United States Public Administration: Management of Public Organizations

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PA 664 Management of Public Organizations 

1. Discuss how organizational behavior is defined in the public sector. 

Organizational behavior is the study of individual and group behavior in organizational settings. The field provides critically important and highly useful perspectives on motivation, leadership, groups, power and politics, culture, and other matters that directly concern individual and group behavior. It also speaks to organizational issues and community issues, but it does so through the lens of individual and group behavior. For example, it is concerned with the

following:

■ Motivating employees

■ Being an effective team member

■ Leading and inspiring others

■ Communicating effectively within and outside of the organization

■ Making effective decisions

■ Using power and politics constructively and ethically

■ Creating and securing commitment to shared values

■ Managing conflict productively

■ Using diversity to enhance organizational performance

■ Helping people to become more innovative and creative

 

Organizational behavior provides the tools, skills, ideas, and strategies for managing human behavior in organizations. But it should be recognized that as the study of organizational behavior spotlights individual and group behavior, it leaves other important concerns and issues at least partially in the dark. Models of organizational behavior cannot tell a manager what type of computer system to buy, nor can they directly address outcome measurement systems and other organizational issues—except in terms of their implications for human behavior. But given the undeniable importance of human behavior in the public sector, the perspective of organizational behavior offers a particularly important way of thinking and acting that can help public servants to achieve organizational goals more effectively and to serve the public more responsibly. In other words, people in public service are the key ingredient in determining how well government serves its citizens. (It is important to note here that we are not using the word citizen in the legal sense; rather, citizens are those we serve, and citizenship is the engagement of individuals in democratic governance, regardless of legal status.) Perhaps the easiest, and in some ways the most useful, way of defining organizational behavior in the public sector is to say that it is the study of how people behave in public organizations. Organizational behavior is concerned with how people act, their motivations, and how they interact with others. As we noted earlier, it is concerned with human behavior and social systems. But there are differences of opinion as to where the boundaries of the field actually lie. In particular, the distinction between the studies of organizational behavior and organizational theory can become blurred. Some suggest that organizational behavior is one perspective within the larger field of organizational theory, whereas others conceive of organizational behavior as having a distinct identity as a separate field of study. This confusion arises because organizational behavior typically is defined as concerned not only with the behavior of the individual and groups but also with the influence of the individual on the organization and the influence of organizational structure, culture, and other factors on the individual. As we have seen, it deals with at least three levels of analysis: (1) the individual, (2)the group, and (3) the organization. If it deals with organizational matters,then how is it different from organizational theory? More important, why does it matter? Organizational behavior has a different orientation from that of other

perspectives because it has a different focus. In organizational behavior, the starting point is the person.

Does it differ from organizational behavior outside of the public sector? Why or why not? 

We assert that the management of organizational behavior in the public sector must, in fact, consider a fourth level of analysis **** The levels of analysis are (The Individual , Group, Organizational Influences and Governance in the Public Interest)  —that which concerns governance in the public interest. 

In public service, we must be concerned not only with leading and motivating others but also with doing so in a manner that is consistent with democratic values and the public interest. In the public sector, it is not enough to simply be successful in influencing people to behave in a particular way. Public servants have a responsibility to manage organizational behavior so as to meet public objectives and community needs—and these values are, in fact, more important than the personal needs and desires of managers or workers or organizational values such as stability and structure. Therefore,organizational behavior in the context of public management encompasses both the values inherent in a “people's perspective” on organizations and the values that guide public service in democratic government (see Figure 1.1). Organizational behavior in the public sector can be seen as resulting from the interactions and influences among these levels. It is the product of the complex interactions among individuals, groups, organizational factors, and the public environment in which all of this takes place. In part because of the complexity of these interactions, the management of behavior in organizations always will be multifaceted, somewhat unpredictable, and challenging. We cannot control the thinking, much less the behavior, of others. But we can positively influence others, and we can be more successful in working with people to accomplish shared objectives. By gaining a better understanding of our own behavior, the behavior of people and groups in organizations, and the influence of organizational and other environmental factors, our ability to successfully accomplish public objectives will be enhanced.

Figure 1.1 Levels of Analysis in Organizational Behavior in the Public Sector

How might intrinsic and extrinsic motivations be different in the public sector vis-à-vis other sectors?  (Rushing)

Intrinsic motivation - inner - driven by deep interest and involvement in the work, by curiosity, enjoyment, or a personal sense of challenge. It is the motivation to work on something because a person want to. It’s a choice. Influenced by preferences, values, interests, and attributes..  We find joy in serving, not pay and status.

Extrinsic motivation - coming from outside

extrinsic factors, does not lead to motivation; it only leads to the absence of dissatisfaction. In

other words, hygiene factors such as pay or working conditions, supervision, interpersonal relations, status, and security can cause dissatisfaction.

Public I and E motivations

1.Limited rewards and incentives -First,the rewards and incentives available for use by public sector managers, particularly in terms of pay and promotion, might be limited.

2.Less achievement oriented/ less motivated-Second, many believe that people who pursue public sector careers are less achievement oriented and are primarily attracted to public

service by job security

3.Goals are more ambiguous than private where it is clear cut (profit) -motivation is said to

be more complex in public organizations because the goals often are more ambiguous than those in the private sector, where the clear and fundamental goal is profit

People who are motivated to consistently, creatively, and energetically work toward the attainment of organizational goals are the key to organizational success. Motivation also is critical to our own personal success. The more motivated we feel to do our best, to accept new challenges, and to help others accomplish their goals, the more satisfied and successful we will be in our work.Whereas motivation is important in all types of organizations, it can be

argued that motivation is particularly important in governmental organizations.

But even more important is the acknowledgment that motivation in the public sector is aimed at the achievement of public purposes. In other words, motivating ourselves and others in the public service is critical if we are to fulfill our responsibilities to the citizens and communities we serve. In a very literal sense, the quality of our neighborhoods, communities, and

world depends on it.