Rapidly accumulating literature on public leadership tends to zoom in on specific aspects ofleaders’ behavior. Such a fragmented approach may overlook the most challenging aspect ofeffective... Show moreRapidly accumulating literature on public leadership tends to zoom in on specific aspects ofleaders’ behavior. Such a fragmented approach may overlook the most challenging aspect ofeffective leadership: combining diverse behaviors in relation to various stakeholders to matchcontextual needs. This article therefore argues for a comprehensive approach that recognizes thebehavioral complexity of most contemporary leaders, particularly in ambiguous contexts. The conceptof leadership behavior repertoire facilitates this. The article conceptualizes the perspectiveof the leadership behavior repertoire and illustrates in which ways leaders combine behavioraloptions from their repertoire using data from in-depth interviews with public leaders. Based onour findings, we propose integration of this perspective into the field’s research agenda to makeour understanding of leadership in public organizations more complete. Moreover, the repertoireperspective can challenge and advance theorizing of leadership in relation to its context and outcomesin a more comprehensive way. Show less
Public organizations are often characterized by contextual ambiguity, which creates extra demands on leaders. Yet to what extent leaders adapt their behavior to the ambiguity remains largely... Show morePublic organizations are often characterized by contextual ambiguity, which creates extra demands on leaders. Yet to what extent leaders adapt their behavior to the ambiguity remains largely unknown. Drawing on the concept of requisite variety, we hypothesize that more ambiguous situations require more complex leadership behavior. Furthermore, it is hypothesized that formal authority moderates such adaptation. Data were collected in a 2x2x2 vignette interview study with leaders in Dutch universities (nobservations ¼ 240, nparticipants ¼ 30), organizations particularly prone to ambiguity. The within-person experimental design enables analyzing how contextual variations elicit different choices by the same participant, controlled for between-person differences. Multilevel analyses show that, contrary to expectations, fewer leadership behaviors are used in situations with more contextual ambiguity, while formal authority increases the number of leadership behaviors. The results suggest that leaders in ambiguous contexts narrow the range of their actions, and a lack of authority in particular constrains the available repertoire. Show less
Bussemaker, M.; Groeneveld, S.M.; Wieringa, S.; Schalk, J.; Pas, S. van der; Schmidt, J.E.T.; Sandkuyl, A.F. 2021
Although public management and human resource management research has extensively investigated the motivational effects of organizational rules, the original utility of organizational rules... Show moreAlthough public management and human resource management research has extensively investigated the motivational effects of organizational rules, the original utility of organizational rules—uncertainty reduction—has remained overlooked. This study takes a cognitive perspective by examining how organizational rules relate to uncertainty experiences of public professionals. In this study, we provide a dynamic perspective on the relationship between organizational rules and uncertainty through a 2-week daily online diary study among 65 public professionals in the Netherlands. The results indicate that the amount and consistency of rules are related to professionals’ daily uncertainty experiences. Moreover, within-person experiences of rules and uncertainty are highly variable over time. We argue that a cognitive perspective of uncertainty reduction can broaden our understanding of the consequences of organizational rules in managing people, and that the dynamic nature of organizational rule experiences cannot be a mere footnote in future public administration and human resource management research. Show less
Berg, A.C. van den; Giest, S.N.; Groeneveld, S.M.; Kraaij, W. 2020
Governments are increasingly implementing smart and digital approaches to promoting citizen participation. However, whether online participation platforms are tools that improve inclusivity in... Show moreGovernments are increasingly implementing smart and digital approaches to promoting citizen participation. However, whether online participation platforms are tools that improve inclusivity in citizen participation remains underexplored. To address this gap, this article focuses on the role of recruitment messages and their effect on participation in an online participation platform by gender and age. A field experiment with a neighborhood census sample (N = 6,066) shows that online participation dips for younger and older citizens and is equal among women and men. For the age groups between 60 and 75, differences in the control and intervention recruitment messages significantly impacted participation. These findings can help public managers tailor recruitment strategies to facilitate inclusive participation and represent a first step toward learning what types of messages are effective for whom. Show less
Despite efforts to increase gender diversity and equality, worldwide, women are still underrepresented in leadership positions in public bureaucracies. This paper speaks to the debate on how... Show moreDespite efforts to increase gender diversity and equality, worldwide, women are still underrepresented in leadership positions in public bureaucracies. This paper speaks to the debate on how organizational context, more specifically organizational decline, may influence gender representation in such leadership positions. Based on role congruity theory and glass cliff theory this paper empirically examines whether and how excessive workforce reductions are associated with changes in the representation of women in leadership positions in Dutch civil service organizations. Panel analyses on administrative data show that women's representation in leadership positions varies over time, but is not significantly affected by excessive workforce reductions. Overall, the analyses do not provide evidence for a glass cliff for women in Dutch civil service organizations. Implications for theory and future research are discussed. Show less
Increasing demands and competing values force public organizations to introduce new organizational forms that veer away from rigid bureaucratic structures while remaining in control. How do public... Show moreIncreasing demands and competing values force public organizations to introduce new organizational forms that veer away from rigid bureaucratic structures while remaining in control. How do public managers and their employees deal with the dilemmas that these decentralized and organic ways of organizing entail? On the one hand it must be prevented that public managers fall back too quickly on structures that rely on control and formalization, while, on the other hand, they themselves as managers are still primarily held accountable based on those bureaucratic principles. New organizational forms also assume that leadership is shared and distributed. This not only asks for a higher degree of self-management of employees, but also requires from formal leaders that such behavior is supported and encouraged. In our research and teaching on these changes in public organizations, we work closely with practice. That too is a matter of balancing, this time of public engagement with scientific independence Show less
With the rise of performance management, work in the public sector has changed. An output focus has become more common. Other changes include decentralization and managing organizations more... Show moreWith the rise of performance management, work in the public sector has changed. An output focus has become more common. Other changes include decentralization and managing organizations more horizontally. Setting performance goals and working in teams exemplify these developments. Despite an extensive literature on goal setting, research on goal setting in teams and empirical studies in public organizations have been largely absent. This study contributes to the fields of public management and teamwork by examining whether and under what team conditions clear goals contribute to team performance in the Dutch public sector. Analyses on survey data (n = 105 teams) show that both goal clarity and self-management positively affect team performance. The effect of goal clarity on team performance is not affected by teamwork though, indicated by insignificant moderation effects of self-management and information elaboration. Suggestions are offered for future research to better understand goal setting in public sector teams. Show less
