Lisa M. Bradley

Organisational culture in the public sector: evidence from six organisations

A process of organisational change has accompanied managerial reforms in the public sector and is oriented towards the development of a post‐bureaucratic organisational culture. However, there remains a limited empirical understanding of culture in public organisations. Contributes to an understanding of organisational culture in the public sector through survey research that analyses culture by reference to the competing values of internal/external orientation and control/flexibility. Focuses on six organisations in the Queensland public sector which have been encouraged to depart from traditional bureaucratic values and to adopt a greater emphasis on change, flexibility, entrepreneurialism, outcomes, efficiency and productivity. Suggests, however, that public sector organisations continue to emphasise the values of a bureaucratic or hierarchical organisational culture.

Investigating work‐family policy aims and employee experiences

Purpose – This study seeks systematically to investigate the extent to which the documented aims of formal work-family policies are being achieved at the level of individual employees. Design/methodology/approach – Consistency between policy and practice in the case study organization was explored via an analysis of organizational documents which described work-family policies and 20 interviews with employed women with dependent children. Findings – Results show that the use of flexible work arrangements was consistent with aims related to balance and productivity. However, women’s experiences and perceptions of part-time employment conflicted with policies aiming to support the same career opportunities as full-time employees. Research limitations/implications – The nature of the organization and its policies as well as certain characteristics of the sample may limit the generalizability of findings to other sectors and groups of employees. Practical implications – The research highlights the need to assess whether work-family policies are experienced as intended, a process which may contribute to future policy development and assist human resource specialists to promote genuine balance between work and non-work responsibilities. Originality/value – The results inform the current understanding of how organizational policy translates into practice.

Differential Effects of Task and Reward Interdependence on Perceived Helping Behavior, Effort, and Group Performance

The effects of task and reward interdependence on perceived effort, helping behavior, and group performance were investigated in a laboratory setting. Fifty-seven groups with 3 undergraduate students in each group completed two consecutive copyediting activities. Helping behavior was highest in groups with high task interdependence. However, no support was found for the interactive effects of task and reward interdependence. Differences across time were found for perceived effort, helping behavior, and performance. The implications of these findings suggest that the increased task complexity, introduced through the presence of high levels of task interdependence, can mitigate the positive performance effects of high levels of helping behavior and effort.

Visibility in the workplace: still an essential ingredient for career success?

This article explores the extent to which a variety of different absences from the workplace affect perceptions of employee commitment and loyalty, and ultimately, how this ‘temporary invisibility’ might affect career success. Data were derived from 40 interviews (12 women and 28 men) in a public sector agency in Australia. Findings reveal that absences attract substantial career penalties for many employees, not only in relation to gendered flexible work options such as part-time employment and parental leave, but also traditionally uncontested entitlements such as annual and long service leave.

Alternative work schedule interventions in the Australian construction industry: a comparative case study analysis

Project‐based construction workers in the Australian construction industry work long and irregular hours and experience higher levels of work‐to‐family conflict and burnout than office‐based workers, giving rise to an interest in alternative work schedules as a means of supporting work–life balance. Alternative work schedules were implemented in four case study construction projects in Australia. Interventions differed between projects, with two implementing a compressed work week, and the others introducing reduced hours schedules (one of which was optional). Data were collected from each case study project, using various combinations of focus groups, surveys, interviews and daily diary collection methods. The results were mixed. The compressed work week appears to have been favourably received where it was introduced. However, waged workers still expressed concerns about the impact on their weekly ‘take‐home’ pay. Attempts to reduce work hours by changing from a six‐ to a five‐day schedule (without extending the length of the working day between Monday and Friday) were less favourably received. Waged workers, in particular, did not favour reduced hours schedules. The results confirm the existence of two distinct labour markets operating in the Australian construction industry and markedly different responses to alternative work schedules, based upon whether workers are waged or salaried. The results clearly show that attempts to improve work–life balance must take the structural characteristics of the industrys labour markets into consideration in the design of interventions. The impact of alternative work schedules is likely to be moderated by institutional working time regimes within the construction industry.

Career development for going beyond the call of duty: is it perceived as fair?

The present study examined the effects of rewarding contextual performance with career development activities on perceptions of justice. Participants (264) read vignettes which gave information regarding two colleagues in a large retail store who applied for a career development activity. Type of career development activity, level of contextual performance, and the development activity recipient was varied across the vignettes. Results indicated that participants believed there was greater justice when they themselves received the development activity, irrespective of whose performance was higher. Participants were also more satisfied and had greater interest in pursuing a career in the organization when they themselves received the development opportunity, especially for organizationally‐oriented activities. Happiness completely mediated the relationship between who received the career development activity and both procedural and distributive justice. Implications of these findings for organizational justice and careers research, as well as for managers, are discussed.

Bureaucracy or Post-Bureaucracy? Public Sector Organisations in a Changing Context

This article explores the nature of public sector organisational values m the context of wider debates about the shift from bureaucracy to post-bureaucracy. Preference for post-bureaucracy is a characteristic of the discourse of new public management, which has been influential in the public sectors of advanced economies. The article focuses on organisational values, which are ingrained attitudes and beliefs that underlie organisational structures. It might be expected that public sector organisations would reflect post-bureaucratic values in response to changes in dominant management and organisational discourses as well as the external environment. The research reported here does not confirm initial expectations that public sector organisations have become post-bureaucratic. In this regard, the article discusses the possibility that public sector organisations have evolved from one form of bureaucracy based on political controls and values, to a form of bureaucracy associated with market controls and values.

Good Mothers, Bad Mothers: Exploring the Relationship Between Attitudes Towards Nonmaternal Childcare and Mother’s Labour Force Participation

Normative beliefs of motherhood include a number of culturally prescribed constructs that account for how mothers should think, feel, and behave, which impact on maternal labour force participation (LFP). This study investigates a central element of these normative beliefs, that is, attitudes towards nonmaternal childcare and maternal LFP, using survey (N = 112) and interview (N = 24) data derived from a sample of mothers who were employees and ex-employees of an Australian University. Results show that while at-home women held negative views of all nonmaternal childcare, women working parttime believed nonmaternal care is acceptable if for a limited period of time and where the child is likely to derive developmental benefits. Women working full-time were more positive about nonmaternal care, although a substantial degree of guilt and ambivalence was expressed. The results inform the current understanding of normative beliefs of motherhood in Western societies and may contribute to the development of targeted policies that support families in their employment and care-giving responsibilities.

Formal performance appraisal interviews: Can they really be objective, and are they useful anyway?

This paper reports on a qualitative field study conducted in Australia which examined what is occurring in formal performance appraisal interviews in relation to their objectivity and resultant outcomes. Supervisors and subordinates who had recently been involved in performance appraisals were interviewed about their experiences of the process. Perceptions of the utility of, and satisfaction with the interview process were examined. Further, the effect of the relationship between the participants on objectivity was investigated. Results indicated that formal appraisal interviews were not perceived to be of great utility, and that the relationship of the participants influenced the interview.

Complicated working time arrangements: Construction industry case study

This paper extends the understanding of working-time changes and work-life balance (WLB) through analyzing a case study where a reduction in working hours designed to assist the workforce in balancing work and nonwork life was implemented. An alliance project in the Australian construction industry was established initially with a 5-day working week, a departure from the industry-standard 6-day week. However, a range of factors complicated the success of this initiative, and the industry-standard 6-day working week was reinstated for the project. The authors argue that this case is valuable in determining the complex mix of influences that work against a wholesale or straightforward adoption of working-time adjustments and work-life balance practices. It is concluded that although the prevailing workplace culture is considered an important factor in the determination of working time, structural and workplace principles and practices may also be critical in working to secure the successful introduction of working-time reduction and work-life balance initiatives in the construction industry in the future.