List of Titles

Are we being served? Emotional labour in local government in Victoria, Australia

Authors: Rayner, Julie , Lawton, Alan
Date: 2018
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Australian Journal of Public Administration Vol. 77, no. 3 (2018), p. 360-374
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Description: This paper explores how front-line street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) cope with the expectations of citizens, clients, or ‘customers’ in daily work and how SLBs may be impacted by emotional labour. The study analyses data from 41 interviews with SLBs in local councils in Victoria, Australia. Although exploratory, it builds awareness and understanding of the emotional labour associated with public service. The situations that SLBs engage with on a daily basis are many and varied and take the form of increased expectations and intense encounters. Respondents experienced abuse, threats, violence, but also ‘sparkle moments’. Resources that helped SLBs cope are diverse and located both within and outside organisations. Implications are discussed and issues that merit additional investigation are raised concerning how SLBs can be supported to better meet the demands of the public. The research is of value to public managers and SLBs operating in a changing society with increased ‘customer’ expectations.

Assessing public participation initiatives in local government decision-making in Malaysia

- Manaf, Halimah, Mohamed, Ahmad, Lawton, Alan

Authors: Manaf, Halimah , Mohamed, Ahmad , Lawton, Alan
Date: 2016
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: International Journal of Public Administration Vol. 39, no. 11 (2016), p. 812-820
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Description: ABSTRACT: Increased public participation in government decisions contributes significantly to the enhancement of grass-roots democracy. This article assesses the level of involvement of local citizens in local government decisions in Malaysia. Public participation was assessed using questionnaires on the range and extent of initiatives used by local government. The questionnaires also probed citizens’ perceptions of these initiatives and expectations for greater citizen empowerment. Data were gathered from 206 local citizens randomly selected from six local authorities in the northern region of Malaysia. The findings reveal a desire on the part of local citizens to participate in their local government decision-making process. © 2016 Taylor & Francis.

Customer orientation and firm performance : The joint moderating effects of ethical leadership and competitive intensity

- Feng, Taiwen, Wang, Dan, Lawton, Alan, Luo, Ben

Authors: Feng, Taiwen , Wang, Dan , Lawton, Alan , Luo, Ben
Date: 2019
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Business Research Vol. 100, no. (2019), p. 111-121
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Description: Although the importance of customer orientation (CO) has been recognized, its relationship with firm performance is far from clear. This lack of clarity is partly because the impact of CO on firm performance may depend on certain internal or external factors. Based on social learning theory and an interactional perspective, this study concurrently explores the separate and joint moderating effects of ethical leadership and competitive intensity. Survey data from 264 Chinese firms was collected to test the hypotheses. The results show that humane leadership and moderation leadership help firms to better leverage CO for enhancing their performance. The absence of moderation leadership may be particularly harmful for firms operating in a less competitive environment while the moderating effect is not influenced by competitive intensity. In addition, justice leadership has a positive impact for firms operating in a more competitive environment, which assists firms to better realize the benefits of CO.

Developing a Framework for Ethical Leadership

- Lawton, Alan, Páez, Illiana

Authors: Lawton, Alan , Páez, Illiana
Date: 2015
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Business Ethics Vol. 130, no. 3 (2015), p. 639-649
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Description: Interest in ethical leadership from academics and practitioners has grown enormously in recent years. This article addresses this literature through a framework that identifies three interlocking questions. First, who are ethical leaders and what are their characteristics? Second, how do ethical leaders do what they do? Third, why do leaders do as they do and what are the outcomes of ethical leadership? Different dimensions to ethical leadership are examined and presented as three interlocking circles; Virtues, Purposes and Practices. This framework presents an integrated approach to ethical leadership and argues that future research take this holistic framework and apply it to different sectors or contexts. © 2014, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

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Developing a regional resilience monitor

- Lawton, Alan, Valenzuela, Ernesto, Duffy, Michelle, Morgan, Damian, Joiner, Therese

Authors: Lawton, Alan , Valenzuela, Ernesto , Duffy, Michelle , Morgan, Damian , Joiner, Therese
Date: 2014
Type: Text , Technical report , Research Report
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Description: This study develops a Regional Resilience Monitor (RRM) which will enable the measurement of changes over time in a number of key dimensions for the well-being of regional Australia. Resilience is defined as the capacity of a local community to respond to, and anticipate economic, social and environmental change and to adapt, plan and transform itself for the future. Regional Resilience – in terms of health and well-being, productivity and economic growth, managing risk, and capturing opportunities for sustainable environments and human systems – has been identified as a key strategic priority for Australia, as it has been for a number of other countries. The RRM is made up of six interlocking elements that, together, form a holistic tool and provide a composite measure. These elements are: 1. Economic Health 2. Human Capital 3. Social Well-being 4. Liveability 5. Entrepreneurialism 6. Social Capital and Social Networks The first four elements can be measured using existing data and we identify those data sources. Elements 5 and 6 can be measured using a combination of existing data and, respectively, a newly developed regional entrepreneurship survey and a newly conceived social network analysis. The RRM was developed in, and for, the Latrobe Valley and the wider Gippsland region but can be ‘rolled out’ across regional Victoria as a whole and across regional Australia.

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Differences in personality and the sharing of managerial tacit knowledge: an empirical analysis of public sector managers in Malaysia

- Abdul Manaf, Halimah, Harvey, William, Armstrong, Steven, Lawton, Alan

Authors: Abdul Manaf, Halimah , Harvey, William , Armstrong, Steven , Lawton, Alan
Date: 2020
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Knowledge Management Vol. 24, no. 5 (2020), p. 1177-1199
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Description: Purpose: This study aims to identify differences in knowledge-sharing mechanisms and personality among expert, typical and novice managers within the Malaysian public sector. Strengthening knowledge sharing function is essential for enabling public institutions around the world to be more productive. Design/methodology/approach: This quantitative study involves 308 employees from management and professional groups within 98 local authorities in the Malaysian local government. Stratified random sampling techniques were used and the sampling frame comprised 1,000 staff using postal surveys. Data analyses were carried out using analysis of variance and correlations to test the research hypotheses. Findings: The findings reveal that expert managers are more proactive in sharing their knowledge, particularly those with the personality traits of conscientiousness and openness. These two personality traits were also related to expert behaviours such as thoroughness, responsibility and persistence, which led to work competency and managerial success. Originality/value: This study provides theoretical insights into how managerial tacit knowledge differs and can accumulate, depending on the personality traits of middle managers. The paper shows the different mechanisms of knowledge sharing, tacit knowledge and personality among expert, typical and novice managers. Practically, this study is important for guiding senior managers in their attempts to identify the most appropriate personalities of their middle managers. This study found that the expert group was higher in conscientiousness, openness and overall personality traits compared with the typical and novice groups. The paper also highlights the value of sharing managerial tacit knowledge effectively. © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.

From birth to death : The life of the standards board for England

- Lawton, Alan, Macaulay, Michael

Authors: Lawton, Alan , Macaulay, Michael
Date: 2017
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Public Administration Review Vol. 77, no. 5 (2017), p. 720-729
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Description: Organizations wax and wane, and some cease to exist altogether. The Standards Board for England was abolished after a 10-year life. Created to regulate the ethical behavior of local politicians in England, the ethics of politics was undermined by the politics of ethics. This article analyzes the life of the Standards Board initially through the lens of a life-cycle approach to organizations but finds that a problem-cluster approach provides a sharper picture. Over its lifetime, the Standards Board faced a number of crises; its failure to resolve these crises and an unfavorable political climate led to its demise. © 2017 by The American Society for Public Administration

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Managerial tacit knowledge, individual performance, and the moderating role of employee personality

- Manaf, Halimah, Armstrong, Steven, Lawton, Alan, Harvey, William

Authors: Manaf, Halimah , Armstrong, Steven , Lawton, Alan , Harvey, William
Date: 2018
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: International Journal of Public Administration Vol. 41, no. 15 (2018), p. 1258-1270
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Description: This study investigates the relationship between knowledge-sharing mechanisms, managerial tacit knowledge, and individual performance in the Malaysian public sector. Moderation effects of employee personality on these variables were also examined. Findings from 308 Malaysian public sector managers suggest that individual performance is influenced by levels of accumulated managerial tacit knowledge (LAMTK), which were moderated by employee personality traits. The findings also show that individual performance has an impact on the effectiveness of knowledge-sharing mechanisms.

Organizational citizenship behavior and the public service ethos: whither the organization?

- Rayner, Julie, Lawton, Alan, Williams, Helen

Authors: Rayner, Julie , Lawton, Alan , Williams, Helen
Date: 2012
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Business Ethics Vol. 106, no. 2 (2012), p. 117-130
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Description: Public services worldwide have been subject to externally imposed reforms utilizing tools such as financial incentives and performance targets. The adverse impact of such reforms on a public service ethos has been claimed, but rarely demonstrated. Individuals within organizations work beyond their formal contracts of employment, described as Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB), to further organizational interests. Given New Public Management reform and the subsequent contextual changes in the way in which public sector organizations are managed and funded, the present study theorizes that OCB directed towards the organization may be ‘crowded-out’. This article tests the relationships between public service ethos and OCB and it presents empirical evidence from a study in England (n = 433) of the ability of each dimension of this ethos to predict OCB.

Public service ethos : Developing a generic measure

- Rayner, Julie, Williams, Helen, Lawton, Alan, Allinson, Christopher

Authors: Rayner, Julie , Williams, Helen , Lawton, Alan , Allinson, Christopher
Date: 2011
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory Vol. 21, no. 1 (2011), p. 27-51
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Description: This article conceptualizes public service ethos as a multidimensional construct and develops a framework that explains first, why individuals are motivated by this ethos (Public Service Belief); second, how they deliver public services in accordance with this ethos (Public Service Practice); and third, what ends they perceive it to endorse (Public Interest). Despite considerable interest in public service ethos within the public administration literature, research is constrained by the absence of a measure of this ethos. This article therefore reports three studies conducted to advance theory and research through the development of a psychometrically sound instrument. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrates support for a three-factor structure, where the dimensions are distinct but related aspects of public service ethos. Moreover, findings show this measure to be valid, reliable, and generalizable. As such it offers researchers an instrument with which to better explore the character and existence of a public service ethos.

Public service motivation in a complex public sector

- Lawton, Alan, Rayner, Julie

Authors: Lawton, Alan , Rayner, Julie
Date: 2015
Type: Text , Book chapter
Relation: Ethics in public policy and Management: A global research companion Chapter 13 p. 215-237
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Description: The institutional context of public service delivery has, increasingly, become com - plex. Public- and private-sector organizations, as well as the third sector, collaborate and work in partnership with each other, as evident in a range of policy areas, from urban renewal to education. Public officials now have to engage with others, horizontally, in different types of organizations, and not just hierarchically within their own organizations. Indeed, for some officials, the institutional location of their work has shifted from public to private, or partnership, organizations. Such a dynamic in the institutional setting of public service delivery may render traditional goals, values and processes problematic. It may also provide new oppor - tunities. Boundaries between different types of organizations that deliver public services become blurred as do the differences between policy formulation and implementation, and between public and private interests. In such a changing environment, traditional notions of a public service ethos underpinning public sector delivery and the commitment through public service motivation (PSM) are contested. One big question is: how can private and semipublic-sector organizations, and those who work within them, have the same commitment to the public interest as traditional public-sector organizations? Scholars have argued that a key problem for partnerships and networks is how to reconcile individual interests with those of the network or partnership as a whole. This chapter underscores the need for researchers to develop a better under - standing not only of sectoral differences, but also whether or how PSM impacts performance of individuals in collaborative and networked contexts. Thus, a key research question becomes, ‘What might PSM look like in a complex and frag - mented public service arena?’ We respond to this by examining the literatures on public service networks through the prism of PSM and develop five propositions. We conclude with suggestions for a future research agenda.

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The development of the Gippsland Economic Modelling Tool

- Lawton, Alan, Valenzuela, Ernesto, Duffy, Michelle, Morgan, Damian

Authors: Lawton, Alan , Valenzuela, Ernesto , Duffy, Michelle , Morgan, Damian
Date: 2014
Type: Text , Technical report , Research Report
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Description: This study develops a measurement tool to assess the economic health, human capital, social well-being and liveability of regional locations. The study is guided by developments in the professional literature related to measuring these four dimensions. Information was compiled from existing databases for 72 indicators used to generate four indices: Economic Health, Human Capital, Social Well-being, and Liveability. Index measures are reported for local government authority (LGAs) and Victorian State levels. The four indices provide a new quantitative tool to capture the effects from, and so reflect, economic, social and policy changes impacting across Victoria. Further application of this tool may be provided through periodic data updates over time using data captured on a national scale. The regional focus of the present study is the Latrobe Valley located in the Gippsland region of Victoria. The Latrobe Valley encompasses the LGAs of Baw Baw, Latrobe City and Wellington Shires. In addition, index values are reported for 16 towns located within the three LGAs and we include these findings as Appendix 1. For comparative purposes, the study also reports index values for the Gippsland region (comprising LGAs of Baw-Baw, Bass Coast, East Gippsland, Latrobe City, South Gippsland and Wellington Shire), the State of Victoria, and regional (non-metropolitan areas) using averages. Data were gathered for all 79 Victorian LGAs. The study results provide a measurement framework constructed from a comprehensive application of available databases. The end-product is a significant “tool” that identifies and summates enablers of economic productivity and social and community development. The tool provides evidenced-based measures to inform policy recommendations with regard to strategic intervention options and ensuing impacts on regional sustainability.

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