Collaborative Network Capacity

Abstract

This article argues that collaborative network success is a function of having the necessary social, knowledge, and financial capital, and the capacity to manage that capital through collaborative governance and knowledge management. This theory is examined through a comparative case study of two early childhood/school readiness networks. The evidence suggests that both collaborative governance and knowledge management enable collaborative networks to use their resources wisely and that organizational commitment to the network, the role of data collection and sharing, and the challenges of information technology all bear further investigation as important components of collaborative network capacity.     

Governing Cross-Sector,Inter-Organizational Collaborations

Abstract

This article addresses the governance of cross-sector, inter-organizational collaboration in the context of public administration and management. It conceptualizes the governance of collaborations in terms of structures and processes that enable actors to direct, coordinate and allocate resources for the collaboration as a whole and to account for its activities. It argues that the need to pay attention to considerations of ‘collaborative governance’ and ‘governing collaboration’ in cross-sector collaborations gives rise to a number of challenges and tensions that need to be addressed if the governance form is to be sustained and the collaboration is to yield advantage.     

Good Neighbours or Distant Friends?

Abstract

Agencification has extended and intensified the delegation problem. It has created new (administrative) principals, who are confronted with even more uncertainty as agents operate at arm's length. Trust is suggested as a new mode of governance. Based on the literature seven hypotheses are deduced on conditions that politicians can use to build trust: autonomy; contacts; policy involvement; and involvement in the design of monitoring devices. These hypotheses are tested using survey data on 219 Dutch executive agencies. Contrary to the expectations, executive agencies with low degrees of autonomy have a more trusting relationship with their parent ministry than agencies with high autonomy. Proximity and frequent interactions appear more important to trust than autonomy. Monitoring is not always perceived as a sign of distrust. These findings raise new questions on how principals can reduce the delegation problem and control executive agencies.     

Leadership,governance, and perceptions of trust in the higher education industry

This article presents a trust‐centered, integrated model for achieving educational excellence in the higher education industry with focus on governing boards and strategies for academic quality and financial performance. The discussion includes leadership themes and strategies on development of teacher‐leaders, creating a culture of shared leadership and effective governance for performance outcomes, robust evaluations of student‐learning assessments for continuous improvement, and strategic leadership in the implementation of high‐quality programs. Perceptions of trust form the foundation of the integrated model with influences of personality, culture, motivation, values, reliability, competence, and intuition. Trust among board trustees is essential for creating collaborative environments for innovative change and educational performance excellence. Collaborative environments promote a sense of shared leadership and governance to encourage innovation and performance excellence at all levels within the educational institution.     

Identification and Trust in Public Organizations: A communicative approach

Abstract

Little empirical research has examined the link between organizational identification and organizational trust. Identification presupposes a level of consistency in its object, and this study proposes that trust can reduce uncertainty between organization and employee, enabling a bond between the two to form. Secondly, this research looks at how interaction with various organizational groups may affect organizational trust, thereby indirectly encouraging identification. It is thus proposed that organizational trust should be understood as an important mechanism mediating the relationship between interaction with employees at different levels of the organizational hierarchy and identification with the organization as a whole.     

Relationship risk perception and determinants of the collaboration fluency of buyer–supplier relationships in public service procurement

Public service procurement effectiveness has been emphasized as a major challenge in recent years. Well-managed partnerships between buyers and suppliers are needed in this domain to achieve collaboration fluency and improve the effectiveness of procurement. The main objective of this study is to determine which issues managerial teams must emphasize when aiming to create a solid partnership based on pre-existing collaborative relationships. The originality of this study lies in the domain approached (public service procurement in social and healthcare services), as well as the variable it attempts to explain (collaboration fluency). The study investigates two major issues: firstly, how collaboration risk perception influences communication, trust, and the governance of a collaboration and, secondly, how these factors (communication, trust, and governance) affect collaboration fluency. The study is performed via a survey regarding the collaboration of the public sector with organizations from the private and third (non-profit) sectors within public service procurement. The empirical evidence was gathered with a structured online questionnaire that was sent to organizations from the private and third sectors that provide services in the social and healthcare domain. The results indicate that in collaborative relationships in public service procurement, the higher the perceived relationship risks are, the more positive effects they will have in terms of increasing trust, communication, and the quality of collaboration management. Furthermore, communication, governance, and administration have strong influences on collaboration fluency.     

Board size,social trust,and corporate risk taking: Evidence from China

This paper examines the relationship between board size and corporate risk taking, as well as the moderating effects of regional‐level social trust. Results show that larger boards have greater difficulty in achieving consensus on extreme decisions and thus tend to reduce firm risk taking in a Chinese context. Moreover, social trust had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between board size and corporate risk taking. This study contributes to the risk taking literature by testing the board size‐risk taking linkage in a Chinese context and offering an explanation based on internal board governance and external informal institution heterogeneity.     

Performance Implications of IJV Boards: A Contingency Perspective

This study draws from the corporate governance literature to investigate the implications of board involvement for international joint ventures (IJVs). We extend recent corporate governance research on the value of board involvement by investigating unique sources of complexity related to the nature of the IJV. We argue and find that board involvement can enhance the performance of IJVs, particularly for collaborations that are complex in nature due to their broad functional scope as well the level of market overlap between IJV parents. We complement recent research on joint venture control that has focused on the antecedents and types of control, as well as studies on formal (e.g. contractual safeguards and monitoring) and informal governance mechanisms (e.g. trust) by providing empirical evidence that IJV board involvement is valuable when directors undertake their control and coordination responsibilities. We advance corporate governance research by providing evidence that joint ventures possess several unique characteristics that shape the value of board involvement, thereby showing that applications of corporate governance theory to joint ventures are useful, but should be made with care.     

Designing institutional platforms and arenas for interactive political leadership

ABSTRACT

In response to the urgent need for elected politicians to lead processes of collaborative policy innovation, this paper brings together political leadership theory and theories of collaborative and participatory governance in order to make way for the concept of interactive political leadership. The theoretical framework shows how interactive political leadership relies on platforms and arenas that bring politicians and citizens together in informed dialogues that may contribute to collaborative policy innovation. An empirical case study of institutional reforms in a Danish municipality adds flesh and blood to the theoretical argument about how to enhance interactive political leadership.     

Public Governance and School Performance

Abstract

According to the New Public Governance paradigm, this paper analyses the institutional and organizational conditions that can lead to an improvement in student learning (a typical co-produced outcome) by acting on the promotion of genuine collaborative relationships. The distinctive features of Italian distributed governance and the challenges for school management are discussed by examining TIMSS and INVALSI data. The results show that collaborative public management supports schools in improving student learning, confirming the research hypothesis for primary schools (IV grade) and schools that operate in socially and economically poor contexts.     

Strategic Inter-Organizational Cooperation in Complex Environments

Abstract

Strategic management research is increasingly concerned with understanding processes of network governance in which mechanisms for building partnerships among a number of public agencies and non-governmental organizations are more important than ever. Drawing examples from Canada, the paper analyses the nature of inter-jurisdictional and inter-organizational collaboration in complex and dynamic environments, and their implications for the strategic pursuit of organizational goals. The premise of the discussion is that public managers often pursue organizational goals in the context of external environmental systems characterized by complexity and constant change. From this perspective, public agencies must often seek to maintain relatively stable alliances while anticipating and adapting to environmental change in the pursuit of their organization's goals. The two cases in the paper illustrate three critical elements of collaborative network governance: first, the vertical and horizontal inter-jurisdictional dimensions of joint policy action; second the multiplicity of lenses of interpretation among agents, including the perceptions and values of non-governmental stakeholders and the strategic outreach of public agencies to these groups; and third, it traces the various stages of evolving networks, highlighting the changes and adaptations characterizing the processes involved in joint policy actions.     

Public management in North America

Abstract

This article examines major trends and research questions that have emerged in public management scholarship in North America over the last decade. This period offers evidence of improved self-confidence and scholarship in the field, even as it remains independent of any specific discipline or core set of assumptions. Scholarship in the last decade reflects a transition in the understanding of governance. Traditional issues of public administration have received less attention, e.g., personnel management, ethics, leadership, public-private differences, implementation, and political influence on the bureaucracy. There is growing scholarship on topics that suggest efforts to change or work around the classic bureaucratic model, e.g., reform, alternative forms of governance, performance, citizen trust, participation, and e-government.     

A Comparison Between One‐Tier and Two‐Tier Board Structures in France

French companies operate in a unique environment characterized by the strong involvement of block shareholders such as families and banks. Furthermore, the French legal system allows firms to choose between a one‐tier or a two‐tier board structure. This study investigates whether this choice can affect the firm's operating and stock performance. Our regression results provide strong evidence that ownership and board structures are used together as corporate governance tools. In particular, the agency cost of debt is strongly affected by their interaction when institutional investors are also bank lenders. Our test results show that while family control has a negative impact on corporate governance, French institutional blockholders play a positive role as monitors of one‐tier structures. In contrast, they are more likely to misuse the two‐tier board system by promoting interlocked directorship, board opacity and their own interests as creditors. Our regression analysis reveals that foreign institutional investors do not have any impact on firm performance, regardless of board structure. Finally, we do not find any inverse relationship between board size and efficiency in France.     

Public–Private Partnerships in Health Services Delivery

Abstract

In this article, we conceptualize public–private partnerships (PPPs) from a network organizations perspective, and apply interorganizational relations (IOR) to study fifteen PPPs in a district health system in the state of Rajasthan in India. We find that the Government occupies a dominant position in the network because of the centrality of its functions, authority and control over resources and information. There is greater reliance on formal mechanisms of co-ordination. For effective network governance, it is imperative to reduce the power asymmetry, develop horizontal co-ordination, trust and social capital, and enhance public managers’ capacity for effectively managing interorganizational relationships.     

董事会职能变迁轨迹及职能重塑

董事会在公司治理机制中发挥关键作用。伴随着公司治理的发展,董事会职能经历了由经营管理到监督,再从监督到监督和决策并重的变迁过程。股权分置改革后,我国公司治理呈现以下特征:国有股"一股独大"状况得到改善;公司控制权市场逐步形成;中小股东的利益逐渐得到保护;公司治理目标由股东价值最大化转变为企业价值最大化。公司治理的变化促使董事会职能发生相应的调整,董事会职能应从权利格局、组织结构、董事素质与激励约束机制、董事会与经理的职责方面实现重塑。     

Restoring Trust Through the Co-Production of Public Services: A theoretical elaboration

Abstract

Co-production, the involvement of clients in the delivery of public services, is believed to foster trust. However, there is insufficient research on this topic to prove what is at present merely an assumption. This article gives theoretical insights into this relationship. First, it is identified that co-production relates to identification-based trust. Second, the most important theoretical mechanisms are identified that link the two concepts: increasing self-efficacy and the creation of trust networks. A third step is to move towards a more contingent perspective. This involves not only favourable conditions, but also obstructions to trust-building, such as crowding-out motivations and free-riding.     

The Effects of Corporate Governance on the Relationship between Innovative Efforts and Performance1

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of managerial share ownership, CEO duality and board independence on the relationship between innovative efforts and performance. The study is motivated by the observation that despite the widely held belief that innovative efforts are crucial to firms' survival, previous studies were unable to provide any evidence in support of this belief. It addresses this incongruity by focusing on the effects of corporate governance on the relationship between innovative efforts and performance. Specifically, this study predicts and finds that managerial share ownership has a positive effect on this relationship while CEO duality has a negative effect. Contrary to the hypothesis, this study finds that board independence also has a negative effect on the relationship between innovative efforts and performance. This contradictory result is, however, consistent with the managerial-incentive theory, which proposes that inside directors are in a better position than outside directors to motivate managers to undertake profitable projects because they have superior access to firms' specific information.     

Managing Cultural Diversity in Collaborations: A focus on management tensions

Abstract

This article explores the management of cultural diversity in public and not-for-profit collaborations spanning organizational, professional and national boundaries. Through the framing of a culture paradox, it identifies three interrelated tensions pertaining to the management of cultural diversity towards collaborative advantage. These tensions address: interactions between organizations within a collaboration; interactions between individual actors and their orientation towards the collaboration and their host organization; and the quantity and extent of cultural diversity within a collaboration. The culture paradox and its inherent management tensions provide theoretical and practical conceptualizations that are relevant to management and governance of collaboration.     

Exploring resistance in collaborative forms of governance: Meaning negotiations and counter-narratives in a case from the Danish education sector

This paper addresses resistance in studies about collaborative forms of governance. Although the literature discusses collaborative challenges, issues related to resistance are largely unexplored and mostly regarded as destructive. However, we argue for understanding resistance more dynamically – as a co-constructive aspect of collaboration. Drawing on extant resistance studies, we combine concepts of meaning negotiation and counter-narrative to examine power-resistance relations in a case study of collaborative forms of governance in the Danish education sector. The findings elucidate how resistance complicates, yet also co-constructs collaboration in governance processes; discursive struggles over meanings of collaboration and a quality model invoke power-resistance relations that destabilize a dominant narrative and enable counter-narratives, which influence future collaborative processes. Hence, we suggest understanding resistance as a constitutive feature in collaborative forms of governance, rather than a destructive obstacle. This contributes with empirical and theoretical insights into the complex role of resistance in collaboration and governance processes.