Red tape and psychological capital: a counterbalancing act for professionals in street-level bureaucracies

Dudau, A.I. , Kominis, G. and Brunetto, Y. (2020) Red tape and psychological capital: a counterbalancing act for professionals in street-level bureaucracies. Journal of Professions and Organization, 7(3), pp. 334-350. (doi: 10.1093/jpo/joaa024)

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Abstract

Assuming that red tape is inevitable in institutions, and drawing on positive organizational behavior, we compare the impact of individual psychological capital on the ability of street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) with different professional backgrounds to work within the confines of red tape. The two SLB professions investigated here are nurses and local government employees; and the work outcomes of interest to this study are well-being and engagement. The findings show that red tape has a different impact on each professional group but, encouragingly, they also indicate that psychological capital has a compensatory effect. Implications include nurses requiring more psychological resources than local government employees to counteract the negative impact of red tape. A practical implication for managers is that, if perception of red tape in organizations is set to increase or to stay constant, enhancing the psychological capital of professionals in SLB roles, through specific interventions, may be beneficial to professionals and organizations alike.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Dudau, Professor Adina and Kominis, Dr Georgios
Authors: Dudau, A.I., Kominis, G., and Brunetto, Y.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Accounting and Finance
College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
Journal Name:Journal of Professions and Organization
Publisher:Oxford University Press
ISSN:2051-8803
ISSN (Online):2051-8811
Published Online:11 December 2020
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2020 The Authors
First Published:First published in Journal of Professions and Organization 7(3): 334-350
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

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