Public Management and Educational Performance: The Impact of Managerial Networking

- Critique of O’Toole and Meier’s Theory of Network Management -
Introduction

In “Public Management and Educational Performance: The Impact of Managerial Networking (2003),” Kenneth Meier and Laurence O’Toole explore network management and how the efforts of management in this area could be utilized in public organizations. A good number of works show that managers use networking to implement policy, but an absence regarding the impact of that networking remains (Meier, O’Toole, 2003, p. 690). The authors acknowledge the importance of assessing impact and role of network management as organizations are becoming more complex (2003, p. 697) Meier and O’Toole’s approach to managerial networking shows that managers who actively network can be more effective in certain conditions (2003, p. 689).

Meier and O’Toole’s model “estimates how the effort of management in networking affects programs” by focusing on environmental management (2003, p. 691). Managerial effort is the ratio of how managers are able to influence their environment to how managers are able to buffer environmental shocks (2003, p. 692). The theoretical model used is based off of the authors’ “general model of managing programs and organizations”, but because a data set to define/measure the general model was non-existent, the authors simplified the model by eliminating the consideration of hierarchy and structure variations (there was only slight variation in the setting studied) and management of operations (extraneous to focus of study). Even though it is doubtful that Meier and O’Toole’s general model will ever be fully expressed in regards to network management, organizations structured similarly to the setting studied may want to consider using network management to successfully implement programs (2003, p. 691-692). Specifically, managers can be more effective when they are able to take advantage of opportunities and control limitations in their particular environment (2003, p. 689)

Strength: Simplified Theoretical Approach

One of the strengths of Meier and O’Toole’s simplified approach is that it is generalizable within environments that have comparable frameworks. Specifically, the case tested was in the educational setting, and according to the authors, “School districts are highly professionalized, with elaborate certification processes for various occupations. The organizations themselves tend to be decentralized with a great deal of street-level (classroom) discretion (2003, p. 692).” A good example of where Meier and O’Toole’s approach would be useful is within the organization I am currently employed, the Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA). My position in VHA entails managing a clinical program at the national level. The framework of the local clinical programs within VHA is structured in a way which they are decentralized in order to allow the field flexibility, or as the authors describe as discretion. At the national level, I am responsible for writing policy and providing guidance in a way that allows the field to meet requirements based on their unique medical center’s resources, hiring processes, and local practices and policies. All of the medical centers have been decentralized from VHA for this purpose; therefore, structure variation would be minor and the authors’ model could be validly applied.

Weakness: Measure of Network Management

Meier and O’Toole’s concept of managerial effort as a measure has some weaknesses. The measure is based off of frequency of contact alone. The authors acknowledge that the measure does not take into account other factors such as nuances of the actors engaged (2003, p. 692). While working for VHA, I have encountered nuances that dictate frequency of