The influence of policy change on organizational structure
Abstract
Public organizations respond to policy change in varied and unpredictable ways. The democratic control of these implementing agents represents one of the greatest challenges in the field of public administration. The current study took a mixed methods approach to exploring how one public organization that experienced a significant policy change responded as well as the policy-relevant effects that resulted from the response. Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) experienced a significant change in policy as a result of the passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Contingency theory tells us that in response to significant environmental changes, organizations will seek a structural response that aligns with the contingency demands of the environment, but also serves to protect or enhance performance. Describing the current case through the lens of contingency theory allows for attention to be drawn to important aspects of the organizational response that may have otherwise appeared unrelated. The results of this study point to the significant role that task uncertainty played in motivating the organization's structural response to the policy change, as well as provide evidence that the specific response designed by Missouri VR led to anticipated results supporting high level policy goals, but also may have caused unexpected effects on student access to VR services.
Degree
Ph. D.