Management Roles in Political and Senior Civil Servant Positions: A Multiple-Study Approach

ABSTRACT

A recent trend in public administration studies has been to assess how public management is performed by politicians and top civil servants. Surprisingly, little is known about how these different posts develop their management roles. Following seminal management studies, we focus on core management roles to compare the ways in which politicians and top civil servants develop their management responsibilities within public organizations. Empirical evidence is provided by triangulating three separate studies developed in Spain. Results from the triangulation show that there is unmistakable evidence of differentiations between politicians and top civil servants when performing their managerial roles.

Notes

Please contact the corresponding author for a copy of the interview script used in Study 2.

Please contact the corresponding author to receive a copy of the full questionnaire used in this study.

Percentage of total behavioral units observed categorized as liaison role. It must be noted that some behavioral units could be categorized in more than one role.

The percentage of time spent on this role is somewhat higher in the case of the CSMF (13% versus 17%). The total work hours per day are greater in the case of the PMF because political managers put in longer working days.

Percentage of total behavioral units observed categorized as spokesperson role. It must be noted that some behavioral units could be categorized in more than one role.

Percentage of total behavioral units observed categorized as external leader role. It must be noted that some behavioral units could be categorized in more than one role.

Only one civil servant (F1) performed this role to a similar extent to that found in politicians. This is because horizontal supervision of minor administrative conflicts produced greater exercise of the leadership role (based on role as expert) than would probably be found under normal circumstances.

Percentage of total behavioral units observed categorized as conceptualizing role. It must be noted that some behavioral units could be categorized in more than one role.

The political-professional managers showed different behavior: a relative frequency of 50.1% and time spent of 2.5 hours.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Carlos Losada

Carlos Losada ([email protected]) is an associate professor in the Department of Strategy and General Management at ESADE Business School. He is the author of several books and research projects. He has been an associate professor in ESADE’s Department of Business Policy since 1988, specializing in managerial function, corporate strategy, and public management. From September 2000 to 2010, he was Director General of ESADE.

Marc Esteve

Marc Esteve ([email protected]) is an associate professor in international public management in the School of Public Policy at University College London, and a visiting professor at ESADE Business School. His primary research interests focus on understanding how individual characteristics influence decision making, specifically in interorganizational collaborations. He has published widely in journals such as Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Public Administration Review, International Public Management Journal, and Public Administration.