The article analyzes the connection between accountability, rule-following, political loyalty, and network governance approaches to leadership and employees’ public service motivation (PSM) and individual job performance. Based on the study conducted, the four approaches to leadership have positive correlations to employees’ PSM levels, which, in turn, were positively associated with higher levels of job performance (Schwarz et al., 2020). Of the four approaches, network governance leadership had the strongest correlation with job performance and PSM. The aforementioned finding suggested the need for managers to encourage their staff members to develop connections with external contacts to facilitate access to relevant information, technical expertise, and other resources that are unavailable within the organization (Schwarz et al., 2020). The study outcome stresses the role of leadership in enhancing performance within an organization. The primary purpose of the article is to inform the readers about the link between the four public leadership approaches, and both PSM and the level of job performance. The outcome of the study helps the readers to be informed about the aforementioned correlations, along with their extent. The research article, which was sourced from a scholarly journal, has effectively organized and presented its content. Upon the introduction of underlying issues that the research targets to address, the authors have dedicated a section for theory and hypothesis development. In the section, relevant concepts were introduced and discussed to help develop the eight hypotheses the study targeted to support or discredit. In the subsequent section, the methods used in the study, including those used in sample collection and measurements, were clearly presented. Finally, the results, hypothesis testing, and discussion of outcomes are also effectively covered in the research paper. With the Public Administration Review being a neutral journal, there is no inherent bias in the article. The article, which was published in 2020, is up-to-date with some of the most recent sources. The article is very useful by providing primary research findings that can be used to support an argument or be implemented into a decision. The article targets researchers and professionals. The article adds to the literature on performance management. According to Belrhiti et al. (2020), leadership has a significant effect on public service motivation, with varying leadership approaches affecting public service motivation differently. Through the analysis of the primary leadership approaches, the study manages to pinpoint network governance leadership as the approach that has the greatest link with PSM and job performance. The adoption of a network governance leadership approach by public organizations can help improve the performance of employees and thus facilitate better service delivery (Schwarz et al., 2020). With the increasing pressure on public sector organizations to adjust to the evolving demands of its constituencies, public service motivation has a central role in the management of these organizations. Besides, in recent years, the privatization of public management has been seen as the solution to improving customer service. The government has privatized public services since private sectors tend to be highly responsive to changing and heterogenous customer demands (Donahue et al., 2004). A network governance leadership approach can improve PSM and job performance, which then translate to high-quality services. According to the article, the rigid, autocratic bureaucracy in public management ought to be replaced by a leadership model that facilitates higher PSM and greater job performance, which translates to improved customer service. In recent decades, there has been an increased dependence of government agencies on goods and services offered by private sectors under contracts. Some critics have been raised against contracting out due to the potential susceptibility to financial mismanagement and corruption cases as a result of managerial inefficiency (Kim, 2017). Current literature fails to go beyond the analysis of public contract managers’ perception, and, as a result, fails to uncover the causal connection between the managerial process and the resulting financial outcomes of local government contracting out (Kim, 2017). The article, therefore, analyzes the potential practices necessary for effective financial management in local government contracts. According to the study, the majority of public and private contract managers are dissatisfied with the local contracting out process, and thus the need for the improvement of the current process to address the primary concerns (Kim, 2017). Some of the common issues leading to dissatisfaction, according to public contract managers, include the presence of favoritism, bureaucratic red tape, the absence of intensive monitoring, and the information asymmetry on contractors and subcontractors, among others. The private contract managers, on the other hand, are dissatisfied with the poor communication between the government and the contractor, the bureaucratic red tape, and discrimination among vendors (Kim, 2017). The study outcome suggests that local government agencies should place a heavy focus on competitive bids, contract specificity, adequate staffing with competent personnel, strong leadership, two-way communication, and the development of a statewide performance database, among others. The primary objective of the articles is to fill the current gap in the literature on effective financial management in local government contracts. Through the semi-structured interviews with public and private contract managers at the local level, the study targets to offer practical suggestions and strategies that can be feasibly adopted in the management performance link of local governments to facilitate a successful long-term contracting out process. The study informs readers about the current state of the contracting out process and persuades the relevant readers to take up recommendations that can help improve the current conditions. The article from a scholarly journal targets to fill the existing gap in the current literature. The organization of the article’s content follows the format of a research article. The primary sections of the paper include the introduction, existing theoretical approaches to effective contract management and performance, research methods, findings, and discussion, and conclusion. In addition to showing no bias within its content, the article is published by a reputable journal, which improves its credibility. The article, which was published in 2017, incorporates reliable sources from as early as 1981 and as late as 2016. Besides adding to the current literature, the article can also help guide local governments on contract management. The article adds to the literature on the use of contracts by the government and the private sector. There has been skepticism about the benefits of contracting out, with some scholars questioning the assumption that contracting out leads to cost-saving, with factors such as transaction costs and the absence of a competitive market for most of the services offered by the government potentially causing a negative effect (Cohen et al., 2008). Nonetheless, according to Kim (2017), the elimination of the issues raised by both private and public contract managers can help improve the contracting out process. Cohen et al. (2008) and Kim (2017) have both outlined overly bureaucratic contracting procedures, contractor monopolies, poor communication between government and contract managers, and various internal and external contractor management issues. Kim (2017) proposes various strategies, including increasing competition, contract specificity, competent personnel, effective leadership, and team-based structures to help improve the contracting out process. Based on the article, while contracting out is comparatively cheaper for local government, it needs to be managed effectively for optimum outcomes.
References
Belrhiti, Z., Van Damme, W., Belalia, A., & Marchal, B. (2020). The effect of leadership on public service motivation: a multiple embedded case study in Morocco. BMJ Open, 10 (1).
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Cohen, S., & Eimicke, W. (2008). The responsible contract manager: Protecting the public interest in an outsourced world. Georgetown University Press.
Donahue, J. D., & Nye, J. S. (Eds.). (2004). Market-based governance: Supply side, demand side, upside, and downside. Brookings Institution Press.
Kim, S. (2017). Lessons learned from public and private contract managers for effective local government contracting out: The case of New Jersey. International Journal of Public Administration, 40 (9), 756-769.
Schwarz, G., Eva, N., & Newman, A. (2020). Can Public Leadership Increase Public Service Motivation and Job Performance? Public Administration Review.
