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Putting on the velvet glove: The paradox of "soft" core values in "hard" organizations

Author

Listed:
  • Wæraas, Arild

    (School of Economics and Business, Norwegian University of Life Sciences)

Abstract

Following New Public Management and Reinventing Government reforms, public sector organizations are expected to pursue values such as efficiency, performance, and accountability, reflecting a ‘hard’ identity as managed organization. By examining the contents of 394 core value statements retrieved from U.S. federal agencies, this study examines the importance of these values relative to other values reflecting alternative identities. It finds that the agencies prefer to rely on ‘soft’ values such as integrity, respect, openness, and customer orientation to express their identities. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for our understanding of organizational actorhood in a public sector context.

Suggested Citation

  • Wæraas, Arild, 2015. "Putting on the velvet glove: The paradox of "soft" core values in "hard" organizations," Working Paper Series 09-2015, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, School of Economics and Business.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:nlsseb:2015_009
    as

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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    6. Power, Michael, 1999. "The Audit Society: Rituals of Verification," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198296034, Decembrie.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Actorhood theory; organizational identity; public sector values; construction of organization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure
    • M10 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - General
    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility

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