The hierarchical consequences of reinvention: evidence from the American bureaucracy

Abstract

Purpose

Political reorganizations like that of the national performance review in the USA fundamentally alter hierarchical relations within public agencies. This paper includes a set of formal exercises to examine two logical consequences of reinvention: the increased likelihood of coordination failures, and the reduction in political leaders' hierarchical status in the organization.

Design/methodology/approach

These effects are discussed in the context of a substantial change in the public organization of health services: the alteration of the US Department of Health and Human Services' structure.

Findings

The paper argues that reinvention fundamentally alters the power and status of political appointees, the standing of top leadership, and the likelihood of conflict resolution within the organization.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to use historically important methods of understanding conflict resolution in organizations to the most important reform effort in American public administration in the last 30 years.

Citation

Whitford, A.B. (2010), "The hierarchical consequences of reinvention: evidence from the American bureaucracy", Journal of Management History, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 59-74. https://doi.org/10.1108/17511341011008313