Creating Desirable Organizational Characteristics: How Organizations Create a Focus on Results and Managerial Authority

Abstract

What are the factors that lead to desirable organizational characteristics? This paper examines this question by proposing a model to explain the ability of some organizations to create a focus on results and high levels of managerial authority. The New Public Management literature points to these two organizational characteristics as key steps for improving public performance and providing results-based accountability. Employing a national survey of U.S. state government health and human service agency managers we find that political support for the organization and purposeful reform efforts do lead to desirable organizational characteristics. In addition, strong internal communication fosters a focus on results, and organizational culture shapes the decision-making authority of managers.

Keywords: new public management, reform, performance, flexibility

JEL Classification: l20