Changing organizational values and actions in public services: a longitudinal empirical analysis

Swathes of management reforms have swept through Western democratic countries over the past two decades, resulting in changes in management, organization and service delivery (Pollitt and Bouckeart, 2000). Reforms have sought to change the values and actions of public organizations, placing emphasis at various points on competition and privatization, customer focus, innovation, decentralization, and partnerships. Analyses of such changes are often limited to case studies, and we know little about how public organizations and public servants have changed.