Characteristics of a central change programme within a governmental bureaucracy: a grounded theory study

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to present a theory of organisational change within the setting of a governmental bureaucracy. Design/methodology/approach Orthodox grounded theory is employed in the setting of a change programme in 12 Audit departments of the Dutch Ministries (public-sector). Findings The examined organisational change has specific characteristics. The Dutch ‘ministerial autonomy’ and the clearly recognizable role types of the key figures involved have a strong impact on the change programme and the realisation of its goals. Research limitations/implications Findings are derived on the basis of a substantive case study of the change programme of the Dutch Departmental Audit function. The research sheds new light on characteristics related to the occupational group of Chartered Accountants and characteristics of a governmental bureaucracy and it helps to understand change programmes within this bureaucracy. Practical implications The grounded theoretical model draws attention to the impact of key figures and circumstances on a change programme within the central government. Originality/value The paper builds on theories of organisational change but applies them in the typical context of the Dutch civil service where ministerial autonomy, on the one hand, and a move in the direction of more centrally organised activities (concern idea), on the other, require a difficult balancing act of all players in the change arena.     

Rolling with the shakes: an insight into teenagers’ perceptions of recovery after the Canterbury earthquakes

Natural disasters are harmful worldwide events that inflict multiple psychosocial impacts on disaster-exposed individuals. A significant proportion of affected individuals are teenagers (13–18 years old) who, compared with adults, have been historically overlooked in disaster research. The literature is particularly sparse concerning teenagers’ recovery from natural disasters, specifically what recovery means to them and the contributing factors towards their positive recovery. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to gain deeper insight into this largely unexplored area by conducting five focus groups with teenagers (16–18 years) who experienced at least one of the Canterbury, New Zealand, earthquakes since and including the initial September 2010 earthquake. This study directly asked teenagers about their recovery over the three years after the initial earthquakes, with data being analysed using thematic analysis. Two main themes were identified: (1) perceptions of recovery, with three sub-themes (i) knowledge and being less frightened, (ii) talking about the earthquakes and (iii) shift in perspectives; and (2) contributing factors to recovery, with three sub-themes (i) participation in the community response, (ii) returning to school and (iii) the rebuild of Christchurch. These factors provide insight into how we can better support the recovery process for disaster-exposed teenagers to reduce long-term distress.     

The Medicare assignment controversy: the construction of public-professional conflict

The conflict between the elderly and organized medicine over "mandatory assignment" and "balance billing" is a significant public policy issue. Considerable ideological importance has been attached to this conflict by both sides, despite the relatively modest proportion of total revenue for physician services received through balance billing in payment for care of Medicare beneficiaries. The positions of these two coalitions are examined as well as the efforts of the Physician Payment Review Commission (PPRC) to craft a public policy response. Three alternative resolutions--those adopted by Congress in 1989 on the recommendation of the PPRC, the Canadian solution, and actions taken on a state level--are then contrasted. The concentrated impact on the elderly of balance billing practices is considered as a problem, especially for elderly of limited income and resources. Justification of the practice is typically provided by the profession on the ideological grounds of preservation of professional autonomy rather than economic gain, which also reflects the current relatively limited use of balance billing; a significant majority of all claims submitted in the United States are now assigned to physicians. A continuation of the gradualist strategy of the PPRC is endorsed as the most appropriate short-range solution to these problems, which diminish in significance with a more comprehensive national health financing scheme.     

Negative implications for the inclusion of citizenship performance in ratings

Although citizenship performance has been deemed important to organizational effectiveness, potential negative consequences related to including these behaviours in assessments of performance have received far less attention. Furthermore, although numerous researchers have demonstrated that performance ratings include task and citizenship performance, none have specifically examined the potential negative implications this has for performance ratings, employees, and organizations. This article conceptually explores the implications of including citizenship performance in formal ratings of performance. Specifically, the negative implications of including citizenship performance in the formal performance appraisal process are explored in terms of the consequences for the performance rating, including inaccurate appraisals; effects on employees, including reactions to the procedure; potential organizational outcomes, including performance and competitive advantage concerns; potential international and legal considerations.     

Use of a case study in sequencing/scheduling research

This paper describes a study of an industrial sequencing/scheduling problem. The study contains the definition of the problem, data requirements and examination of solution technique. Definition of the problem is discussed from the aspect of uniqueness of the specific system. Discussion of data requirements includes availability and accuracy, while examination of solution technique considers limitation of time, computer capacity, etc., as well as the possibility of imbedding available algorithms into the solution procedure. Conclusions are presented relative to the use of the case study approach in sequencing/scheduling research.     

Human dynamics: A new approach to human behavior

This paper presents a new approach to analyze human behavior and more precisely human performance. It calls upon a system dynamics methodology to develop a general framework for looking at human beings. As an illustration of the approach, one subsystem is described. The global human system is also briefly presented. The contribution of such an approach is illustrated with an example dealing with the study of a worker performance subject to different types of control.