International Journal of Public Sector Management

Patrick McGurk

2009 International Journal of Public Sector Management

doi: 10.1108/09513550910982841

Purpose – This paper aims to assess the actual contribution to organisational change of management and leadership development (MLD) activity for middle managers (MMs) in public service organisations (PSOs). Design/methodology/approach – Using the case study approach, the paper compares the content and outcomes of management and leadership training interventions for MMs in two large PSOs. The organisations, a fire brigade and a train operating company, are leaders in their sectors with respect to management development and “modernisation” of their services. Findings – The paper demonstrates how, in one case, MM development was largely an exercise in regulatory compliance, with little effect on individual MMs' performance or organisational outcomes. The second case demonstrates how MMs were effectively trained to enforce specific human resource policies which contributed to the successful implementation of top‐down strategy yet paid little attention to the potential leadership role of MMs. Research limitations/implications – The paper highlights the need for further contextualised research at organisational level into the outcomes of MLD, especially in terms of different public service contexts. Practical implications – The paper demonstrates the dangers of designing and implementing development programmes without sufficient regard to professional practice and the realities of managerial discretion in PSOs. Originality/value – The paper provides an in‐depth and contextualised insight into the conditions for success and failure in management development interventions in PSOs.

Karen Fryer; Jiju Antony; Susan Ogden

2009 International Journal of Public Sector Management

doi: 10.1108/09513550910982850

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to assess the state of performance management within the public sector and suggest areas for further research. Design – This is a theoretical paper based on a literature review. Findings – The expected improvements in performance, accountability, transparency, quality of service and value for money have not yet materialised in the public sector. There are three classes of problems with performance management in the public sector – technical, systems and involvement. Externally imposed restructurings and reorganisations restrict the successful implementation of performance management. Research limitations/implications – The paper is theoretical, and empirical research to test the results is required. Practical implications – The findings can be used to enhance performance management systems within both the public and private sectors. Originality/value – The paper provides an overview of the state of performance management and measurement within public sector organisations and explains the possible unwelcome effects of performance management. It divides the problems into three categories and offers suggestions for improvement.

Göran Svensson; Greg Wood; Michael Callaghan

2009 International Journal of Public Sector Management

doi: 10.1108/09513550910982869

Purpose – The objective of this paper is to develop and describe a construct of the “ethos of the codes of ethics” (i.e. an ECE construct) in the private and public sectors of Sweden. Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes a cross‐sector approach to codes of ethics amongst the top private sector companies and the top public sector organisations. The paper then examines the measures put in place by the dual sample in order to describe the ethos of their codes of ethics. Findings – The multivariate techniques used in the statistical analysis indicated that the ECE‐construct consists of five dimensions: ethical bodies, ethical tools, ethical support procedures, internal ethics usage, and external ethics usage. Research limitations/implications – It should be noted that the ECE construct has been derived from large companies and organisations in private and public Sweden, which may indicate less applicability to smaller operations. Another limitation may be the validity and reliability across other cultural samples. The dual sample contains a variety of different types of operations, but it may not be transferable to other countries. Practical implications – The outcome is based on data from private companies and public organisations that indicated they had corporate codes of ethics. Therefore, a suggestion for further research is to examine the ECE construct in other countries/cultures that differ from the ones in this research effort performed in the private and public sectors of Sweden. Originality/value – The ECE construct introduced makes a contribution to theory and practice in the field as it is based upon a dual sample. It makes a contribution to theory as it outlines a construct for the benefit of other researchers working in both the private and the public sectors. The authors also believe that it may be of managerial interest as it provides a grounded framework of areas to be considered in the implementation of the codes of ethics in both private companies and public organisations.

Anjula Gurtoo

2009 International Journal of Public Sector Management

doi: 10.1108/09513550910982878

Purpose – Economic policy reforms, characterised by a market‐driven, privatised policy regime, are being adopted as a strategy by India to promote economic development. As markets become liberalised, public sector organisations face extreme vulnerability unless they can identify and develop the competencies necessary to thrive in these competitive markets. This paper, drawing on the resource‐based view, aims to identify the pre‐reform capabilities of public sector organisations in India and similar developing country contexts that would be relevant even in the post‐reform context. Design/methodology/approach – An interpretative and theoretical approach is used to put forth the arguments and a framework is proposed to explain the possibility of deriving competitive advantages from pre‐reform capabilities in the post‐reform context. Findings – Several unique capabilities of Indian public sector organisations can be identified using the resource based perspective which can be leveraged in the post‐reform context. They have superior resource‐picking capacity compared to private firms, especially for government‐regulated resources, international financial assets and modern technologies. Their internal integrative managerial systems and structures offer them an advantage in meeting the competitive demands of speed and promptness. Under effective leadership, the loyalty of a large workforce and their number of years of experience gives them an advantage of effective coordination and knowledge sharing and flow. Also, their capability in delivering economies of scale and scope due to their size and supply chain integration gives them a cost advantage over others. Practical implications – This paper takes a practical approach. It accepts the existing organisational culture, processes and systems of public sector organisations as given and matters of long‐term change, and identifies existing capabilities in the current organisational context that could help them survive better. Originality/value – Unlike most papers that focus on how policy changes affect public sector organisations or those that conduct a comparative analysis with the private sector on various parameters, the main focus of this paper is to identify existing capabilities that can be leveraged by public sector organisations for effective adaptation in the new scenario.

José‐Rodrigo Córdoba‐Pachón; Kevin Orr

2009 International Journal of Public Sector Management

doi: 10.1108/09513550910982887

Purpose – E‐government initiatives are becoming common worldwide, but conceptual elements to understand their development, implementation and consequences are still lacking. Drawing on a contextualisation of e‐government in the information society and traditions in public policy, the aim of this paper is to offer three different patterns for thinking about e‐government. The paper's inter‐disciplinary and reflexive approach, as well as referencing a particular case (Colombian e‐government initiative Gobierno en Línea ), seeks to unsettle the taken‐for‐granted aspects of the policy discourse of e‐government in ways that can illuminate practice. Design/methodology/approach – From policy‐making and information systems, the authors review two dominant views on the information society to contextualise three patterns to think about e‐government. The first pattern (idealist) focuses on adopting a “vision” or “best practice” for government's use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The second pattern (strategic) emphasises the shaping of designs and uses of such technologies by different stakeholder groups. The third pattern (power‐based) conceives of any e‐government initiative as being the by‐product of power relations in a context, leading to different ways of thinking about e‐government (traditions). Analysis can then generate opportunities for the use of power by individuals and governments. The authors study these patterns in the Colombian e‐government initiative ( Gobierno en Línea ) by analysing relevant government policy strategic documents during the period 1997 to 2007 and validating these via a semi‐structured interview with the director of this initiative. Findings – By using these patterns the authors are able to illuminate the complexity of e‐government initiatives, and how each pattern contributes a different way of understanding. In the Colombian case we find that these patterns are intertwined and require us to go deeper in thinking about the context of relations between individuals and their governments. Practical implications – For public sector managers (and in particular for those in developing countries), the definition of these patterns can help them to assess critically the opportunities and limitations of the projects on e‐government in which they are involved. The findings also raise issues that can inform implementation strategies. Originality/value – The paper presents an alternative and inter‐disciplinary perspective to the study of e‐government that unsettles taken‐for‐granted assumptions about it. Rather than accepting its idealist rhetoric uncritically, the paper provides individuals (citizens, researchers, policy makers) with ways to identify assumptions, strengths and weaknesses of our ways of thinking about it. The paper also opens opportunities to investigate contextual traditions that shape e‐government policy, implementation and use.

Mark D. Domney

2009 International Journal of Public Sector Management

doi: 10.1108/09513550910982896

Purpose – This paper aims to examine whether the mode of privatisation and the subsequent ownership structure affects post‐privatisation performance. Design/methodology/approach – Utilising a theoretically derived sample of two matched telecommunications firms in New Zealand and Australia, and non‐parametric analysis of financial data, the performance of two forms of privatisation are compared: full privatisation via direct sale to foreign anchor investors versus partial privatisation via a domestic share issue restricting foreign ownership. Findings – Concentrated ownership through direct sales to foreign owned anchor investors is not more efficient or profitable, nor does it result in increased capital investment; it does, however, result in higher dividend payouts. Research limitations/implications – These findings contradict the accepted wisdom and dominant theory in the field that full privatisation outperforms partial privatisation, and that FDI transfers firm‐specific ownership advantages enabling the recipient to outperform domestically owned firms. However, the findings are applicable to the two firms and countries studied and future studies need to extend these to the wider population of privatised firms. Practical implications – While privatisation will improve organisational performance, the choice of whether to privatise by direct sale to anchor investors and foreign owners versus a partial share issue privatisation and keeping a domestic focus will have post‐privatisation performance implications. Originality/value – A more nuanced understanding is provided of the performance implications of modes of divestiture and ownership structures in advanced economies.