Organizational stability and resocialization in public administrations: Theory and evidence from Norwegian civil servants (1986-2016)

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Geys, Benny; Laegreid, Per; Murdoch, Zuzana; Trondal, Jarle
• 署名单位: BI Norwegian Business School; University of Bergen; University of Agder; University of Oslo; University of Bergen
• 刊物名称: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0033-3298
• DOI: 10.1111/padm.12968
• 发表日期: 2024
• 页码: 1137-1155
• 关键词: representative bureaucracy; INSTITUTIONALISM; socialization

摘要

The organizational theory approach to public administration emphasizes that organizational features of public bureaucracies shape civil servants' role perceptions and opinions. This study brings forward a novel refinement of this theoretical framework by arguing that such processes of organizational resocialization require intertemporal consistency of the organizational environment. We empirically test this proposition by combining individual-level longitudinal data from a panel of Norwegian civil servants (1986-2016; N approximate to 375) with information about organizational changes in ministerial structures since 1945. Using individuals' task portfolio as our main organizational influencer of interest, we confirm that the impact of individuals' task portfolio on their role perceptions only strengthens over time for individuals working in ministries with a high level of organizational stability. This finding adds an important scope condition-namely, intertemporal stability-to the traditional organizational theory argument about what shapes civil servants' role perceptions and opinions.