An insight into continuous improvement in the public sector and the impact of employee culture and motivation – 3 case studies of the emergency services in Scotland

Abstract

The application of continuous improvement methodologies and in particular Lean, Six Sigma and the integrated Lean Six Sigma and their predecessors or derivatives have been controversial as they are seen as manufacturing sector methodologies and part of government drives towards new public management. Public sector employees in general and emergency services staff in particular are often viewed as being motivated by making a difference and work in the sector to provide high-quality service, the purpose of the research is to explore these phenomena and how they could be integrated into a more holistic approach to continuous improvement within the public sector and result in improved service delivery. A systematic literature review of the deployment of methodologies and the approaches taken in public sector organisations globally identified 174 papers published between 2004 and 2020, while reviews of current theories around organisational culture and motivation contribute to a broader understanding of the public sector perspectives beyond improvement methodologies. The literature review evidenced that while there was a focus on tools and techniques of methodologies and a recognition of gaps around strategic approaches, sustainability, culture, and people there was very limited literature that sought to address these gaps. The literature is used to develop a mixed-methods approach with 23 semi-structured interviews and 710 questionnaires completed across the three case studies of related national organisations within Scotland, UK. Specifically, the emergency services; Scottish Ambulance Service, Police Service of Scotland, and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. The unit of analysis in the case studies are the hierarchical management levels in the respective organisations. The results of the empirical studies show the low maturity levels of continuous improvement across all three organisations and evidence the impact of hierarchical sub-cultures on perceptions of organisational approach, engagement of employees, and empowerment as they relate to identifying and delivering service improvements as well as the impact of both organisational sub-cultures and public service motivation on these perceptions. The research findings contribute to narrowing the knowledge gaps in the organisational deployment of continuous improvement in public sector organisations in particular the impact of both pluralist cultures and public employee motivation. The key theoretical contribution is synthesising the findings into a strategic theoretical framework to refocus emergency service organisations on the themes and activities which can support a sustainable culture of continuous improvement in the public sector.