Transformational leaders: bridging the gap between goal ambiguity and public value involvement

ABSTRACT

Conventional wisdom suggests that ambiguous goals result in undesirable consequences for organizations. However, little research examines the connections between ambiguity, public values, and organizational decisions. We explore the connections between goal ambiguity and the application of public values when making organizational decisions by accounting for transformational leadership. We evaluate the mechanisms through which transformational leaders connect goal clarity and public values. Findings suggest individuals who view leaders as highly transformative view clear goals as promoting public values. Alternatively, individuals who view leaders as lacking transformative traits view clear goals as hampering the application of public values to organizational decisions.

KEYWORDS:

• Public values
• leadership
• goals
• decision-making

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Consistent with norms in the field, we assume the goals of public organizations tend to be more vague and ambiguous. We are, however, unable to test whether the goals of public, private, and nonprofit sectors vary markedly in practice in this paper. Future research would do well to test whether such differences exist.

2. For a more nuanced perspective on ambiguity – one that suggests ambiguity can be both negative and positive – see Davis and Stazyk (2015).

3. As Moore (1995) points out, the values of efficiency, effectiveness, and economy are only one set relevant in the context of public administration. Equally important are values such as fairness and justice. However, because of their widespread significance, we have opted to focus only on so-called traditional public administration values in this paper. Future research might consider whether other values are also relevant in terms of the theoretical model proposed here.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Edmund C. Stazyk

Edmund C. Stazyk is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy at the University at Albany, State University of New York. His research focuses on the application of organization theory and behavior to public management, public administration theory, and human resource management. His primary areas of interest include bureaucracy, organizational and individual performance, and employee motivation.

Randall S. Davis

Randall S. Davis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Southern Illinois University. His research focuses primarily on the social and psychological mechanisms that contribute to individual performance in the public workplace. His research focuses on several themes in public management including organizational behavior, human resource management, employee motivation, work stress, and goal setting.