Public Sector Professionals Research Articles

Organisational and professional hierarchies in a data management system: public–private collaborative building of public healthcare and social services in Finland

ABSTRACT Nordic countries are considered international leaders in producing combinable data on their citizens’ encounters with public institutions, as well as the digitalisation of public services. Public-sector professionals increasingly collaborate with private IT companies in developing data analytics products for cost saving and cost-efficiency. This article presents the results of a two-year ethnographic study of a collaboration between the Knowledge Team of a public-sector organisation and a private-sector IT company for developing and maintaining a data management system in one Finnish regional healthcare and social service organisation. The data management system is defined as a data analytics product that provides management with information about clinical and financial aspects of organisation management. We combine perspectives of science and technology studies and the sociology of professions to situate our research on the data management system as a boundary object within the broader context of professional work. Via our theoretical framework, we examine the negotiation process through which the data management system becomes a boundary object in practice. This process includes not only the accommodation of diverse epistemic cultures but also organisational and professional hierarchies that empower some experts to shape the data management system towards their visions and interests. This article applies the ‘boundary object’ concept to elucidate structural power differentials in public–private partnerships and multi-professional collaborations.

Analysis of the development of competences in a Brazilian master of public administration

This paper aims to analyze the main competences developed by graduates of a professional master’s degree in Brazilian public administration. For this purpose, the research developed (i) a theoretical framework to present the main competences for public sector professionals, (ii) a bibliometric analysis with the scientific publications about development of competences in public administration between 2009 and 2019, and (iii) an investigation of the graduates’ profile in the Brazilian professional master’s degree surveyed with a standard score. Finally, a map of investigated competences was elaborated, identifying the development levels according to the graduate’s perception acquired along a postgraduate program. These competences were distributed into four categories: high, medium, low and very-low development levels.

Understanding women’s reproductive and sexual health issues in India: Role of a health psychologist

Reproductive and sexual health is an integral part of women’s health. This paper aims to review various problems related to women’s health in India and highlight the role of a health psychologist in developing interventions. Women belonging to different socioeconomic backgrounds and age groups are found to be having different issues, which will be discussed. By focusing on a broad range of theoretical concepts such as onset of menarche, reproductive tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases, maternal mortality, abortion, and menopause, an attempt is made to understand their overall wellbeing. The importance of reproductive and sexual health education has been reinforced by the public health sector, international governments, NGOs and health professionals, and a need to tackle the same is recognised. Significant contributions and statistical findings of the last two decades are reviewed and discussed in this paper. Finally, an attempt is made to view women’s reproductive and sexual health from a biopsychosocial perspective to highlight the need of a health psychologist in imparting knowledge and intervention to adolescent girls, emerging adults and mothers of the community. A comprehensive model targeting these issues would in turn help in enhancing the wellbeing of women.

Governança e gestão inteligentes em municípios de pequeno porte: o caso de Luzerna (SC – Brasil)

Nos últimos anos, o tema cidades inteligentes ganhou maior interesse da comunidade acadêmica e profissionais do setor público. Um dos propósitos das cidades inteligentes é de fornecer sustentabilidade, desenvolvimento econômico e qualidade de vida. O presente estudo busca identificar como um município de pequeno porte pode alcançar governança e gestão inteligente para o desenvolvimento da cidade. Foi realizado um estudo de caso em um município que desenvolve práticas de governo eletrônico e governança, por meio de um estudo descritivo, com a técnica de análise de conteúdo por categorias. Após uma revisão de literatura, foram definidas as seguintes categorias de análise: processo de tomada de decisão; uso das tecnologias de informação e comunicação (TIC); participação e colaboração dos stakeholders; governança multinível, colaborativa, inteligente. Foi possível identificar que o Município de Luzerna apresenta iniciativas inovadoras, usando processos de tomada de decisão que envolvem diversos atores, em uma relação multinível, que caracterizam governança e gestão inteligentes. Palavras-chave: Governança Inteligente. Governança Multinível. Stakeholders. Governo Eletrônico. Inteligência na Cidade.

The interaction of elite networks in the Pinochet regime's macroeconomic policies

AbstractThe Chilean military regime offered a prime example of interactions among elite groups in the making of macroeconomic policies. Through the lens of both Bourdieu's field theory and Mills's elite coordination through networks, we show how Chilean elites sought to implement these policies despite being divided by their transnational and national ties. We have constructed an original database on the 62 most influential individuals within the space of macroeconomic policies using a variety of descriptive methods (multiple correspondence analysis, cluster analysis, and social network analysis), only used on very few occasions to study South American elites. We explore the internal divisions in these elites in terms of their orientation to national and transnational capital and biographical trajectories. We identify three groups – high‐ranking military officers, Chicago academic economists, and public and private sector professionals. Military officers were mostly endowed with national assets, while civilian groups relied on transnational resources. Moreover, the Chicago economists, characterized by their transnational and scientific legitimacy, were the closest to influential state positions overall (the Ministry of the Treasury and the Central Bank). Finally, we categorize the same three groups through (national and transnational) network ties. Organizational ties between those groups were significant, particularly among Chicago economists and professionals, which suggests an intense coordination process, facilitated by transnational affiliations and profile.

Impacts of Perceived Role Demands on Work-Life Balance and Moderating Effects of Work Ethics: Evidence from Public Sector Professionals in Sri Lanka

Work, family and social life are considered to be the most important spheres for an individual’s life. The current study focuses on to determine the level of work-life balance, to analyze the impacts of perceived role demands on work-life balance and to estimate the moderating effects of work ethics between role demands and work-life balance relationship among professionals in Sri Lanka. The sample consists of 386 professionals of Chartered Engineers, Medical Officers and Accountants employed in the public sector organizations in Sri Lanka. Explanatory research design with quantitative research approach of cross sectional survey method was adapted. Primary data was collected using Questionnaire survey with stratified random sampling techniques. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling approach with Amos 21 and SPSS statistics 23. The Multi-Group Analysis in Amos also has been applied for testing the moderation effect of work ethics. This study found that professionals possess a moderate level of work-life balance and there is significant and negative causal impacts of perceived work and social demands on work-life balance while combined effects of perceived role demands have significantly and negatively impact on work - life balance. Moreover, work-life balance is skewed towards works and less in family and social role demand is an emerging issue for professionals. Further, work ethic has significant and partial moderation effect between role demands and work-life balance relationships. This study is significant and beneficial for managers, organizational leaders and researchers to address the needs of employees to develop strategies and policies to address work - life balance issues and social implications for employees, family members, societies and researchers. The limitation of the study is that all of the measures were self-reported that common method variance may raise concern. Future studies using longitudinal design would be useful in establishing the temporal causal relationship among the private sector professionals in Sri Lanka.

Performance evaluation under human capital perspective: an empirical evidence

PurposeThe study investigates the effect of human capital (HC) on organizational performance (OP) of potential employees. Further, an attempt has been made to develop the fundamental psychological mechanism of the aforementioned relationship by proposing retention (RE) as mediator.Design/methodology/approachFor this study, the required population on both private and public sector professionals of middle and senior-level management from service and manufacturing organizations functioning in various parts of India has been considered. For data collection, a complete set of questionnaires has been prepared and collected from 238 professionals. To study and test the hypotheses, structural equation modeling has also been used.Findingsa complete study on the data collected, it has been found that HC is significantly related with OP of the prospective professionals and RE has subsequently mediated the aforementioned linkage partially.Practical implicationsThe present study can suggest practically that the appropriate RE strategies retain HC with their respective organizations and provides in finding the evidence on the psychological processes during the employer procurement process.Originality/valuepaper bridges the disciplines of strategic human resource management and human capital management and brings in RE as an additional mediator into organizational performance.

Experiments on the Effects of Positive and Negative Perceptions of A Public Sector Profession

Despite an increase in research on how performance information regarding public agencies affects citizens’ evaluations of public agencies, we know very little about how performance information regarding public employees affects citizens’ evaluations of public employees and public employees themselves. This represents an important gap in the literature, given that judgments are made about whole public sector professions−not just about government bureaucracies. This article features two experiments. The first experiment assesses the effects of positive and negative perceptions regarding teacher performance on citizens’ support for public school teachers along five dimensions. The second experiment assesses the effects of negative perceptions regarding teacher performance on the morale of public school teachers themselves along six dimensions. We find that positive perceptions regarding teacher performance does not affect the attitudes of citizens or public school teachers along the dimensions that we studied. Negative perceptions regarding teacher performance, however, affected citizens’ attitudes toward three outcomes: support for teacher tenure, the likelihood that respondents' would recommend a career as a public school teacher, and respondents perceived prestige of a career as a public school teacher. Negative perceptions regarding teacher performance affected one outcome for public school teachers; their perceptions regarding the prestige of the profession.

Which families move out from metropolitan areas? Counterurban migration and professions in Sweden

This paper seeks to contribute to the ongoing revitalisation of the counterurbanisation research within population geography by nuancing counterurban migration beyond the rural–urban dichotomy, including all moves downwards in the urban hierarchy. The focus is to explore counterurban migration patterns among families with children leaving Swedish metropolitan areas, and whether some groups of skilled professions are more likely to make a counterurban move than others. Using register data on all families moving out from metropolitan areas in Sweden during the period 2003–2013, we found a small but steady outflow of families, mainly to medium-sized or small towns. The highly educated are overrepresented among these families, thus providing potential for an inflow of competence to the receiving areas. Contrary to expected, the assumed flexibility in time and space among knowledge sector professionals does not seem to enable them more than others to pursue counterurban moves. Instead, public sector professionals characterise families making a counterurban move to all destination regions, while men with a profession within arts and crafts to a higher extent move with their family to more rural areas.

How physicians cope with extreme overwork: an exploratory study of French public-sector healthcare professionals

ABSTRACTDrawing upon the transactional stress theory, this study investigates how physicians cope with the evolution of their workload since the implementation of New Public Management (NPM). 25 interviews with physicians working in French public hospitals, reveal that physicians are using a multitude of coping strategies to deal with their work. Our results show that two resources influence the basis of the coping strategies: social support and the locus of control. Our analysis sheds new light on how the hospital management design may contribute to stressful working conditions. Moreover, this study highlights the unintended effects of NPM implementation.

Exploring the motivational bases of public mission-driven professions using a sequential-explanatory design

ABSTRACT This study disentangles the motivational forces that drive the preferences of public sector professionals engaging in mission-driven jobs. Building on self-determination theory, two discrete choice experiments and a qualitative inquiry show that nurses preferred jobs with less overtime, higher salary, visibility for the profession, higher social impact, numerous and frequent contacts with patients, and higher autonomy. Results also highlighted that managing more subordinates may not be unconditionally desirable. Implications stretch beyond nursing to other public professions in crisis and discuss the role of public human resource management in the broader human resource management literature.

With a little help from my friends: the positive contribution of teamwork to safety behaviour in public hospitals

ABSTRACTAgainst the backdrop of decreased organizational slack in public sector organizations, we investigate the direct and indirect effect of teams on safety behaviour in an Italian acute care hospital. Quantitative and qualitative findings confirm the positive contribution of teams to individuals’ safety behaviour. The study contributes to the limited empirical research on safety behaviour in high-reliability settings as part of a wider conversation about public sector professionals under crisis. The findings can assist managers of public sector hospitals to facilitate conditions for effective team communication in the interest of patient safety, and can, conceivably, be extended to other public sector high-reliability settings.

Social support as buffer for workplace negative acts of professional public sector employees in Vietnam

ABSTRACTMuch has been known about negative outcomes of workplace bullying in public sectors in low power distance contexts like the UK, USA, and Australia. Little is known about workplace bullying in non-Western contexts characterized by high power distance, bureaucracy, and collectivism. This study advances Conservation of Resource (COR) theory with empirical evidence that the acquisition of social support buffered the indirect impact of bullying on work engagement in a sample of 207 Vietnamese public sector professionals. This research suggests the provision of contextual resources is critically important to enhance employee positive experience of work in the face of workplace bullying.

Austerity in a disadvantaged West Midlands neighbourhood: Everyday experiences of families and family support professionals

This article examines everyday effects of austerity in Kingshurst – a disadvantaged urban neighbourhood in the West Midlands. It draws on qualitative data gathered from local families with children, and public and third sector professionals working in the area in family support services. While some of the issues raised are common to other disadvantaged communities across the UK, we recognise that austerity is experienced in specific socio-spatial contexts: in this case, Kingshurst’s circumstance of deprivation within a local authority borough that (as a whole) is above averagely affluent. This shaped the ways that residents and professionals framed the disadvantage they encountered in their everyday lives and work, in particular strengthening understandings of austerity as unfairly and unevenly experienced on the bases of geography and social class, and highlighting territorial stigma towards the neighbourhood by professionals and decision-makers which impeded residents’ engagement with the family support services available to them locally.

Gentrification, Market Regimes, and the New Entrepreneurial Principal: Enacting Integration or Displacement?

ABSTRACTThe last 30 years of school reform have left us with an increase in urban school districts with market regimes (school choice, charter schools, and managerialism). Sociologists of the professions have documented the extent to which these reforms tend to be reshaping public sector professionals, replacing an ethos of public service with one of competition and entrepreneurialism. Meanwhile, as cities become more gentrified, some argue that there are both opportunities for greater class and racial integration and the danger of increased segregation and displacement for low-income families of color. Principals are key gatekeepers who are expected to mediate between the expectations of various groups of parents, community members, and teachers. Yet, like other public-sector professionals, they are increasingly controlled from a distance through the discipline of the market, outcomes metrics, and other managerialist policies. In this article, we will explore the intersection of these three developments (market regimes, the “new professional,” and gentrification) through a review of current literature and discuss implications for principals who want to be advocates for their low-income communities of color while also desegregating their schools. We will also suggest some research questions to explore the role of school administrators within the confluence of new market regimes and gentrification in an increasing number of urban centers.

CHALLENGES FACED BY PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP IN IMPROVING SERVICE DELIVERY

Partnerships, of any kind, come with challenges and obstacles that might be a threat to the success of the vision they have. PPPs are faced with a lot of challenges when it comes to infrastructure delivery in South Africa and across the globe. Hence, the study was conducted to determine the challenges faced by Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the South Africa. The data in this paper was obtained from secondary and primary sources. 90 structured questionnaires were distributed to construction stakeholders in the public and private sectors, who were involved in the PPP's projects in South Africa in the Gauteng province. 80 Questionnaires were brought back and were valid for use. The study revealed that: PPPs are inflexible; there is limited trust between public and private sector professionals; lack of sufficient time to implement PPPs; reduced control of public assets; conflict of interest between private and public sector; public acceptability; PPPs are not integrated into sector planning, lack of resources dedicated to fostering PPPs, a policy bias toward traditional public procurement and against PPPs, lack of fiscal imperative to use PPPs and policy on PPP changes with changes in political leadership, etc. The research has revealed that PPPs are lacking at the highest levels of leadership especially at governmental level. Also, PPPs must be favored in general, not in specific circumstances.

Formação profissional e conhecimento sobre biossegurança de Auxiliares de Saúde Bucal dos setores público e privado

Na Odontologia, o conhecimento de medidas de biossegurança relacionadas ao controle de infecção constituem preocupação constante, já que conhecimentos adquiridos podem ser aplicados para a prevenção, minimização ou eliminação de riscos à saúde. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a relação entre a formação profissional e o conhecimento sobre biossegurança de Auxiliares de Saúde Bucal (ASBs) dos serviços público e privado em uma cidade do sudoeste da Bahia. Trata-se de um estudo transversal envolvendo 44 profissionais, sendo 16 do setor público e 28 do setor privado. Utilizou-se questionário semiestruturado com 22 questões. Os dados foram analisados por meio de estatística descritiva e pelo teste Qui-quadrado. A análise dos dados revelou que 45,5% das ASBs ainda não haviam realizado curso técnico profissionalizante, capacitação ou atualização e 77,3% não possuíam registro no Conselho Regional de Odontologia. As participantes que haviam recebido algum tipo de informação técnico-científica mostraram saber mais sobre o significado do termo biossegurança (p<0,05) e realizar com maior frequência a lavagem das mãos entre um paciente e outro (p<0,05). As profissionais do serviço público mostraram maior conhecimento sobre o significado do termo biossegurança (p<0,05) e a possiblidade de transmissão de doenças para os pacientes (p<0,05), em comparação às do serviço privado. Observou-se neste estudo que uma melhor formação profissional das ASBs pode interferir positivamente sobre os conhecimentos de biossegurança referentes ao controle de infecção.

Tacit knowledge sharing in online environments: Locating ‘Ba’ within a platform for public sector professionals

This article presents preliminary findings from a larger doctoral study which investigates tacit knowledge sharing and social media use. The results reported here are from a survey completed by members of an online platform that incorporates social media features and enables knowledge sharing amongst public sector professionals in Scotland. There are two main findings from the study explored in this paper. The first relates to the various roles that an online platform may play in the facilitation of tacit knowledge sharing, apparent around learning processes, expertise sharing, problem solving and innovation. The second relates to how social interactions are supported online, allowing discussions among experts to be initiated, fostering collective intelligence and enabling tacit and personal knowledge to become visible, and accessible, while decreasing the time and the effort required. The outcomes of the research additionally suggest that three aspects of the concept of Ba (or space), as proposed by Nonaka and Konno (1998), can be found in online environments. These aspects are Dialoguing/Interacting Ba, Cyber Ba and Exercising Ba.

Multiple Dimensions of Work Intensity: Ambulance Work as Edgework

Working life in public sector professions is undergoing significant change and becoming increasingly demanding. This article explores work intensity in NHS ambulance services in England, describing four distinct but interrelated dimensions of intensity: temporal; physical; emotional; and organizational. We use the concept of edgework to explore the complexities involved in how emergency workers attempt to negotiate the rewards and risks associated with multidimensional work intensity. Although certain parts of ambulance work may be intrinsically intense and can provide an important source of validation, organizational elements have the potential to push work intensity to unnecessary extremes. Ambulance services are ‘professionalizing’, but as work in ambulance trusts continues to intensify, issues over dignity, staff retention and the meaning of work are becoming ever more challenging, just as they are in other public service professions.

Pennsylvania State Archives and the Pennsylvania Historical Association Scholars in Residence Program, 2018

Other| January 01 2018 Pennsylvania State Archives and the Pennsylvania Historical Association Scholars in Residence Program, 2018 Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies (2018) 85 (1): 136–137. https://doi.org/10.5325/pennhistory.85.1.0136 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Pennsylvania State Archives and the Pennsylvania Historical Association Scholars in Residence Program, 2018. Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies 1 January 2018; 85 (1): 136–137. doi: https://doi.org/10.5325/pennhistory.85.1.0136 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectivePenn State University PressPennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies Search Advanced Search The Pennsylvania State Archives and the Pennsylvania Historical Association invite applications for the 2018–2019 Scholars in Residence Program. The Scholars in Residence Program provides support for up to four weeks of full-time research and study in manuscript and state record collections maintained by the Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg.Residency programs are open to all who are conducting research on Pennsylvania history, including academic scholars, public sector professionals, independent scholars, graduate students, educators, writers, filmmakers, and others. Residencies may be scheduled for up to four weeks at any time during the period June 15, 2018–August 15, 2018; stipends are awarded at the rate of up to $800 per week.Applicants are encouraged to submit research topics related to Pennsylvania history, and as Pennsylvania relates to the Mid-Atlantic region. They are further encouraged to identify relevant archival collections, assess their availability and accessibility, and discuss their research agenda with appropriate staff... You do not currently have access to this content.