Service Delivery During Crises: The Effects of Organizational Capacity,Collaboration,and Public Service Motivation on Organizational Resilience

Abstract

The public management literature suggests that organizational capacity, collaboration, and public service motivation positively impact organizational resilience. However, in times of emergencies/crises, when public administrators have limited time to plan and react, it is unclear what factors are more relevant for service delivery continuity. The present study focuses on organizational resiliency during crises and examines the predictors of service delivery continuity among county governments during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results suggest that in times of crises, the capacity of local governments is a significant predictor of organizational resilience as opposed to public service motivation, which did not contribute to organizational resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Collaboration, on the other hand, had mixed results. These results suggest that governments should focus on strengthening their capacities to withstand shocks from crises.

Keywords

COVID-19 organizational resilience public service motivation (PSM)capacity collaboration

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