Managers’ perception on public organizations’ performance and new public management during economic crises

Abstract

Purpose: The main aim of this article is to evaluate the views of civil servants employed in a managerial position in the Greek Parliament, on whether the principles of the new public management would be more effective for the recent economic and financial crisis in Greece. Design/methodology/approach: The research methodology includes the following: a literature review on the public sector specificities and the principles of the new public management; a primary research conducted as a case study with a structured questionnaire addressed to civil servants working at the Greek Parliament (sample of 20 managers). Findings: The main conclusion of the survey is that public managers believe that the principles of the new public management should be applied, and what is interesting is the fact that these views remain the same irrespective of the state of the economic crisis. Practical implications: The results can contribute to improve the effectiveness of public management, employee’s satisfaction and motivation so as to improve their work performance. Additionally, the study offers the possibility for a new legal framework in the Greek public sector concerning employee’s performance evaluation and rewarding. Originality/value: The study is unique in its origin as although it examines a well-known tool of public administration which is the new public management theory it is tested under the conditions of an economic crisis in the Greek Parliament from the point of view of a useful tool to get out of the crisis.