Timo Meynhardt

Public Value Inside: What is Public Value Creation?

Abstract The author develops building blocks for a non-normative public value theory. After a short overview of the rise of public value and challenges in defining public value, the constructs “value,” “public,” “public value,” and “public value creation” are systematically introduced by drawing on a range of philosophical, psychological, and economic concepts. Psychological accounts are identified as the key to understand public value creation. Derived from needs theory, four basic public value dimensions are proposed and related to a public value landscape. Consequences of this re-conceptualization of public value are discussed with special emphasis of the public sector.

(De)Composing Public Value: In Search of Basic Dimensions and Common Ground

ABSTRACT In re-emphasizing public organizations’ societal and related normative functions, public value (PV) discourse is one way of approaching public sector performance. Although PV research is flourishing, empirical studies are still lacking. We provide evidence of the basic dimensions of PV creation in Germanys Federal Labor Agency. The results suggest a three-part factor structure and a second-order factor, indicating a broad notion of performance across different constituencies. The factors provide a framework to measure any public organizations perceived PV contribution. Our study complements the existing process perspective of PV, as developed by Moore (1995).

Pushing the Envelope: Creating Public Value in the Labor Market: An Empirical Study on the Role of Middle Managers

Abstract This article analyzes public value creation by the German Federal Labour Agency (FLA) from a middle management perspective. We relate the role description of a public value manager by Mark Moore with middle management research inspired by Floyd and Wooldridge. As a result of a case study we conceptualize critical experience of middle management and its antecedents in balancing different value dimensions. The conflict potential is seen less in managing different expectations from the top and the front line, but rather in enacting an integrative public value manager role itself which requires significant adaptive and value-balancing work customarily attributed to professional (private) leadership.

The practical wisdom of Peter Drucker: roots in the Christian tradition

Purpose – Practical wisdom is central to the tremendous success of Peter Drucker as a management thinker. The paper aims to argue that the attractiveness of his writings is mainly due to the underlying Christian value system, which is the basis for the coherence of his thinking, and the reference system for his normative statements and practical wisdom.Design/methodology/approach – The paper discerns the moral foundations of Peter Druckers work by highlighting explicit value statements in his early writings, some even before he turned to management. Against this background, examples are provided of how he translates his values in practical wisdom into dealing with management challenges.Findings – A major driving force of Druckers entire work is seen as the secularization of his religious beliefs. His practical suggestions for modern corporations are deeply influenced by Christian faith. Up to now this has been largely unknown or ignored.Research limitations/implications – The paper rests on limited text...

Value, values, symbols and outcomes

This essay provides an overview of the contemporary academic discourse and challenges regarding the role of values and valuations in service. Situating service within the larger socio-economic networks brings to the fore the plurality of values and the recognition that value creation is (both) a social and market activity. This raises important questions regarding the role of symbols, the nature of outcomes and the processes of valuing as they come together in markets, in organizations and in other social domains. The essay then prioritizes a number of interdisciplinary research opportunities that relate market exchange to social exchange, emphasize the collaborative nature of value creation among particular agents, and examine the impacts of such value co-creation across specific market, social and environmental domains.

Organizational public value and employee life satisfaction: the mediating roles of work engagement and organizational citizenship behavior

Abstract Building on Meynhardt’s public value concept, which has been developed to make transparent an organization’s contributions to the common good, we investigate the influence of organizational common good practices in the perceptions of employees (measured as public value) on employees’ work attitudes and life satisfaction. The proposed model is tested on a sample of 1045 Swiss employees taken from the 2015 Swiss Public Value Atlas data-set. Study findings reveal that organizational public value is positively related to employee life satisfaction, and that this relationship is partially mediated by work engagement and organizational citizenship behavior. Further, we show that employee common good orientations strengthen the positive impact of organizational public value on employee work engagement and organizational citizenship behavior. Results also provide evidence that the indirect effects of organizational public value on employee life satisfaction via work engagement and organizational citizenship behavior are stronger at higher employee common good orientation levels.

Building Blocks for Alternative Four-Dimensional Pyramids of Corporate Social Responsibilities

Carroll shaped the corporate social responsibility (CSR) discourse into a four-dimensional pyramid framework, which was later adapted to corporate citizenship and sustainability approaches. The four layers of the pyramid—structured from foundation to apex as economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic (or discretionary) responsibilities—drew considerable managerial attention. An important criticism of the economic foundation of the Carroll pyramid concerns the identification and ordering of the four dimensions, which are inadequately justified theoretically. The authors of this article propose an alternative approach that builds on the public value concept, which integrates a microfoundation of psychological research into basic human needs. Drawing on their Swiss Dialogue process, the authors argue that a four-dimensional pyramid does have heuristic value for managers. The advantage of this alternative pyramid logic is that it may be contingently adapted to different cultural contexts, because it allows adaptive internal reordering.

More Foxes in the Boardroom: Systems Thinking in Action

An organization’s contribution to the wider public can be seen in different ways. Self-reported data from Switzerland and Germany indicate that top managers vary considerably concerning their awareness of various multiple realities. We explain this phenomenon by drawing on the notion of cognitive style, using the metaphor of hedgehogs and foxes. It is argued that research should move from a focus on moral awareness to value awareness in a very broad sense.

Die Gemeinwohl-Bilanz - Wichtige Anstösse, aber im Legitimationsdefizit

Unternehmen sind sich zunehmend ihres Gemeinwohlbeitrages bewusst, weshalb Instrumente zu dessen Messung an Bedeutung gewinnen. Die Gemeinwohl-Bilanz ist ein aktuell erfolgreiches Instrument, welches vor allem in kleineren und mittleren Unternehmen eingesetzt wird. Eine Studie untersuchte, wie Manager die Vorstellung und erstmalige Implementierung der Gemeinwohl-Bilanz reflektierten. Die Ergebnisse der Studie verweisen sowohl auf positive Effekte fur die Unternehmens-entwicklung in den durch die Bilanz adressierten Bereichen als auch auf damit verbundene Probleme. Der Beitrag schliest mit einer kritischen Betrachtung des in der Bilanz operationalisierten Gemeinwohlverstandnisses. Hier zeigt sich, dass eine Enge in der Auslegung und ein grundsatzliches Legitimationsdefizit einer Einfuhrung der Bilanz in dieser Form entgegenstehen.

Directing Corporate Entrepreneurship Strategy in the Public Sector to Public Value: Antecedents, Components, and Outcomes

ABSTRACT Over the last three decades, organizations worldwide have used corporate entrepreneurship (CE) as a means of building new competencies, revitalizing operations, achieving renewal, and/or creating value for stakeholders. However, little is understood about factors triggering corporate entrepreneurship strategy (CES) within organizations not driven by profit motives. The purpose of this article is to conceptualize CES in the public sector in order to synthesize, integrate, and link the key concepts within the CE domain, thereby creating new public value and generating new economic activity for the benefit of multiple stakeholders. The public sector CES model includes (1) the antecedents of public sector CES (external environmental conditions that generate entrepreneurial activity); (2) the key components of CES (entrepreneurial strategic vision, organizational conditions that support entrepreneurial processes and behavior, entrepreneurial orientation (EO) that reflects the overall level of such processes and behavior, and individual levels of entrepreneurial behavior); and (3) outcomes of CES within the public sector (organizational outcomes resulting from entrepreneurial actions, including the development of venturing and renewal that, in turn, leads to enhanced public value). We discuss how our model contributes to the CE literature, followed by implications for scholars and practice and future research directions.