Program

Micro-level / Behavioral approach
At a micro-level, we are interested in the behavior of individuals in public organizations. Administrative structures and individual behavior are reciprocally enabling and limiting and therefore recursively related to each other. To examine our topics, we predominantly use motivational and leadership theories. One of our current research topics is public sector leadership.

Meso-level / Governance approach
At a meso-level, the control of public organizations is the focus of our research. We seek control solutions, not only within internal management systems, but also precisely where players from the public, private, and third sectors cooperate. Concepts from management control and organizational design serve as a theoretical basis. Currently we are examining mixed governance, the mixed configuration of control mechanisms.

Macro-level / Institutional approach
At a macro-level, our focus is on the embeddedness of organizations in the public sector and broader society. Public organizations play a primary role in the changes in society, on whose legitimation they likewise depend. To understand this precarious interplay, we apply theoretical perspectives of new institutional theory. We are currently examining strategies and processes for institutional change in the public sector.