling, and changing the structure and climate of the bureaucracy to a comfortable professional bureaucracy so as to enable the implementation of organizational leadership roles.

Corruption and political institutions

Political philosophers rarely take on the topic of political corruption, despite the fact that corruption is so costly to human wellbeing, and so clearly separates well-governed from poorly governed polities. Ceva and Ferretti's book is the most complete attempt to remedy this deficit to date. Their key contribution is to conceptualize institutions in such a way that the offices they define link clearly to public ethics. Officeholders are accountable for their power mandate, not just within a hierarchy, but ethically, because their duties serve the public purposes that justify the institution. This said, their approach works best for impartial institutions in which the public duties of offices are clear and actionable, such as professional bureaucracies. We also need an ethically driven conception of political corruption for political institutions that contain and channel political partiality, especially democratic institutions within which the ethical purposes of public legislation are argued, deliberated, and voted. Extending a public ethics account of political corruption to democratic institutions can and should be a next step in this important project.

State Theory and Public Administration in Latin America: Research Traditions and a Test Case

Research and teaching about the state in Latin America have been under the strong influence of constitutional law and political philosophy since the nineteenth century. To this day, a formal constitutional understanding of the state dominates not only professional training and scholarly research in the fields of government and public administration but also, perhaps more significantly, public controversies about the design of state institutions. Such controversies do not happen often, but they have significant consequences when they do. We will illustrate the last point with a test case, the public controversy about the configuration of state institutions that took place during the past ten years in Mexico. The controversy had ample coverage in national media, and it contributed to a series of institutional conflicts—still ongoing—at the highest levels of the federal government in the country. Our analysis of this national debate, in section 2 of the article, shows that certain preconceived ideas about public life and the constitutional order are much more than just “technical” legal principles; they form a practical expectation of political and institutional life. Certain of these ideas, however, have been employed to support political positions that are hostile toward the consolidation of professional state bureaucracies. Only relatively recently, an alternative line of research on the state has begun to develop in Latin America, including contributions from political sociology and history, which systematically examines issues related to professional bureaucracies and political legitimacy.

The active dismantling of environmental policy in Brazil: paralysis and setbacks of the deforestation inspection and control

The paper aims to analyse the street-level bureaucrats’ (SLBs) perception of President Bolsonaro’s administration’s effects on Brazilian environmental policy, emphasising deforestation prevention and control in the Legal Amazon1. Besides the policy dismantling concepts, a theoretical model integrating three complementary analytical dimensions of SLBs’ action – institutional, individual, and relational – was employed in a case-oriented investigation of environmental bureaucrats – Ibama Inspectors and ICMBio Agents. The inquiry used Systematic Content Analysis on interviews with these agents involved in deforestation inspection and control activities. The empirical results confirm the hypotheses that an active dismantling process has been ongoing since the beginning of Bolsonaro’s administration; however, the perceptions of Ibama inspectors seem more intense, especially regarding the institutional dimension. The research illustrates the adverse effects of this process on the agencies and bureaucratic capacities, generating paralysis and setbacks in deforestation inspection and control policies and posing serious risks to the environmental protection in the country. This article contributes to the advancement of knowledge about the strategies that a far-right populist government deliberately adopted to reduce the role of the State, weaken professional bureaucracy, dismantle policies and favour particular interests of groups.

Configuração organizacional e o desenvolvimento da capacidade absortiva: relações e influências

Objective: to analyze the existing relationships between typologies of organizational configurations with the development of absorptive capacity. Methodology: empirical research of an applied nature, Qualitative and descriptive approach. Data were collected through interviews with a structured script and analyzed using the content analysis technique. Originality: Offers explanations of how organizational settings influence the development of ACAP. Main results: the simple structure configuration favors the recognition capacity and limits the assimilation and application capacity. The bureaucratic machine favors the capacity for recognition and assimilation, and limits application. Professional bureaucracy limits the capacity for recognition and application and favors assimilation. In the divided form, the capacity for recognition and assimilation is favored, and the capacity for application is limited. In adhocracy the ability of recognition, assimilation and application are favored. Theoretical contributions: the evidence indicates a fruitful and significant relationship between the constructs, a fact that allows us to understand the organizational configuration as an important antecedent of ACAP.

American Public School Librarianship: A History

American Public School Librarianship: A History

Innovation and Bureaucratic Reform in Indonesia's Judiciary

Bureaucratic reform is a major change in paradigm and governance that aims to create a professional government bureaucracy with adaptive characteristics and integrity, free from corruption, collusion, and nepotism, capable of serving the public with accountability, and upholding the organization’s basic values and the code of ethics for state apparatus behavior. Bureaucratic reform is related to efforts to create innovation. Along with the birth of the bureaucratic reform policy, innovation was also born. Bureaucratic reform is based on Presidential Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia Number 81 of 2010 concerning the Grand Design of Bureaucratic Reform 2010-2025, which mandates that a bureaucratic reform road map be prepared every 5 years in each Ministry/State/Government Agency. To implement the mandate of bureaucratic reform, the Supreme Court, as the State institution holding the highest judicial power, launched an innovation in case registration and trial electronically, namely the e-Court (electronic Court) application by utilizing the sophistication of technology, information, and internet networks. E-Court can be interpreted as an application used to process lawsuit or petition registration, electronic case payments, and electronic trial calls. Although there are still obstacles in the implementation of the e-Court system, its presence as the latest innovation from the Supreme Court in the framework of bureaucratic reform is very appropriate because it makes the implementation of the e-Court system more efficient. Bureaucratic reform is very appropriate because it makes the judiciary accessible to all levels of society.
 Keywords: innovation, bureaucratic reform, e-court

KEBIJAKAN PENYELENGGARAAN REFORMASI BIROKRASI PADA PEMERINTAH KABUPATEN BEKASI

In the development of the Indonesian government, bureaucratic reform has lagged behind reforms in the political, economic, and legal fields. The first wave of government bureaucratic reform was gradually implemented in 2004 and the second phase in 2010. In 2025, Indonesia is expected to be in a phase that is truly moving towards a developed country and the strength of a professional and high-integrity government bureaucracy. Efforts to achieve the goals of bureaucratic reform are carried out through the stipulation of Presidential Regulation no. 81 of 2010 concerning the Grand Design of Bureaucratic Reform 2010-2025, it is very necessary to be supported by the provincial and district/city governments. This study describes the results of research on the implementation of bureaucratic reform in the Bekasi Regency Government. The results of the study indicate that it is important for the Bekasi Regency Government to formulate and establish the Grand Design for Bureaucratic Reform as the master plan that contains the policy direction for implementing bureaucratic reform within the Bekasi district government. As an operational medium in the medium term, the Bureaucratic Reform Road Map needs to be drawn up and carried out every 5 (five) years and is a detailed plan for bureaucratic reform from one stage to the next for five years with clear annual targets. Bureaucratic reform in Bekasi Regency needs to revise and develop various regulations, modernize various government management policies and practices, and adapt the tasks of regional work unit functions to new paradigms and roles.

Information culture of university administration: Making personnel bureaucracy a professional bureaucracy

This paper aims to diagnose the information culture of the university administration. Although university administrative work is commonly associated with bureaucracy, it is a bureaucracy of people in which employees demonstrate a set of competitive group information behavior focused on knowledge sharing and information use in day-to-day tasks. A group of 345 respondents, representing office staff from three institutions in Poland, answered the survey related to information culture. The research framework included 16 information behaviors, grouped by four levels of information and knowledge management and four types of information culture. The results were examined using statistical packages to perform the Kruskal-Wallis H test, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, and ordinal/linear regression analysis. Professional Bureaucracy culture is the dominant characteristic of the information behavior of university administrations, but its functioning is supported by three parallel information cultures included in the research model. The main limitation of the study is that it covers only lower-level employees’ information practices. The applied scale, based on professional stratification within the university administration, is highly sensitive regarding different institutional contexts covered in the information culture diagnosis. To support the development of Professional Bureaucracy, it is necessary to support internal openness of behavior (socialization), internalization of knowledge, and external networking.

Practicing without a diploma, battling for a license: crossroads in the history of the professionalization of dentistry in Colombia

This paper addresses the professionalization of dentistry in Colombia during the first half of the twentieth century. To fully comprehend such a process, we must consider the tensions between the practice of non-certified and certified dentistry. As an outcome of such tensions, dentists began to acquire professional autonomy. We analyze applications for license files to practice dentistry without a degree, some of which were of women. The findings show the informal transfer of knowledge outside formal apprenticeship and the unrestricted practice of dentistry by many non-professionals but "permitted" dentists who faced a centralized and powerful professional bureaucracy.

Sacred Socialism

Sacred Socialism

Occupation Matters! A Multilevel Analysis of Organizational Trust in Professional Bureaucracies in the Healthcare Sector

This study investigates in the healthcare sector how occupation influences the relationship between organizational procedural justice and employees’ trust in the supervisor and in the organization. Drawing on the dual hierarchy model in professional bureaucracies, we adopt a multi-level approach and pay close attention to the influence of the occupational group and its immediate organizational context. Our results from five healthcare organizations reveal that the relationship between organizational procedural justice and trust in the organization is mediated by employees’ trust in the supervisor for both health professionals and support staff. On the occupational group level, occupation type predicts organizational procedural justice and trust in the organization, but not trust in the supervisor. Based on these findings, we insist that communication between occupation groups deserves more attention for building trust in professional bureaucracies.

Bureaucratic Neutrality Index in Direct Regional Head Elections: Optimism in Developing Professional Bureaucracy in Indonesia

The study aimed to describe bureaucratic neutrality at regional level and its necessity in direct regional head elections in Indonesia. This research is important in examining whether state civil apparatuses are tempted to enter the practical political arena in regional head elections despite being prohibited by the principle of bureaucratic neutrality. This study employed a descriptive quantitative research method and index analysis techniques. A research population of 12,539 state civil apparatuses (SCAs) in Banyumas, Indonesia was utilized, 400 of which were selected as the research samples. Employing Slovin formula, 95% confidence level and margin of error 4.92% were obtained. This study indicates a satisfactory level of bureaucratic neutrality at 3.18 or 79.59. Indicators of high bureaucratic neutrality level include the absence of SCAs’ support to non-incumbent or incumbent regent candidates on social media as well as the non-response of SCAs to the request of incumbent regent candidates‘ campaign team to perform actions that may benefit incumbent regent candidates. Meanwhile, indicators of low bureaucratic neutrality level include the preservation of neutrality upon discovering other SCA colleagues’ support to non-incumbent or incumbent regent candidates on social media and the preservation of no support to non-incumbent or incumbent regent candidates. These findings present an opportunity to realize a professional merit and bureaucracy system in Indonesia. This study offers recommendations of increased neutrality awareness campaigns among bureaucratic officials and the importance of encouraging SCAs to consistently remind colleagues who may violate the principle of neutrality. Enforcement of legal actions against violators of bureaucratic neutrality is also necessary as a deterrent effect for bureaucratic officials who are not committed to upholding bureaucratic neutrality.

Not for us, without us: examining horizontal coordination between the Ministry of Health and other sectors to advance health goals in Uganda.

The Ministry or Department of Health (M/DoH) is the mandated government agency for health in all countries. However, achieving good health and wellbeing requires the health sector to coordinate with other sectors such as the environment, agriculture and education. Little is known about the coordination relationship between MoH and other sectors to advance health and development goals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Our study examined the coordination relationship between MoH and other government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) at the national level in Uganda. This was an embedded case study nested in a study on intragovernmental coordination at the central government in Uganda. A qualitative approach used document review and key informant interviews with government officials and non-state actors. Data were analysed thematically using a multitheoretical framework. The coordination relationship was characterized by interdependencies generally framed lopsidedly in terms of health sector goals and not vice versa. Actor opportunism and asymmetrical interests interacted with structural-institutional factors contributing to variable influence on internal and external coordination within and beyond MOH. Supportive mechanisms include (a) diverse health sector legal-institutional frameworks, (b) their alignment to broader government efforts and (c) the MOH's agency to leverage government-wide efforts. Constraints arose from (a) gaps in the legal-institutional framework, (b) demands on resources due to the 'broad' MOH mandate and (c) the norms of the MOH's professional bureaucracy and the predominance of medical professionals. This study underlines critical actions needed to improve coordination between the health and non-health sectors. Introspection within the MOH is vital to inform efforts to modify MOH's internal functioning and positioning within the broader government to strategically advance MOH's (development) aspirations. The nature of MoH's role in multisectoral efforts should be contingent. Consideration of mutual sectoral interdependencies and interactions with and within broader government systems is critical.