Can we better define stewardship for public sector executives? A research agenda

Abstract

Abstract Building on an emerging body of literature, this research note aims to develop key features of stewardship through documenting the narratives of executives in the Canadian federal public service. Content analysis of interviews converged towards a conceptualization of stewardship based on four themes: 1) service over self‐interest, 2) sustainability of the public service beyond one’s career, 3) working with a collective orientation, and 4) mission‐focused management of resources. Results also revealed contextual factors fostering and hindering stewardship such as empowering work processes, collaboration practices and network facilitation. Implications of these results are discussed, as well as avenues for future research.