Purpose

The paper proposes that public sector organizations facing institutionalized reform pressure may not only integrate the reform into their operation when it fits but also pace the integration while undergoing organizational cultural transformations to fit with the reform. The newly cultivated cultural characteristics, nonetheless, need to be compatible externally with the ideational basis of the reform and internally with existing values and beliefs embodied by the organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

Building on a neo-institutionalist perspective, the paper develops a model which considers the possibilities and conditions that local cultural change in the reforming organizations may facilitate reform integration. To test the model's analytical potential, the paper analyzed reform responses of semi-autonomous agencies from Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden under the New Public Management (NPM) reform. Ordinary least square (OLS) regression models were performed on the survey data collected from agency heads (or representative) during the peak of the reform trend. Analyzing this sample of later adopters whose government generally enjoyed high degrees of capacity and autonomy provided a preliminary test to the model's potential.

Findings

Significant statistical relations were found between the adoption of operation-level NPM practices and the extent that an agency's cultural characteristics fit with both the ideational basis of NPM and the exiting value-belief mix the agency embodied. Agency characteristics of “proactive responsiveness” and “goal-oriented cooperation” were found significantly related to adoption of NPM practices, showing the possibility of cultivating local cultural changes in reforming organizations.

Originality/value

While compatible with neo-institutionalist emphasis on local continuity, the paper describes an alternative scenario of reform integration for public managers.

中文翻译：

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全球改革符合当地情况：文化兼容性和公共部门改革中的实践采用

目的

本文提出，面临制度化改革压力的公共部门组织，不仅可以在适当的时候将其整合到其运作中，还可以在进行组织文化变革以适应改革的同时加快整合的步伐。但是，新培育的文化特征需要在外部与改革的思想基础相适应，并在内部与组织所体现的现有价值和信念相适应。

设计/方法/方法

本文以新制度主义的观点为基础，建立了一个模型，该模型考虑了改革组织中地方文化变革可能促进改革整合的可能性和条件。为了检验该模型的分析潜力，本文分析了在新公共管理（NPM）改革下来自丹麦，荷兰和瑞典的半自治机构的改革响应。在改革趋势达到顶峰期间，对从机构负责人（或代表）那里收集的调查数据进行了普通最小二乘（OLS）回归模型。对政府通常享有高度能力和自治权的后来采用者的样本进行分析，为该模型的潜力提供了初步测试。

发现

在采用运营级别的NPM做法与代理机构的文化特征既符合NPM的概念基础又符合代理机构所体现的现有价值信念的程度之间，存在显着的统计关系。人们发现，机构的“积极响应”和“目标导向的合作”特征与采用国家预防机制的做法密切相关，这表明有可能在改革组织中培养当地文化的变化。

创意/价值

虽然与强调地方连续性的新制度主义相吻合，但本文描述了公共管理者改革一体化的另一种情况。