EXPLORATION OF FACTORS INFLUENCING CIVIL SERVANTS JOB PERFORMANCE

EXPLORATION OF FACTORS INFLUENCING CIVIL SERVANTS’ JOB PERFORMANCE CULTURE IN VIETNAM Presenter: MA. Giang Vinh Hoang (Lecturer of National Academy of Public Administration, Vietnam, Ph. D Student of University of Southampton , UK ) Co-Authors: Prof. Martin Broad and Associate Prof. Pingli Li (University of Southampton) SEPTEMBER 2017

CONTENTS: 1. INTRODUCTION 2. RESEARCH METHODS 3. FINDINGS

I. INTRODUCTION 1. RESEARCH CONTEXT • New Public Management (NPM) with its theory on performance management has emerged as the most outstanding movement all over the world (Haynes, 2003, 2015; Hood, 2000; Pollitt & Bouckaert, 2004, 2011…). • Culture change in the public sector is required, which targets to shift a culture that is more customer-oriented, opened and innovative within government bureaucracies (Ashworth, Boyne, & Entwistle, 2010; Wynen & Verhoest, 2015…)

I. INTRODUCTION ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS IN VIETNAM Initiated in late 1980 s The renovation reform process (Doi moi) Launched in 1995 The 8 th Plenum of the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Communist Party (Congress VII), 1/1995 The 1 st Master Program of PAR (2001 -2010) The Decision No 136/2001/QDTTg dated 17/9/2001 The 2 nd Master Program of PAR (2011 -2020) The Resolution No. 30 c/NQ-CP dated 8/11/2011 of the Government

I. INTRODUCTION 2. RESEARCH MOTIVATIONS • Job performance has been received considerable attention of public administration scholars and practitioners, but the literature is still very little. • Job performance studies have been heavily conducted in private sector organizations that is mainly profit driven and, thus dependent on productivity. • There is a lack of study on cultural aspects of employees’ job performance in the public sector. • Most researches have been conducted in developed countries. • There is not any researches on cultural aspects of civil servants job performance conducted in Vietnam systematically.

Job performance approaches Job performance is behaviours/actions Little understanding on this aspect, especially cultural aspect Job Performance Job performance is outcomes Academics focus too much on the aspect of productivity and outcomes of job performance

Culture Concept Culture is simply defined as “ The way things are done around here” Bower’s (1966)) Schein (2004)

3. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND QUESTIONS This research aims to investigate the perception and experiences of civil servants pertaining to their job performance culture 1. How do civil servants experience and perceive their job performance? 2. What are the factors affecting their job performance culture? 3. How do these factors affect their job performance culture?

II. RESEARCH METHODS GROUNDED THEORY (GT) Constructing theory from the data GT is classically an inductive methodology Two main differences between GT to other forms of qualitative research: 1) the concepts created are generated from data collection process; 2) research analysis and data collection are conducted simultaneously.

RESEACH SAMPLES Criteria Characteristics Gender Male Female 26 – 35 36 - 45 Over 45 3 - 10 years 11 – 20 years Over 20 years Under graduate Degree Bachelor Degree Master Degree Functional Officer Manager Commune-level Administrative Organization District-level Administrative Organization Provincial-level Administrative Organization Central-level Administrative Organization Urban Rural Age Average years working in administrative organization Educational Qualification Position/Role Type of Organization Area (Urban/Rural) Location North of Vietnam Central of Vietnam South of Vietnam Number of participants (56) Percentage 34 22 39 16 01 34 21 01 4 14 38 33 23 13 60. 7% 39. 3% 69. 6% 28. 6% 1. 8% 60. 7% 37. 5% 1. 8% 7. 1% 25% 67. 9% 58. 9% 41. 1% 23. 2% 19 22 02 34 22 19 23 14 33. 9% 39. 3% 3. 6% 60. 7% 39. 3% 33. 9% 41. 1% 25%

DATA ANALYSIS OPEN CODING 165 codes 21 open categories AXIAL CODING 9 categories SELECTIVE CODING 04 main categories

III. RESEARCH FINDINGS INERTNESS • Civil Servants’ status • Passiveness • Dependence CENTRALIZATION OF AUTHORITY • Leaderships • Political Intervention RESPONSIVENESS • Hierarchy • • Service users • • Service-oriented Culture • • Accountability Requirement • • MANIPULATION Role ambiguity Weak regulation frameworks Distortion Imputation Harmonization of Relationship Theoretical model of Factors affecting civil servants’ job performance culture

• Being a core category affecting job performance culture and other main factors (causing inertness, manipulation, less responsiveness etc. ) • Being recognized at all levels (system, organization and individual). • Being Observed from 3 main categories: ü Leaderships: Emphasis too much the role of the head. Very little room for bottom-up participation and grassroots participation. ü Supreme role of the Political Party (Political Orientation and Management). ü Hierarchical status at all levels

III. RESEARCH FINDINGS INERTNESS • Civil Servants’ status • Passiveness • Dependence CENTRALIZATION OF AUTHORITY • Leaderships • Political Intervention RESPONSIVENESS • Hierarchy • • Service users • • Service-oriented Culture • • Accountability Requirement • • MANIPULATION Role ambiguity Weak regulation frameworks Distortion Imputation Harmonization of Relationship Theoretical model of Factors affecting civil servants’ job performance culture

1. Innerness is not only a consequence but also a major factor affecting job performance culture. 2. Inertness has a root from: ü Stability of civil servants’ status (Stable Career, Security Minded, Inappropriate Competence). ü The huge dependence on organizational structure, leaders, cooperation, budget, laws, regulations, policies, and other unpredictable things. ü The passiveness of civil servants (lack of initiatives and resistance to change).

III. RESEARCH FINDINGS INERTNESS • Civil Servants’ status • Passiveness • Dependence CENTRALIZATION OF AUTHORITY • Leaderships • Political Intervention RESPONSIVENESS • Hierarchy • • Service users • • Service-oriented Culture • • Accountability Requirement • • MANIPULATION Role ambiguity Weak regulation frameworks Distortion Imputation Harmonization of Relationship Theoretical model of Factors affecting civil servants’ job performance culture

Responsiveness is not only a mission but also a requirement of civil servants’ job performance. This has a root from: • Demanding Service Users (Pressure from service users, growing citizens dissatisfaction with government , awareness of citizens) • Changes in the civil servants’ awareness of mission and behaviours in the interaction with citizens and public service delivery • Accountability requirement as the citizens’ voice and administration reforms

III. RESEARCH FINDINGS INERTNESS • Civil Servants’ status • Passiveness • Dependence CENTRALIZATION OF AUTHORITY • Leaderships • Political Intervention RESPONSIVENESS • Hierarchy • • Service users • • Service-oriented Culture • • Accountability Requirement • • MANIPULATION Role ambiguity Weak regulation frameworks Distortion Imputation Harmonization of Relationship Theoretical model of Factors affecting civil servants’ job performance culture

Manipulation is a major factors affecting civil servants’ job performance culture. It causes civil servants in many cases cannot and do not abide regulations and laws.

A Few Closing Thoughts … • The Vietnamese Prime Minister puts a motto for his cabinet for the 2016 -2021 Government : to build an “enabling government that facilitates development, acts with integrity and pro-activeness and works for its People”. • Viet Nam has started rolling out its national Agenda for Sustainable Development towards 2030, in which Goal 16 emphasizes citizen participation and inclusion in governance and strong institutions that promote accountability, responsiveness and anti-corruption. v The findings show that the Vietnamese Government Efforts for administrative reform may be challenged by its own administrative culture characteristics and the long road for public administration reforms in Vietnam is still ahead.

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