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- Title
Research note: Public and private managers' perceptions of red tape.
- Authors
Rainey, Hal G.; Pandey, Sanjay; Bozeman, Barry
- Abstract
This article presents a survey of public and private managers' perceptions of red tape in their organizations. Results showed some sharp differences between public and private managers' perceptions about certain aspects of red tape. The public managers were much likely to perceive their personnel rules as making it hard to base a managers' pay and promotion on performance. It also found some support for the goal ambiguity hypothesis, but for both sectors. Similar to some previous surveys, it found no differences between public and private managers on perceived organizational goal ambiguity. As important as the question of whether public organizations have distinctively high levels of red tape is the issue of where red tape comes from. An explanation closely related to goal ambiguity suggests that public mangers frequently issue and emphasize red tape because they feel insecure about their authority and control over their subordinates. According to this hypothesis, public managers feel that their hierarchical authority is weakened by civil service rules and other administrative constraints, by political interventions and oversight, by unions, and by political alliances that subordinates may have with legislators and interest groups.
- Subjects
UNITED States; BUREAUCRACY; TRADE regulation; PUBLIC officers; NATIONAL service; PUBLIC administration; CIVIL service; PRESSURE groups
- Publication
Public Administration Review, 1995, Vol 55, Issue 6, p567
- ISSN
0033-3352
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2307/3110348