Jesper Rosenberg Hansen

Comparing Public and Private Managers' Leadership Styles: Understanding the Role of Job Context

ABSTRACT Comparing public and private managers is a major subject in the public management literature, but there have been only a few empirical studies of the differences in their respective leadership styles. Traditionally, leadership style is explained by the characteristics of the manager, the employees, and their job. This study explains leadership by the managers job context: the degree of job complexity, role clarity, and job autonomy. We argue that differences in job context explain the use of different leadership styles in the public and private sector. To clearly specify the importance of sector, the study investigates direct, mediating, and moderating effects. Based on a survey of Danish public and private managers with 949 respondents, this article shows that job context variables vary significantly between public and private sector managers. The article provides some explanations for why public managers use more participative leadership, while private ones use more directive leadership.

Applying Strategic Management Theories in Public Sector Organizations: Developing a typology

Abstract This article discusses the utility of two different strategic management theories in different types of public organizations including contemporary New Public Management-based public organizations, namely Porter’s strategic positioning model and the resource-based view of strategy. We argue that possibilities for applying these theories vary depending on the type of public organizations involved, and are less appropriate in traditional settings but more relevant in autonomized and market-like service-delivery organizations. We further propose that their increased applicability depends on three specific conditions: the degree of administrative autonomy, performance-based budgeting and market-like competition. We give empirical examples drawn from public services in the UK and Denmark. We call for more exploration of these (and other) strategic management approaches within contemporary public services organisations but also more exploration of the limitations of these frameworks.

From Public to Private Sector: Motives and explanations for sector switching

Abstract Sector switching is interesting in relation to understanding how to get and keep people working in the public sector as well as to understand public and private differences. This paper focuses on why public employees leave public organizations to work in the private sector. We use a design studying higher educated Danish employees who recently worked in the state, comparing those who shift job to another public organization with those who switch to the private sector. We focus on different motives for job shifts which may influence sector switching such as salary, job security, organizational characteristics and public service motivation.

Comparing Public and Private Sector Employees’ Innovative Behaviour: Understanding the role of job and organizational characteristics, job types, and subsectors

Abstract Innovation is argued to be of key importance in the public sector. Little is known about possible sector differences in innovative behaviour. The stereotype in literature is that public employees are less innovative. We analyse whether sector is associated with innovative behaviour and the influence of job/organizational characteristics. We test this by using a three-country representative survey in Scandinavia with 8,310 respondents. We control for subsectors/industries and job functions. We do not find that public employees are less innovative. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of understanding the major differences in innovative behaviour between different subsectors/industries and job types.

Understanding the Relationships Between Decentralized Organizational Decision Structure, Job Context, and Job Satisfaction—A Survey of Danish Public Managers

Job satisfaction is frequent studied, yet few studies are concerned with how the organizational decision structure influences job satisfaction. This is despite the major trend of employing more decentralized organizational decision structures, for example, because of New Public Management (NPM). We investigate how the organizational decision structure influences the job context (role clarity and job complexity) and which influence this then has on job satisfaction. We propose a hypothesized theoretical model which we investigate by estimating a structural equation model (using LISREL) on questionnaire data from 400 Danish managers. Based on the results, we had to modify our model. The results indicate that decentralized organizational decision structures influence role clarity which in turn influences job satisfaction positively, although an alternative model indicates a direct relationship from decentralized organizational decision structure to job satisfaction. Moreover, an important factor is work pressure which influences the relationship from job complexity to job satisfaction negatively.

Application of Strategic Management Tools After an NPM-Inspired Reform Strategy as Practice in Danish Schools

Strategic management is said to become increasingly relevant in public organizations due to new public management (NPM) changes. However, there is a lack of studies investigating how public organizations actually apply strategic management tools which is an important aspect of strategy as practice. This article investigates which strategic management tools are applied and whether changes take place in the application of different types of tools after an NPM-inspired reform. In addition, explanations are sought for the application of different types of tools. This is investigated in Danish upper secondary schools where a reform made the schools self-governed and taximeter financed.

Make and Buy—An Alternative to Make or Buy? An Investigation of Four Theoretical Explanations in Danish Municipalities

The question of whether public organizations should provide services themselves or buy them from external suppliers has become increasingly relevant due to public-sector modernization. The literature has focused on it as a question of either make or buy. Contrarily, we focus on the reasons for public organizations to simultaneously produce and contract out similar services. The article investigates different theoretical explanations for concurrent make and buy. A survey of Danish municipalities shows that make and buy seems to be a steady choice. However, the results show little support for the theoretical explanations indicating the need for more public-oriented explanations.

The Increased Importance of Sector Switching A Study of Trends Over a 27-Year Period

Sector switching is an important phenomenon that casts light on public–private differences. Yet our knowledge about its prevalence and trends is limited. We study sector switching using unique Danish register-based employer–employee data covering more than 25 years. We find that sector switching constitutes 18.5% of all job-to-job mobility, and the trend is increasing both from public to private and from private to public. Sector switching is also generally increasing for middle managers, but for administrative professionals only the flows from private to public increase and for top managers only the flows from public to private increase.

Sector Differences in the Public Service Motivation–Job Satisfaction Relationship Exploring the Role of Organizational Characteristics

Public service motivation (PSM) has a documented, positive effect on job satisfaction—especially in the public sector. However, organizational characteristics such as red tape, hierarchical authority, and the absence of organizational goal specificity, which are often more present in public sector organizations, may have negative influences on the PSM–job satisfaction relationship. This study explores the impact of these organizational characteristics on sector differences in the PSM–job satisfaction relationship in a “hard case” setting. Using survey data with low-level, white-collar employees, we confirm a positive PSM–job satisfaction association in the public sector compared with the private sector, where we see a negative association. Furthermore, perceived red tape and the absence of organizational goal specificity have negative influences on job satisfaction; nevertheless, sector differences remain in the PSM–job satisfaction relationship when controlled for these organizational characteristics. This suggests that public or private sector status is more important for the PSM–job satisfaction relationship than other organizational characteristics.

Work Engagement in the Public Service Context: The Dual Perceptions of Job Characteristics

ABSTRACT Interest in work engagement research has increased significantly due to its positive influence on both employee and organizational performance. Studies show how engagement is explained through job characteristics in the Job Demands-Resource model, yet a more nuanced approach has been proposed. In this qualitative study, home caregivers’ perceptions of job characteristics are investigated. Semi-structured interviews and observations reveal three main themes: Optimization, helping others, and emotional work. These show a dual perception of job characteristics consequently influencing the experienced engagement. Using Public Service Motivation literature, these dual perceptions are discussed.