Conclusion: Directions for future research and practice

Abstract

The concluding chapter synthesizes the insights and gives a comprehensive answer to the volume’s overall question. It sets directions for future research and discusses implications for public organizations’ practice. There is ample evidence that management contributes to performance, both directly and indirectly, through influencing employees’ (public service) motivation, organizational commitment, and job performance. There is also evidence that management contributes to employee outcomes, both positive, such as their job satisfaction and employability, and negative, such as stress and burnout. The chapter reflects critically on the state of public management research and outlines four key issues for future research: (1) work toward an integrated theoretical framework; (2) develop more comprehensive theoretical models; (3) pay attention to the public sector context; and (4) increase methodological rigor. The chapter contends that public management–performance research remains relevant in the era of inter-organizational networks and co-production, if and when studies pay explicit attention to the public sector context and to the frontline employees involved in service production. The chapter advises public organizations to invest in service provision policies that fit the organizational mission and create the conditions for their implementation by frontline managers who can help public employees create public value.