The Values of Public Administrators: a Comparison With Lawyers, Social Workers, and Business Administrators

Abstract

This pilot study compares the professional values of public administration students and alumni with a similar group of social workers, business administrators, and lawyers. It reflects the belief that professional values and value patterns strongly influence the way that professionals define and resolve problems. The authors hypothesized that value differences would be found among the four groups surveyed and that the public administrators would hold a distinctive value pattern. They constructed a questionnaire containing value scales plus a small number of demographic items which were administered to the members of the four groups. A factor analysis of the Professional Value Scale was conducted. Examination of this analysis revealed significant differences between members of the four groups in their value preferences. On the basis of their study, the authors conclude that the value conflicts and ambiguities found suggest significant underlying differences in the decision premises of the professional groups surveyed.

Are future bureaucrats more prosocial?

“…Future public administrators behave more altruistically and display less merely strategic fairness than business students, and they behave more cooperatively than students of both business and law. These laboratory experiments thus corroborate cumulative findings in the survey‐based PSM literature, which has repeatedly shown a higher degree of prosocial concerns (such as serving the public, commitment, and self‐sacrifice) among public sector employees (Perry ; Georgellis et al ; see also Wittmer on managers and Nalbandian and Edwards on students). Moreover, in public organizations, PSM is positively related to individual performance, and leads employees to be less dependent on utilitarian incentives to manage individual performance effectively (Perry et al , pp.…”

“…This raises the concern that managerial prescriptions derived from it may be ineffective or even counterproductive (see also Perry et al , p. 686). In contrast, the cooperative norm‐oriented public servant paradigm is particularly prominent in research on PSM (e.g., Perry ) and on public sector employees' preferred job characteristics (e.g., Nalbandian and Edwards ). It posits substantial motivational and behavioural differences between students of public administration on the one hand, and of business and law on the other.…”

Transformational Leadership and the Use of Normative Public Values: Can Employees Be Inspired to Serve Larger Public Purposes?

“…Sizeable literatures in public management indicate that the values and preferences of public employees differ from employees in the private sector (e.g. Rainey ; Nalbandian and Edwards ; Houston ). This research suggests that public employees may enter the public service already embracing normative public values.…”

“…We used multiple survey items to operationalize the study variables – transformational leadership, value congruence, and normative public values. Transformational leadership was measured using five items adapted from the work of House (), value congruence was assessed with three items adapted from the work of O'Reilly and Chatman () and Porter et al () and finally normative public values were measured with three items adapted from the work of Galloway and Edwards () and Nalbandian and Edwards (). The provides extensive information on all the study measures.…”

More dissimilar than alike? Public values preferences acrossUSminority and white managers

“…Fortunately, public administration scholarship has devoted considerable time and attention to mapping values associated with public service—typically referred to as ‘public values’ (Bozeman ; Jørgensen and Bozeman ) . Moreover, public organizations generally, and graduate education in public administration specifically, appear to play a strong role in inculcating a set of shared common beliefs and values among practitioners (Mosher ; Nalbandian and Edwards ; Perry ; Stazyk and Davis )…”