Managing for Public Service Performance

Abstract

How does management make a meaningful contribution to public service performance? This is the overall question of this volume. The sixteen chapters aim to clarify conceptual issues; critically reflect on assumptions underlying public management and public service performance understandings; theoretically explain direct and indirect relationships between management and performance; and outline a research agenda based on a review of the extant literature. In order to achieve these aims, this volume takes a multidisciplinary, critical, rigorous, and context-sensitive approach. The disciplines of public management, leadership, human resource management, and work and organization psychology are combined because they focus differently on aspects of management, public service performance, employee outcomes, and linking mechanisms such as employees’ attitudes and behaviors. Multidisciplinarity is illustrated by the variety of management aspects examined: different types of leadership behaviors, people management, performance management, human resource management systems, diversity management, and change management. Stakeholders often emphasize different public values that influence what they hold desirable in public service provision. The authors critically reflect on which stakeholder interests are included and excluded in empirical studies. The institutional perspective informs critical reflection on public sector context factors that affect the management–performance relationship in democratic societies. By paying attention to distinctive features of the public sector context, the volume contributes to both knowledge growth and the improvement of public services in practice.