Environmental Turbulence, Organizational Stability, and Public Service Performance

2008/12/02 by George A. Boyne, Kenneth J. Meier · 4 citations
Business, Management and Accounting · Social Sciences · #Accounting and Organizational Management #Corruption and Economic Development #Public Policy and Administration Research

paper · doi:10.1177/0095399708326333

openalex publication_date 2008/12/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30

Abstract

A turbulent external environment is widely believed to have damaging effects on public service performance. Much less consensus has been reached on whether the best response to turbulence is to retain or alter existing organizational structures. We provide the first comprehensive empirical analysis of these issues by testing the links between turbulence, structural stability, and performance in a large sample of public organizations. Our results show that turbulence has a negative effect on performance, and that this is compounded by internal organizational change. Thus public managers can mitigate the harmful effects of volatility in the external environment by maintaining structural stability.

Citations

• Econometric Analysis of Panel Data
• Strategic Moves and Organizational Survival in Turbulent Environments: The Case of Spanish Banks (1983–97)*
• Dimensions of Organizational Task Environments
• The Causal Texture of Organizational Environments

Cited by

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• Combining democratic, regulatory and coordination hybridity for achieving robustness in turbulent times
• Performance Measures and Parental Satisfaction With New York City Schools
• Navigating challenges at the frontline: evidence from Youth Outreach Unit (YOU) in marginalized communities

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