Open AccessExploring Public Sector Managers’ Motivations in Deploying Decision Support Tools to the Street Level
Author(s) -
Chris McIntyre
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
policy quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2324-1101
pISSN - 2324-1098
DOI - 10.26686/pq.v15i1.5298
Subject(s) - discretion , public sector , front line , business , christian ministry , control (management) , service delivery framework , public relations , service (business) , line management , marketing , management , political science , economics , law
This article explores the motivations of public sector managers in developing and deploying digital tools to support decision making at the front lines of public service delivery. Two digital decision support tools created by New Zealand’s Ministry of Social Development are presented as a case study, drawing primarily on semi-structured interviews with senior managers. Results provide empirical evidence that public sector managers deploy digital tools not to curtail, but to support street-level bureaucrats’ discretion. Managers appear to be motivated not by increased control over front-line staff, but, rather, by improving clients’ experience of the system and decreasing longterm service costs.