Insights from local government managers

Navigating crises through organizational capacities and perceptions

Bibliographic Data

ID10401268
AuthorsCarmela Barbera (0000-0002-6230-1277, University of Bergamo Bergamo Italy), Bernard Kofi Dom (0000-0002-0889-2571, Nottingham Trent University Nottingham UK), Céline Du Boys (0009-0009-5830-1264, Aix‐Marseille Université Aix‐en‐Provence CEDEX France), Sanja Korac (0000-0002-2352-9711, German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer Speyer Germany), Iris Saliterer (0000-0002-8299-8462, Department of Public and Nonprofit Management University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany, corresponding author), Ileana Steccolini (0000-0003-4346-2742, Essex Business School University of Essex Colchester UK)
Year2024
Volume85
Issue3
Pages717-736
Publication date2024-08-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePublic Administration Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-3352 • E-ISSN: 1540-6210
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/puar.13859
OpenAlexW4401369124
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited110

Recent years have shown that strategic responses to crises by local governments (LGs) depend on the type of crisis, the institutional environment, but also internal capacities and sensemaking processes. However, such relationships have not been tested widely yet. Based on a survey of managers ( n = 590) from cities with more than 15,000 inhabitants in France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, this study explores the role played by specific organizational capacities (critical thinking, bricolage, and financial capacities) and crisis perceptions (valence—i.e., threat vs. opportunity; and controllability) in shaping adaptive or regressive response strategies. Results show that these capacities are associated with how LGs' managers perceive crises and the type of responses adopted. Higher financial capacity, bricolage, and critical thinking are associated with stronger sense of organizational controllability, but they have different relationships with threat and opportunity perceptions. The study confirms the importance of distinguishing valence (threat and opportunity) from controllability perceptions

Bricolage · Business · Economics · Financial crisis · Perception · Political science · Public relations · Sensemaking · Valence (chemistry · Disaster Management and Resilience · Psychology · Public Policy and Administration Research · Public Relations and Crisis Communication