Modeling the Impact of Public Management: Implications of Structural Context

Management theory suggests that management matters in public organizations—its impact is conditional on structure and often nonlinear in form. This article distills much of the theoretical work on management in public organizations into a formal, testable model. Management is presented as more cruci...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of public administration research and theory 1999-10, Vol.9 (4), p.505-526
Main Authors: O'Toole, Laurence J., Meier, Kenneth J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural management
Analysis
Coefficients
Conceptual hierarchies
Educational administration
Governance
Government business enterprises
Government programs
Industrial management
Management
Management principles
Management research
Management science
Management theory
MANAGERS AND MANAGEMENT
Methods
Modeling
MODELING, MODELS
Multilevel models
Organizational structure
POLITICAL SCIENCE
Public administration
Public management
Public sector
Strategic planning (Business)
Systems stability
THEORY BUILDING OR THEORETICAL APPROACH
Time management
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Description
Summary:Management theory suggests that management matters in public organizations—its impact is conditional on structure and often nonlinear in form. This article distills much of the theoretical work on management in public organizations into a formal, testable model. Management is presented as more crucial in networks than in more structured hierarchies. Management influences organization performance by 1) creating structure for the organization and thus system stability, 2) buffering the organization from environmental influences, and 3) exploiting opportunities in the environment. Decisions about which of these actions to take are at the core of strategic management. This article is the first step in a full model of managerial action in public organizations.
ISSN:1053-1858
1477-9803
DOI:10.1093/oxfordjournals.jpart.a024421