Administrative Reform and Style of Work Behavior: Adaptors-Innovators

In this paper the situation of Iranian reform agents from their style of work behavior point of view (such as problem solving and decision making) is analyzed.The assessment is based on a modified version of Kirton's theory of adaptors and innovators (modified KAI). The purpose of this study is to see whether the reform agents were seen as innovative enough to bring about fundamental changes in Iranian bureaucracy. The study of work behavior makes a difference in how people approach, solve and communicate problems, and therefore, may influence the success of reform program. Although the results indicate that the reform program was not perceived as having been as successful as expected, however, about 75 percent of Iranian reform agents could be categorized as innovative-inclined. The level of education and age account for little of the variance in the responses. Differences in the (modified) KAI mean scores of the agents of reform working in different organizations may explain some communication problems.     

Administrative Reform Policy: The Challenges of Turning Symbols into Practice

Administrative reform policies are often characterized by a large number of reform symbols. While these are generally aimed at furthering the legitimacy of the political leadership, they can have the opposite effect and generate problems in implementing reform practice. This paper starts by discussing the theory of reform symbols and relates it to theories of instrumental, negotiation and cultural features of reforms. We illustrate this discussion by analyzing interview data collected among the central political and administrative elite in Norway. The analysis shows the relevance of reform symbols even in Norway, a country with a reluctant reform tradition and few incentives for reform. The respondents often perceived reform symbols as negative, something that creates problems for the political leadership in reconciling symbols with practice and leads it to engage in double-talk. Political and administrative leaders on different levels have differing attitudes towards administrative reform symbols, reflecting different roles and perspectives. The conclusion is that symbols are a main feature of administrative reform but also that reforms are not only symbols. Symbols matter, but turning symbols into practice is not an easy task to do.     

The Administrative Capacity of New Types of Governance

Public Organization Review - New types of governance have emerged in modern society. They occur in several forms and are the product of the need to tackle new problems and the wish to reform...     

Practicing Restorative Justice in School Communities: Addressing the Challenge of Culture Change

The practice of restorative justice in schools has the capacity to build social and human capital through challenging students in the context of social and emotional learning. While restorative justice was originally introduced to schools to address serious incidents of misconduct and harmful behavior, the potential this philosophy offers is much greater. The conviction is that the key challenge for schools is addressing the culture change required to make the shift from traditional discipline, driven by punitive (or rewards based) external motivators, to restorative discipline, driven by relational motivators that seeks to empower individuals and their communities.     

From Soviet to Europe: Returns to Education Puzzle in Bulgaria

This article makes a systematic presentation of returns to education in Bulgaria, a country that has witnessed a number of dramatic structural changes over the last two decades. It examines the headway of returns to education for Bulgaria in two observed economic regimes — from communism to EU membership. The findings show a steady increase in returns to education for both men and women until 2003. The average returns to one additional year of education rose from 1.1 per cent in 1986 to 5.1 per cent in 2003 for men and from 2.1 to 5.9 per cent for women. Quantile regression estimations between 1986 and 2003 evince that the most prominent increase in the wage premium occurred at the top end of the distribution, where the rate of returns to education increased in particular for women — from a negative and insignificant sign in 1986 to 7 per cent in 2003. However, this increasing trend in returns to education seems to take an inverted U‐shape in 2007, the year when the country joined the EU, which poses a new puzzle to be resolved. To this end, the current article introduces possible explanations for such a puzzle and sheds lights on a number of insightful policy implications.     

BPR项目的实施:革命性变革和渐进性变革

进入变化时代后,如何应对变化是公司的每一位成员必须面对的现实。理论界一直争论的革命性变化和渐进性变化两种策略各有其长,各有优势。本文探讨了这两种变化策略的特点,比较了它们的异同之处,并且总结了几条如何正确应用革命性变化和渐进性变化这两种策略的规则,为企业正确实施变化管理提供一定的参考价值。     

基于制度逻辑视角的中国工会改革路径分析研究

立足中国工会改革实践,通过采集1949~2020年间《人民日报》的工会新闻报道和相关期刊文献,采用扎根理论方法提炼出中国工会的制度逻辑构成,并从制度逻辑的互动和演化来剖析中国工会改革过程中的本土特征和内在运行规律。研究结果发现:中国工会具有社会治理逻辑、员工服务逻辑和企业管理逻辑三重逻辑,且其在目标导向、行动基础、合法性和人性假设上存在差异;社会治理逻辑、员工服务逻辑和企业管理逻辑贯穿中国工会改革的全过程,共同推动工会改革历经社会治理逻辑的主导→社会治理逻辑与员工服务逻辑的竞争→三重制度逻辑的平衡融合3个阶段,且呈现出复杂性、动态性的演化特征;中国工会的组织结构和管理体系存在制度惯性的约束,导致其内部逻辑的演变始终滞后于外部制度环境变化。     

混合所有制改革中政府激励行为与非国有资本策略选择的主观博弈分析

国有企业全面深化改革意味着经济利益格局的重塑,作为政策供给者的政府和作为政策核心反应者的非国有资本是混合所有制改革的重要参与主体。本文利用主观博弈理论分析了混合所有制改革历程中政府和非国有资本两大博弈主体策略选择的行为逻辑,并通过Matlab软件模拟不同初始状态下非国有资本策略选择受政府激励行为影响的动态演化过程。研究结果表明：受非国有资本参与混合所有制改革的交易成本和违约风险、额外收益和政府激励成本的影响,当政府支持的激励力度较小时,"不参与"是非国有资本的最优策略。当政府支持的激励力度较大时,"参与"是非国有资本的最优策略。从政策层面推动混合所有制的发展,实现国有资本和非国有资本在各自比较优势基础上发挥协同效应时,政府应进一步构建合理的政策制度,降低非国有资本的准入门槛,赋予非国有资本公平的进入机会,并推动资本间重组兼并,完善产权交易市场,以此降低混合所有制改革参与主体的交易成本和进入壁垒。     

A Critique of the New Public Management and the Neo-Weberian State: Advancing a Critical Theory of Administrative Reform

The New Public Management (NPM) has often been favorably contrasted with European Public Administration (EPA). This paper attempts to balance this Anglo-American perspective with a relatively new European critique of NPM which its authors call the Neo-Weberian State (NWS). Despite their differences in some key respects, however, it is argued that the NPM and NWS are similar in their sweeping paradigmatic character, their ambiguities and internal inconsistencies, their inability to go beyond instrumental rationality and incorporate forms of hermeneutic and critical reason, and in their advocacy of bureaucracy via participation under certain historical conditions, hence consistent with Weber’s characterization of modern organization and management. The paper, based on the authors’ rendering of critical social theory, provides a fresh means for bridging the two perspectives.

Patterns of Strategic Change in Health Care: District Health Authorities Respond to AIDS*

The literature on strategic change is based mostly on research in the private sector. This paper suggests that change in public sector organizations is equally worthy of study and can offer novel insights. Findings from research into the development of services for HIV/AIDS in NHS health districts are used to illustrate six generic themes in strategic change processes. The first theme concerns the role of context in potentiating change, and in promoting a diverse response in different localities despite unifying government guidelines. A second theme introduces the initiators of change, the ‘product champions’, a less homogeneous group than is sometimes suggested. Although personal status, energy and pro-activity were shared characteristics, individuals differed in style and methods used to attain goals. Theme three highlights social movements as mediators of change. Consumerism has affected both private and public sector industry, but for HIV/AIDS the process has been particularly visible. The mobilising role of crisis comes next. A three phase model is suggested, linking ‘crisis-as-threat’ and ‘crisis-as-opportunity’ theories. A fifth theme concerns changes in organizational culture provoked by HIV/AIDS, and the role played by symbolism - often unpredictable and not easily manipulated by management. The last theme is organizational learning; how learning about HIV/AIDS diffused through the districts, and how well learning generalizes to other issues. In conclusion, it is argued that the study of processes of change in a public sector organization can contribute to general models of strategic change and help to develop organizational theory.     

从领导者到领导群:领导理论在21世纪的变革

领导科学在20世纪产生以来,其每一次研究重心的转移都会推动领导理论的变革.例如领导理论从特质论向行为论再向权变论的转变,都与领导科学研究重心的转移直接相关.领导科学在经历了许多年的风风雨雨之后,要向什么方向发展?新的研究中心是否已经出现?领导理论是否在经历一场大的变革?本文试图回答这些问题.     

The Future is Now: Reducing Psychological Distance to Increase Public Engagement with Climate Change

Many people perceive climate change as psychologically distant—a set of uncertain events that might occur far in the future, impacting distant places and affecting people dissimilar to themselves. In this study, we employed construal level theory to investigate whether a climate change communication intervention could increase public engagement by reducing the psychological distance of climate change. Australian residents (N = 333) were randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions: one framed to increase psychological distance to climate change (distal frame), and the other framed to reduce psychological distance (proximal frame). Participants then completed measures of psychological distance of climate change impacts, climate change concern, and intentions to engage in mitigation behavior. Principal components analysis indicated that psychological distance to climate change was best conceptualized as a multidimensional construct consisting of four components: geographic, temporal, social, and uncertainty. Path analysis revealed the effect of the treatment frame on climate change concern and intentions was fully mediated by psychological distance dimensions related to uncertainty and social distance. Our results suggest that climate communications framed to reduce psychological distance represent a promising strategy for increasing public engagement with climate change.     

From Blaming the Middle to Harnessing its Potential: Creating Change Intermediaries

Middle managers have been under attack as organizational downsizing and reengineering have reduced their number. They are also frequently portrayed as obstructive and resistant to change. However, recent research suggests that managers at middle levels in organizations may be able to make a strategic contribution. Data from research on how managers in an organization undergoing transformation experience change are used to build on this existing research to demonstrate that middle managers fulfil a complex 'change intermediary' position during implementation. The findings reveal that a key aspect of this position is the need for middle managers to engage in a range of activities to aid their interpretation of the change intent. This interpretation activity then informs the personal changes they attempt to undertake, how they help others through change, how they keep the business going during the transition and what changes they implement in their departments. The interpretation aspect of their role is often overlooked, leading to workload issues and role conflict. These findings offer an alternative perspective on perceived middle manager resistance and lead into suggestions for future research and organizational implications.     

地方政府行政监督实效测评实证研究

行政监督现状分析与实效测评是建设服务型政府、完善公共服务体系和提升行政监督实效的现实需要和客观要求。本文从探讨行政监督实效测评的价值取向入手,初步构建行政监督实效测评的指标和测量体系,以某省行政监督实效为例,对实效测评指标体系设计、量表编制、问卷设计、问卷检验、调查方法、数据整理与样本分析以及相关的研究工具、结论等方面进行了实证分析,以期为提升行政监督实效提供政策依据,为地方政府行政效能建设提供支持。     

资源配置视角下战略调整测度及其对绩效的影响

企业战略理论认为战略调整显著影响公司绩效,然而就战略调整测度方法、战略调整对绩效的作用关系等问题的研究尚未达成一致结论。针对战略调整测度,提出基于关键资源配置向量的调整测度方法,通过关键战略资源配置向量的角度变化、变化模和变化弧度等来分别测度战略调整的角度、幅度和总量。运用我国沪深A股1317家上市公司2005-2012年的财务数据,建立动态面板数据回归模型,实证分析战略调整对企业绩效的影响。研究发现,战略调整对企业未来绩效的影响存在适应性和破坏性效应,随着战略调整程度的增大,适应性效应递减而破坏性效应递增,战略调整与绩效呈现倒U型关系,这为进一步探寻战略调整与绩效的函数关系和最优战略调整决策提供了理论参考。     

Introduction to the Symposium: Communities,Organizations, and Restorative Justice Reform

Restorative justice, in treating organizations as communities, and viewing them as both cause and solution to problems of crime, harm and conflict, provides its revolutionary insights and groundbreaking efforts to transform and localize intervention in response to these problems. The contributions to this special issue focus on restorative justice as a way of addressing crime and crime-related concerns to the greatest extent possible within such community organizational contexts (i.e., workplaces, schools, universities, and residential programs for delinquents). The authors demonstrate how restorative practices have implications for community building and organizational reform based generally on a learning theory of cultural change.     

Adaptive Governance,Uncertainty, and Risk: Policy Framing and Responses to Climate Change,Drought, and Flood

As climate change impacts result in more extreme events (such as droughts and floods), the need to understand which policies facilitate effective climate change adaptation becomes crucial. Hence, this article answers the question: How do governments and policymakers frame policy in relation to climate change, droughts, and floods and what governance structures facilitate adaptation? This research interrogates and analyzes through content analysis, supplemented by semi‐structured qualitative interviews, the policy response to climate change, drought, and flood in relation to agricultural producers in four case studies in river basins in Chile, Argentina, and Canada. First, an epistemological explanation of risk and uncertainty underscores a brief literature review of adaptive governance, followed by policy framing in relation to risk and uncertainty, and an analytical model is developed. Pertinent findings of the four cases are recounted, followed by a comparative analysis. In conclusion, recommendations are made to improve policies and expand adaptive governance to better account for uncertainty and risk. This article is innovative in that it proposes an expanded model of adaptive governance in relation to “risk” that can help bridge the barrier of uncertainty in science and policy.     

Socioeconomic Vulnerability and Adaptation to Environmental Risk: A Case Study of Climate Change and Flooding in Bangladesh

In this article we investigate the complex relationship between environmental risk, poverty, and vulnerability in a case study carried out in one of the poorest and most flood-prone countries in the world, focusing on household and community vulnerability and adaptive coping mechanisms. Based upon the steadily growing amount of literature in this field we develop and test our own analytical model. In a large-scale household survey carried out in southeast Bangladesh, we ask almost 700 floodplain residents living without any flood protection along the River Meghna about their flood risk exposure, flood problems, flood damage, and coping mechanisms. Novel in our study is the explicit testing of the effectiveness of adaptive coping strategies to reduce flood damage costs. We show that, households with lower income and less access to productive natural assets face higher exposure to risk of flooding. Disparity in income and asset distribution at community level furthermore tends to be higher at higher risk exposure levels, implying that individually vulnerable households are also collectively more vulnerable. Regarding the identification of coping mechanisms to deal with flood events, we look at both the ex ante household level preparedness for flood events and the ex post availability of community-level support and disaster relief. We find somewhat paradoxically that the people that face the highest risk of flooding are the least well prepared, both in terms of household-level ex ante preparedness and community-level ex post flood relief.     

Risk and Climate Change: Perceptions of Key Policy Actors in Canada

This article examines factors that predict perceptions of risk associated with global climate change. The research focuses on the perceptions of those associated with climate change policy making in the prairie region of Canada. The data are from an online survey ( n = 851) of those policy actors. The analysis integrates several dominant approaches to the study of risk perception: psychometric approaches that examine the effects of cognitive structure; demographic assessments that examine, for example, differences in perception based on gender or family status; and political approaches that suggest that one's position in the policy process may affect his or her perceived risk. Attitudes toward climate change are to a degree predicted by all of these factors, but only when indirect effects are observed. Sociodemographic characteristics have little direct effect on perceived risk, but do affect general beliefs that affect risk perceptions. Perceived risk is related more strongly to these general beliefs or world views than to more specific beliefs about the effects of climate change on weather patterns. Position within the policy process also contributes to our understanding of perceptions, with industry and governmental actors demonstrating similar attitudes, which contrast with environmental groups and university researchers.