Public Service Organizations Research Articles

Building Capabilities to Improve the Performance of Public Organizations: A Comparative Case Study of Different Turnaround Trajectories of UK's Public Hospitals

Over the past 20 years, governments in many countries around the world have sought to implement governance mechanisms to measure and assess the performance of public service organizations. Consequently, organizations considered as poorly performing are often subject to increased pressure to turn their performance around. Based on literature on organizational capabilities, this research sought to identify the capabilities whose development and use explain a public organization’s ability to improve its performance and sustain good performance in the long run. This research applied longitudinal and comparative case studies method into two Hospitals Trusts represent two different turnaround trajectories: one case of a successful turnaround and one case of less-successful turnaround. The purpose was to examine how the development of a set of capabilities over time accounted for the differences in the performance outcome and trajectory of the two cases. The findings revealed the following capabilities as advantageous for good performance: collective leadership; action-oriented culture; effective clinical-managerial relationship; supportive external context; performance control capability; coordination capability of the key delivery process; sensing capability and learning capability. These findings add relevant insights to the existing literature and can be of practical value for public managers faced with challenge of turning the performance of their organizations around.

No country for model minorities: Evidence of discrimination against Asian noncitizen immigrants in the U.S. nursing home market

AbstractAlthough public administration scholars have long been studying discriminative behavior of frontline servants of public service organizations, whether and to what extent Asians and noncitizen immigrants may suffer from frontline discrimination in the United States lacks evidential support. To fill this gap, we conducted a corresponding field experiment in the U.S. nursing home market (N = 6428). Our findings identify substantial discrimination against Asians and noncitizen immigrants. Holding other factors constant, nursing homes with long‐term care services in the United States are less responsive to and less likely to offer services to Asians and noncitizen immigrants, compared to Whites and citizens, respectively. Such discrimination is observed in all public, private for‐profit, and nonprofit nursing homes, whereas private for‐profit nursing homes demonstrated less discrimination. This study has implications for describing frontline discrimination in government‐regulated public service organizations and for scholarly understanding of the mechanism of such discrimination.

Organizational strategic stance and perceived public service performance: a public service logic perspective

ABSTRACT This study explores how public service organizations’ (PSOs) strategic stances impact citizens’ perceived service performance from a public service logic (PSL) perspective. Existing research often focuses on organizational-level performance, overlooking individual citizens’ subjective judgements. By using citizens’ perceived service quality and overall satisfaction as proxies for value-in-use and value-in-context derived from public services, this study provides new insights on how PSOs’ strategies influence value creation. Utilizing multilevel analysis on nested datasets from two surveys in China, this research offers empirical evidence for the strategic influence on individual value creation.

The role of digital competence in improving service quality and employee performance

Orientation: Digital acceleration forces all public service organisations to prepare to shift from traditional methods to digital methods. Thus, this phenomenon challenges today’s public service organisations to present new service innovations with technological elements to create superior performance.Research purpose: This study aims to explore and analyse the impact of digital competence, smart digital services, and service quality on the performance of public service employees.Motivation for the study: Human resources in public service organisations face many challenges, namely how to adapt to technology and create effective services to improve service quality and employee performance.Research approach/design and method: This study was conducted in all government organisations in Central Java province, Indonesia. The sampling technique used was proportional random sampling, so that a sample of 262 civil servants was obtained. This study uses a quantitative method with Structural Equation Model (SEM) analysis.Main findings: The study results show that digital competence has a positive impact on intelligent digital services, which significantly improves service quality and ultimately has a positive impact on employee performance.Practical/managerial implications: The results of this study provide important insights for policy makers in the Central Java Provincial Government, Indonesia, to determine the direction of digital competence development and service innovation in achieving positive performance.Contribution/value-add: This study provides a roadmap for public service organisations to develop employees who can adapt to digital competencies and smart digital services to achieve maximum performance.

Social Equity in Municipally Owned Corporations: Do Women in the Boardroom Make a Difference to the Gender Pay Gap?

ABSTRACTRepresentative bureaucracy theory posits that the presence of less‐advantaged social groups in public leadership positions is an important driver of social equity among the recipients of public services and the public servants who provide them. To evaluate whether active representation can lead to improvements in social equity within arms‐length public service organizations, this article presents an analysis of the relationship between women in the boardroom and the gender pay gap in 102 large municipally owned corporations (MOCs) in England for a 6‐year period (2017–2022). The findings suggest that MOCs led by female chief executive officers (CEOs) have a lower pay gap between male and female employees. The presence of more women directors on MOC boards is also negatively related to the pay gap, especially in MOCs led by male CEOs. The findings highlight the importance of board gender representation to address social equity in arms‐length public service organizations.

Factors Affecting the Adoption of E-HRM Practices in Public Service Organizations in Tanzania: A Case Study of the Tanzania Judicial Service Commission Headquarters

The scanty understanding on the factors affecting the adoption of e-HRM practices among public service organizations in Tanzania posed a rationale of undertaking this study. The study took place at the Judicial Service Commission of Tanzania. This study sought to address three specific objectives; to assess HRM practices which are under e-HRM, factors influencing the adoption of e-HRM practices and challenges facing the adoption of e-HRM practices in the study area. This study was guided by innovation adoption theory. The study used descriptive case-study research design with a mix of qualitative and quantitative research approaches. Simple random sampling was used to sample 77 respondents out of 96 employees who constitute the target population from the study area. Data collection was done through interview and questionnaire methods where contents analysis and descriptive statistics analysis were used in data analysis. The study findings revealed seven HRM practices in the study area are under e-HRM namely planning, recruitment and selection, training and development, performance appraisal, compensation, health related, safety and labour relations practices. The study findings further revealed social, economic and institutional factors as the major factors influencing the adoption of e-HRM practices in the study area. This study concluded inadequate ICT skills among employees, competent ICT experts, financial resources, e-HRM practices awareness, capacity building programs, supportive laws and policies as the major challenges facing the adoption of e-HRM practices. The study further concludes the e-HRM having strong contribution to the entire organizational performance. In the view of the revealed study findings, the study hereby recommends to the public service organizations to conduct routine capacity building programs for creating awareness and strengthening the adoption of e-HRM practices in the organizational undertakings.

Barriers to Business Process Innovation in Public Service Organizations

This study aims to identify the main barriers in implementing business process innovation in government organizations using the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method. The barriers were categorized into four aspects: people, technology, structure, and process, in accordance with the Socio-Technical Theory approach. The results show that a lack of knowledge and training related to innovation, limited funding, and inadequate technological infrastructure are the dominant barriers. In addition, complex bureaucracy and lack of structured processes are also significant barriers. The research recommends a holistic approach that includes improved communication, training, technology investment, as well as bureaucratic reform to foster more effective innovation. The findings provide a basis for better policy-making and emphasize the importance of further research to understand and address barriers to innovation in different countries.

Emotional exhaustion behind the badge: Examining the effects of affective commitment, surface acting, and gender among police personnel

Public service organizations, such as the police, place great value on employee commitment because the public interest is at stake. While previous literature establishes a negative association between affective commitment and emotional exhaustion, the underlying mechanism remains insufficiently explored. Drawing on the perspective of emotional labor, this paper investigates whether surface acting, which refers to the feigning of expected emotions, mediates the impact of affective commitment on emotional exhaustion among police personnel. Furthermore, the study aims to explore whether this mediating effect is influenced by gender. The dataset utilized in this research comprises responses obtained from a survey administered to 465 police officers employed by the Taipei City Police Department. Our findings reveal a significant suppression effect of surface acting in the affective commitment-emotional exhaustion relationship, suggesting that surface acting, as a result of low affective commitment, has a detrimental impact on emotional well-being. Interestingly, the effects of affective commitment and surface acting on emotional exhaustion are stronger in male police officers compared to their female counterparts. In summary, the results of this study contribute to the existing literature and have broader implications for high-stress work environments. The findings provide insights into how organizations can better support the well-being of their employees by promoting commitment and addressing surface acting. Moreover, the study underscores the importance of considering gender differences in understanding the impact of these variables on emotional exhaustion among police personnel.

A Survey of Public Library-Led Digital Literacy Training in Canada: Perceptions of Administrators and Instructors

Objective – This paper presents the results from a survey of administrators and instructors at public libraries across Canada investigating the delivery of digital literacy training led by public libraries. The goal of the survey was to capture a snapshot of the Canadian public library-led digital literacy training landscape and to explore differences in perceptions of training activities between public library administrators and instructors. Methods – An online survey was distributed to administrators and instructors at public libraries across Canada with the help of two national public library associations. The survey instrument was developed based on a theoretical framework from the research team’s prior case study investigations of community-led digital literacy training. The survey included closed- and open-ended questions concerning the availability of adequate/sustained funding, the adequacy of dedicated classroom resources, the competency of teaching staff, the helpfulness of support staff, the amount and frequency of knowledge sharing of best practices, the amount of rigorous and regular performance measurement, the scheduling of the training provided, the skills taught, the pedagogical approaches used, and the marketing carried out. Responses were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques. Results – Public library administrators and instructors in Canada are generally satisfied with the delivery of digital literacy training; however, room for improvement exists. Instructors are more positive about the delivery of this training than administrators. Findings support and extend the research team’s conceptual model, specifically in terms of providing more insight and clarity on how the learning environment and program components affect the delivery of digital literacy training led by public libraries. Results highlight how training is situated in context and how libraries need to fine-tune the delivery of this training in ways that are reflective of libraries’ learning environments and program components. Conclusion – Results are of high interest to researchers and library practitioners who wish to leverage evidence-based library and information practice to understand and address the factors affecting the successful delivery of public library-led digital literacy training. Though funding is always an obstacle for any public service organization, libraries can make improvements to the delivery of their training in other ways, such as carrying out more robust performance measurement and using results more transparently, participating in more knowledge-sharing opportunities, and better understanding learner needs and preferences.

Online volunteering and subjective well-being in China

This study aims to examine the relationship between online volunteering and subjective well-being (SWB) and to explore the mediation effect of online bridging networks. The data used in this study came from the 2019 Chinese General Social Survey (CSS). In this study, individuals who responded to survey questions about their participation in online volunteering activities and their subjective well-being(SWB) were included for analysis (N = 5556). The results showed a positive relationship between online volunteering and online bridging networks and indicated that online volunteering affects subjective well-being through the mediating role of online bridging networks. The implications of this study are relevant to policy-makers in public health and social service organizations. Based on the findings, policy-makers and nonprofit organizations are called on to support this type of volunteering which is an important means of improving public health. Nonprofit organizations can establish online social networks for potential volunteers. In addition, nonprofit organizations need to invest more resources to enhance the digital literacy of employees and volunteers, in order to enhance the quality of online volunteering services.

The Effect of Work-Related Stress on Workers' Performance in Public Service Organizations in Tanzania: A Case Study of the Tanzania Fertilizer Regulatory Authority

The Effect of Work-Related Stress on Workers' Performance in Public Service Organizations in Tanzania: A Case Study of the Tanzania Fertilizer Regulatory Authority

ANALISIS KEPUASAN MAHASISWA UNIVERSITAS UDAYANA TERHADAP SISTEM LAYANAN INFORMASI IMISSU

Information is a valuable asset in digital era. Government , educational institutions, and public service organizations face increasing expectations to manage information properly and efficiently. This problem can be solve by information system service. The success of an information service system can be measured by user satisfaction. Udayana University has several information service systems. One of the information service systems owned by Udayana University is IMISSU (Integrated Management Information System the Strategic of Udayana). Our research aims to study the analysis student satisfaction at Udayana University. We used partial least square modeling with five construct namely quality of information, quality of system, quality of service, perceived usefulness, and student satisfaction. The results of this research are all construct of this model has significant influence on student satisfaction quality of system has significant influence on student satisfaction with mediation of perceived usefulness and quality of system is the most variable influence on college student satisfaction

Trade‐union engendered employee trust in senior management: A case study of digitalisation

AbstractTrade unions can shape employees' positive perceptions of digital technology introduction, and thus help achieve desirable outcomes. Our understanding of why and how remains limited. This article develops the argument that employees' trust in senior management's digital competency is a central issue, and a power‐sharing trade union can play an important role in mediating that relationship. We propose that workplace trade‐union power enables workers to ‘trust’ the process when they know the union can collectively bargain with senior management. This reduces digitalisation‐induced job insecurity, thereby engendering an engaged workforce to remain in post. This leads to our hypothesis that trade‐union voice has both a stronger direct and indirect effect in reducing employees' intention to exit than direct voice (direct communication with senior leaders). Our sequential mediating model supports the hypotheses on both direct and indirect pathways using 520 valid responses to a staff survey during digitalisation from a major UK public service organisation.

Nationwide Electronic Prescription Services in Finland in 2010-2023.

This research aimed to follow up a 14-year period (2010-2023) public and private healthcare service organizations' and community pharmacies' entries to and exits from the centralized, interoperable and shared electronic Prescription Services in Finland. Our material were the official Social Welfare and Healthcare Organization Registry and the official Pharmacy Registry; their data were extracted in January 2024. Outcomes were continuous registration of services or registered exist from the services. In addition, we used information from the Kanta Services for presenting monthly and annual number of electronic prescriptions and medicine dispensations on national level. In 2010-2023, totally 838 community pharmacies' and their subsidiary pharmacies' entries to and 24 exits from the nationwide Prescription Services took place, and in total 814 pharmacy outlets had the Prescription Services in production in 2023. Totally, 1980 public and private healthcare service organizations' entries to and 494 exits from the Prescription Service took place, and 1486 organizations had the Prescription Services in production in 2023. Healthcare service organizations recorded totally 303.8 million electronic prescriptions into the Prescription Services. Recorded numbers were lower during the Covid-19 epidemic in Finland in 2020-2021. We also observed seasonal effects in the time series. Pharmacies recorded totally 660.4 million medicine dispensations (purchases) into the Prescription Services with an increasing trend year after year. We also observed seasonal effects in the dispensation time series.

Signals of Transition in Support Systems: A Study of the use of Social Media Analytics in Crisis Management

In crisis informatics, little attention is placed on how transitions occur between periods of crisis and non-crisis. The analysis of transition behaviors in public organizations could help in understanding the duality between the need for continuity of services provided to the community, and the cyclical nature of risk and crisis management. This study uniquely highlights the transitions occurring when organizations need to stop day-to-day activities to focus on responding to a crisis while continuing to provide services to their communities. We focus on the use of social media analytics as a support system to study transitions and, with the objective to gain an insight into how sociotechnical systems navigate through periods of crisis and non-crisis, we leverage individual experiences of use of social media as a source of information in public service organizations and developers of social media analytics support tools. In doing so, we employed a process study approach, conducted semi-structured interviews, and used thematic analysis to trace patterns of transitions between crisis and non-crisis states. Furthermore, we formulate five signals that public organizations exhibit to illustrate and guide organizational transition behaviors. The main contribution of this study is the explanation and conceptualization of how transitions happen by framing social media as a support information system. In addition, we highlight the return to a new steady state, an overlooked area of organizational transitions and continuity. Our study will help streamline processes of continuity in organizations and inspires the design and improvement of current and future support systems. Future research could apply and extend our propositions to other support systems such as geospatial technologies, robots, and even artificial intelligence.

The Role of Competence and Commitment in Building Sustainable Organizational Performance of Public Sector: A Systematic Literture Review

This research highlights the evolution of employee competence, organizational commitment, and sustainable performance in public sector or public service organizations by analyzing key trends and key concepts. We also analyzed and mapped the knowledge structure of research themes. Furthermore, this paper aims to outline a specific research agenda for the research subject. This research employs a systematic, integrated literature review approach, conducting a systematic review of existing literature on employee competency, organizational commitment, and sustainable performance in public sector organizations or public services. The PRISMA statement guidelines were followed. We obtained a total of 91 inclusion documents from Semantic Scholar. Our results show that there is a relationship between employee competence, organizational commitment, and the sustainable performance of public sector organizations or public services. Understanding the role of employee competence and organizational commitment in improving the sustainable performance of public sector or public service organizations requires the use of robust research models and a thorough conceptualization of how these relationships can emerge. We propose a research model for the future research agenda that explores how organizational commitment mediates the role of employee competence in improving the sustainable performance of public sector organizations.

Advancing Disaster Resilience: The Ethical Dimensions of Adaptability and Adaptive Leadership in Public Service Organizations

Organizations are perpetually challenged to adapt and evolve in the increasingly complex and unpredictable public service landscape. Using two international case studies from Australia and New Zealand, this research examines the critical role of adaptive leadership in fostering resilience within public service entities, focusing on the integral role of ethics in disaster response. The research is grounded in the theory of adaptive leadership, which posits that contemporary organizational challenges require leadership to encourage adaptation and learning. The study explores how adaptive leadership, intertwined with ethical practices, contributes to creating resilient public service organizations capable of withstanding and evolving through crises, constant changes, and adversities. Through a detailed examination of the case studies affecting the general public and ethical considerations, the research unravels the intricacies of public administrators’ ethical dilemmas, concluding with reflections on the implications for public service ethics, integrity, and public trust. The study not only elucidates the symbiotic relationship between adaptive leadership and ethics in fostering organizational resilience but also charts a course for future policy formulation and leadership training programs, underscoring the indispensable role of ethical governance in navigating crises.

Implications of refugee crisis on public sector healthcare organizations: Empirical observation from Myanmar’s Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

Abstract Political crises, like the refugee crisis, present significant challenges to nation-states and public sector entities. The influx of refugees from Myanmar to Bangladesh has intensified over recent decades, notably after severe violence erupted in Myanmar’s Rakhine state on 25 August 2017. This study focuses on public service organizations, aiming to understand the impact of the Rohingya refugee crisis. Using a qualitative approach and drawing on existing literature, the research examines how the crisis affects the capacity of public healthcare providers in Bangladesh. The findings reveal both detrimental and beneficial effects on organizational functioning, including management, resource availability, and absorptive and adaptive capacities. Through data analysis, eight key themes emerge, such as changes in service quality, disease control, resource allocation dynamics, and impacts on professional knowledge, shedding light on the complex repercussions of the Rohingya refugee crisis on public healthcare services in Bangladesh.

Decision making performance of business analytics capabilities: the role of big data literacy and analytics competency

PurposeThis study investigates the relationships between data governance (DG), business analytics capabilities (BAC), and decision-making performance (DMP), with a focus on the mediating effects of big data literacy (BDL) and data analytics competency (DAC).Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted with 178 experienced managers in public service organizations, using a quantitative approach. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and mediation tests were employed to analyze the data.FindingsThe findings reveal that DG and BDL are critical antecedents for developing analytical capabilities. Big data literacy mediates the relationship between DG and BAC, while BAC mediates the relationship between DG and DMP. Furthermore, DAC mediates the relationship between BA capabilities and DMP, explaining most of the effect of BAC on DMP.Practical implicationsThese results highlight the importance of DG in fostering BDL and analytical skills for improved decision-making in organizations.Originality/valueBy prioritizing DG practices that promote BDL and analytical capabilities, organizations can leverage business analytics to enhance decision-making.

Organizational structure, agility, and public value-driven innovation performance in the UAE public services

Existing public sector management literature requires an empirical examination of the relationship between change readiness, organizational agility, and public value-driven innovation performance. Moreover, how organizational structure moderates these relationships in the public sector context is still being determined. This study aims to address this gap by collecting data from 421 top management respondents working in public services in the United Arab Emirates. The hypotheses are tested using a structural equation model. The study's findings confirm that change readiness positively influences organizational agility and reveals the positive effects of organizational agility on public value-driven innovation performance in public service organizations. Additionally, this study highlights that change readiness directly affects public value-driven innovation performance. Simultaneously, organizational structure (formalization and centralization) affects the relationships between change readiness and public value-driven innovation performance, and organizational agility and public value-driven innovation performance. Finally, this study shows that organizational structure (centralized and formalized) impacts the relationship between change readiness and organizational agility. This study contributes substantially to the existing knowledge on the relationships between change readiness, organizational agility, organizational structure, and public value-driven innovation performance.