Publication
Title
Do reputational threats influence the rigidity of US agencies? A dynamic panel data approach
Author
Abstract
What happens to organizational rigidity when public organizations faced reputational threats over time? Do they take external criticism as incentives to become less rigid and more innovative and flexible through employee involvement and empowerment? Or do reputational threats paradoxically contribute to the very rigidity that is often stereotyped as inherent parts of government? Building on threat‐rigidity theory, we test the temporal relation between reputational threats (both in terms of the direction of reputation and its turbulence) and organizational rigidity. We apply a dynamic panel data approach combining different data sources on 34 US agencies over a period of 13 years. The results show that organizational rigidity increased, both when reputations evolved negatively over time and when reputations evolved more turbulently. No combined effect of negative reputations and reputational turbulence was observed. Both sources of reputational threats independently precluded organizations from creating a climate of employee empowerment, involvement, flexibility and innovation.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Public administration review / American Society for Public Administration. - Chicago, Ill.
Publication
Chicago, Ill. : 2023
ISSN
0033-3352 [print]
1540-6210 [online]
DOI
10.1111/PUAR.13732
Volume/pages
83 :6 (2023) , p. 1798-1812
ISI
001089844400001
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
The author-created version that incorporates referee comments and is the accepted for publication version Available from 02.10.2024
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Trust and distrust in multi-level governance: causes, dynamics, and effects (GOVTRUST).
Using Twitter as a public communication strategy: Can 140 characters reduce the Performance-Satisfaction Gap in the public sector?
Publication type
Subject
Law 
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 12.10.2023
Last edited 12.06.2024
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