Frontline Bureaucratic Attitude toward Administrative Integration: Does Organizational Configuration Matter?

• Published date: 01 August 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00953997231165995
• Author: Fangda Ding,Bo Wen,Jongmin Shon
• Date: 01 August 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/00953997231165995

Administration & Society

2023, Vol. 55(7) 1255 –1289

© The Author(s) 2023

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DOI: 10.1177/00953997231165995

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Article

Frontline Bureaucratic

Attitude toward

Administrative

Integration: Does

Organizational

Configuration Matter?

Fangda Ding1, Bo Wen2,

and Jongmin Shon3

Abstract

The attitudes of frontline bureaucrats play a crucial role in the

implementation of administrative restructuring. Administrative integration is

a type of administrative reform that can fundamentally change the structure

of a local administrative system and may face opposition from local public

bureaucracies. Successful administrative integration requires reformers

to comprehensively grasp the factors that influence frontline bureaucrats’

attitudes toward this distinctive form of administrative restructuring.

This study empirically examines how organizational configurations shape

bureaucratic attitudes toward administrative integration. The findings have

both theoretical and practical implications for research on bureaucratic

attitudes, organizational configurations, and administrative integration.

Keywords

administrative integration, bureaucratic attitude, organizational configuration

1Rutgers University Newark, Newark, NJ, USA

2City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region),

People’s Republic of China

3Soongsil University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Corresponding Author:

Bo Wen, Department of Public and International Affairs, City University of Hong Kong, Room

5339, Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin Academic Building, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.

Email: wen.bo@cityu.edu.hk

1165995AAS0010.1177/00953997231165995Administration & SocietyDing et al.

research-article2023

1256 Administration & Society 55(7)

Introduction

Organizational outcomes have gained increasing attention from public sec-

tors worldwide since the emergence of the “New Public Management.”

Various methods of administrative restructuring have been devised to enhance

the quality and efficiency of public service delivery (e.g., Dunleavy & Hood,

1994; Hood, 1995; McLaughlin et al., 2002). One major approach to admin-

istrative reform, known as “administrative integration” or “coordination,”

has been widely adopted by numerous countries aiming to establish an effec-

tive administrative system. While policy integration emphasizes the policy

process and aims to achieve integrated policy objectives, administrative inte-

gration concentrates on organizational structure and interagency coordination

(Bouckaert et al., 2010; Trein & Maggetti, 2020). As public organizations

tend to resist change, administrative integration may proceed more slowly

than policy integration. However, it can result in significant and profound

impacts by altering the structure of the public sector (Buchanan & Badham,

2008; Pierson, 1996). Therefore, administrative integration can be more

influential than other types of administrative reform on frontline bureaucrats,

who are the main stakeholders of local agencies. The acceptance of adminis-

trative integration by bureaucrats determines the success of this systemic

restructuring effort. Nevertheless, only a limited number of studies have

examined the factors that contribute to bureaucratic attitudes or behaviors

toward this specific administrative change.

Extensive research has been conducted on the role of bureaucratic atti-

tudes in administrative reforms. As local implementers of policy proposals,

frontline bureaucrats’ attitudes have been found to significantly impact the

success of administrative changes in the public sector. Their attitudes toward

what is highlighted in administrative reforms can affect their motivation to

comply with the reforms (e.g., Tummers et al., 2012). Conversely, adverse

bureaucratic attitudes, such as shirking, free-riding, and power misuse, have

been shown to negatively impact service delivery quality during the imple-

mentation phase (e.g., Brehm & Gates, 1999). Moreover, the attitudes of indi-

vidual bureaucrats, when aggregated, can be internalized and influence the

organizational culture, resulting in collective actions oriented toward admin-

istrative reform (e.g., May & Winter, 2007). Despite the well-documented

significance of bureaucratic attitudes toward the outcomes of administrative

reform, few studies have systematically explored the antecedents of such atti-

tudes, particularly in public organizational settings.

Numerous public administration studies have emphasized the impact of

organizational configurations on bureaucratic behaviors and attitudes. Micro-

level theories such as street-level bureaucracy and principal-agent

Ding et al. 1257

relationships have highlighted the crucial role of discretion in shaping the

power of frontline bureaucrats during policy implementation. Bureaucrats’

attitudes toward ongoing or impending administrative changes depend on the

level of discretion that is allowable and how much it will be affected by the

changes (e.g., Wilson, 2019; Tummers & Bekkers, 2014; Wood & Waterman,

1991). On a meso-level, organizational structures, including formalization,

centralization, and professionalization levels, indirectly affect bureaucratic

behaviors by conditioning their working environments (Glisson & Martin,

1980; Rainey, 2009; Shapiro et al., 2006). Frontline bureaucrats develop an

image of an ideal workplace arrangement, which can serve as a reference for

their sentiments about structural changes imposed on their departments.

However, empirical studies on how organizational configurations at micro-

and meso-levels determine frontline bureaucratic attitudes toward major

macro-scale changes, such as administrative integration, remain scarce (e.g.,

Tummers & Bekkers, 2014; Tummers et al., 2012).

This study aims to address the gaps in the literature by investigating the

linkages between bureaucratic attitudes, organizational configurations, and

administrative integration. It empirically examines the association between

different organizational configurations and the attitudes of frontline bureau-

crats toward administrative integration within the context of a prolonged

administrative reform in China. The study surveyed around 700 officials from

two municipalities in Hubei Province and found that discretion, supervision,

and professionalization in the organizational structure significantly influenced

the attitudes of local bureaucrats toward administrative integration. Those

who had prior experience with such a change were more likely to support it.

This study contributes to the literature on bureaucratic attitudes and adminis-

trative changes by enriching the theoretical and practical perspectives. Firstly,

it extends the theory of organizational behavior in the public sector by explor-

ing the relationship between structural factors and individual behaviors from

an attitudinal perspective to identify the primary organizational factors that

shape bureaucratic sentiments toward administrative changes. Secondly, it

provides insights into the use of organizational structural designs to gain sup-

port from bureaucrats, which is critical to establishing successful long-term

strategies for the reconstruction of local governmental systems.

Discretion, Administrative Integration, and

Bureaucratic Attitudes

From a micro perspective, scholars of street-level bureaucracy theory con-

tend that perceived discretion as an explicit and behavioral aspect of organi-

zational configuration plays a crucial role in shaping bureaucratic attitudes