'Damned if you do and damned if you don't': a framework for examining double binds in public service organizations

A key challenge for contemporary public service organizations is the requirement to incorporate different, at times conflicting, demands into their operations. Such demands and the organizational challenges they impose have been described in theories of institutional complexity, organizational parad...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPublic management review Vol. 24; no. 7; pp. 1001 - 1023
Main Authors Røhnebæk, Maria Taivalsaari, Breit, Eric
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 03.07.2022
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Double binds
institutional complexity
labour and welfare services
organizational paradoxes
Public administration
Public services
public value conflicts
Theory
Usefulness
Values
Welfare
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Summary:A key challenge for contemporary public service organizations is the requirement to incorporate different, at times conflicting, demands into their operations. Such demands and the organizational challenges they impose have been described in theories of institutional complexity, organizational paradox(es) and conflicting public values. In this paper, we complement these existing theories by developing an analytical framework based on the 'double bind' theory. The framework enables understandings of conflicting demands stemming from double communication and elusive mixed messages. We demonstrate the usefulness of the double bind framework by examining the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration.
ISSN:1471-9037
1471-9045
DOI:10.1080/14719037.2021.1882542