Article2015

Hybrid controls and accountabilities in public sector management

23 citations0/0 files storedInternational Journal of Public Sector Management

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Public Policy and Administration Research Health Services Management and Policy Accounting and Organizational Management

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss why public sector reforms hybridize during implementation processes, consequences on accountability relations and practitioners’ and policymakers’ reactions to these changes. Design/methodology/approach – The paper considers experiences from three initiatives related to the governance reform in the Norwegian hospital sector. Data were collected via interviews and document studies, and all three cases were longitudinal studies. Findings – Unexpected consequences of reform initiatives and contextual changes are causing controls to hybridize and having profound effects on accountability relations. However, the gradually alignment of controls in a dynamic pattern of hybridization enables the balancing of conflicts in the chain of accountabilities. Hybrid controls are observed to emerge as stronger than the initial ideal control models. The longitudinal studies of control hybridization illuminate the sector’s survival in the long run, as they allow for adaptation to changes in contexts. Practical implications – This work augments leaders’ understanding of how governmental strategies may follow diverse paths and yield results that diverge from intentions. Narrow accountability bases inhibit the government from implementing political decisions through agencies. Conversely, agents must relate to direct control from authorities. The predictability of agents’ decision space is reduced, and the control process becomes more ambiguous. Originality/value – Through connecting what happens in agencies with accountabilities in the political level, it is possible to study the flexible nature of accountability relations and why controls hybridize. The paper underlines the need for longitudinal studies to describe complex patterns of reform initiatives.

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References

1976Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure 1995The “new public management” in the 1980s: Variations on a theme 2007Analysing and Assessing Accountability: A Conceptual Framework 1 1996The New Public Management in Action 2008Organizational Implications of Institutional Pluralism 1998The Art of the State: Culture, Rhetoric, and Public Management 2000Comparing Public and Private Organizations: Empirical Research and the Power of the A Priori 2003A hybrid profession—the acquisition of management accounting expertise by medical professionals

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