Values in public administration: the role of organizational culture

Abstract

This article argues that the field of public administration, academics and practitioners alike, would benefit by more explicitly addressing the role that values play in administrative behavior and decision making. It reflects on the extent to which values are embedded in the work of public administrators, and their role in serving as normative criteria for action. Because the values associated with democracy and bureaucracy are often in competition, though, the challenge for administrators is to arrive at a workable balance consistent with our constitutional tradition. To that end, the insights offered by an organizational culture perspective are helpful in understanding how particular values can be promoted in organizations. This article concludes with a brief discussion of some implications that such an approach has for how we study, teach, and practice public administration.

Citation

Molina, A.D. (2009), "Values in public administration: the role of organizational culture", International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, Vol. 12 No. 2, pp. 266-279. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOTB-12-02-2009-B007