Organisational culture in the public sector: evidence from six organisations

TLDR

A process of organisational change has accompanied managerial reforms in the public sector and is oriented towards the development of a post‑bureaucratic organisational culture, yet empirical understanding of culture in public organisations remains limited. The study contributes to an understanding of organisational culture in the public sector through survey research that analyses culture by reference to the competing values of internal/external orientation and control/flexibility. It focuses on six Queensland public sector organisations encouraged to depart from traditional bureaucratic values toward greater emphasis on change, flexibility, entrepreneurialism, outcomes, efficiency and productivity. The findings suggest that public sector organisations continue to emphasise the values of a bureaucratic or hierarchical organisational culture.

Abstract

A process of organisational change has accompanied managerial reforms in the public sector and is oriented towards the development of a post‐bureaucratic organisational culture. However, there remains a limited empirical understanding of culture in public organisations. Contributes to an understanding of organisational culture in the public sector through survey research that analyses culture by reference to the competing values of internal/external orientation and control/flexibility. Focuses on six organisations in the Queensland public sector which have been encouraged to depart from traditional bureaucratic values and to adopt a greater emphasis on change, flexibility, entrepreneurialism, outcomes, efficiency and productivity. Suggests, however, that public sector organisations continue to emphasise the values of a bureaucratic or hierarchical organisational culture.