Public Administration Quarterly Symposium Call for Papers: Understanding and Managing Government Organization Cultures

Organizational culture influences the work motivations, task effectiveness, internal and external stakeholder relationships, and overall performance to achieve mission goals.  Although research has explored the concept of organizational culture in relation to work satisfaction and achievements, it has focused on private sector firms.  Little research exists in public sector organizational cultures.  

The Section for Professional and Organizational Development (SPOD) aims to fill this informational gap by publishing a symposium in Public Administration Quarterly describing, managing and changing public organizational cultures.  You are invited to submit original manuscripts on the topic that may include topics such as:

• What are some determinants of organizational culture?  What are those in the public sector?  Are they similar to those in the private sector?  What variations exist in public sector cultures in terms of sub-cultures?  How and why did the sub-cultures emerge?
• What organizational culture conditions exist in public sector organizations that promote organizational effectiveness, in terms of individual, unit, or organization-wide achievement of mission goals?
• What are some examples of “best practices” in public organizations having effective cultures?  How are the practices related to organization mission, values, motivations, and social and technical systems processes or systems?
• Given the transient political agendas and their relationships to administrative agencies, how do public organizational cultures change with new executive leadership? What are some effects of change on mission, values, and goals?  How does political change affect the culture of public organizations?
• How have recent, multiple waves of social, economic, and technical changes affected government organizational cultures?  For example, how have downsizing, contracting out, and contingent workers produced changes in government organizational cultures?  What are some effects on existing government cultures of technological innovations in an increasingly globalized and interconnected network of governance systems?
• How can public organizational cultures change?  What research methodologies are appropriate for analyzing public organizational cultures?  How can change management strategies be developed to address problems rooted in organizational culture?  What are some effective strategies used to change existing public sector organizations?
• What roles do leaders play in orchestrating change in organizational culture?  What characteristics and behaviors have been observed in leading change effectively?  What strategies should leaders use to promote change in organizational cultures?

SPOD welcomes original manuscripts based on qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods research. These may include case studies, surveys, literature reviews, or ethnographies. All manuscripts submitted for review should be double-spaced with standard fonts and margins and formatted according to APA style guidelines. Tables, figures, and graphics should be inserted in the place they should appear in the text rather than as an appendix. All author identifiers must be removed from the manuscript before submission; a cover letter with author contact information should be attached as a separate file. All manuscripts must to be submitted as PDF files.  Manuscripts will be peer, blind reviewed and authors notified of acceptance.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is Monday, July 10, 2017.  Send manuscripts to Dr. Carol Rusaw, [email protected].