PurposeThe role of government especially in social services delivery is changing in the modern society and public governance (Bovaird 2005, Bovaird, Loffler 2009, Klijn 2012). The paper aims to present case studies to uncover... [ view full abstract ]
Purpose
The role of government especially in social services delivery is changing in the modern society and public governance (Bovaird 2005, Bovaird, Loffler 2009, Klijn 2012). The paper aims to present case studies to uncover the reflections of key participants involved in a process of social services delivery in Poland. It considers how they learn from failure and how they make sense of the variety of messages about, and approaches to, cooperation between Public Benefit Boards (RDPP) and Local Government.
Searching for new ways of delivering public services means that research regarding the conditions for effective services delivery should be targeted not only at the internal aspects of the providers. It is equally important to study the practices of establishing and maintaining inter-organizational relationships, as well as the processes that make up the context, in which the service is provided by a specific ecosystem. This view is consistent with the observed tendency to move away from perceiving services as a duty of the State, but rather to appreciate collaborative practices between organizational actors (i.e. organizations from different sectors) and individual actors (i.e. residents, being service recipients). One of such organizational actors is the RDPP, the area and means of which can be classified as social innovation undertaken in the activity of units of local self-government. This paper presents opinions about role of the trust (Lane, 1998) and learning from failure (Lawrence et al. 2005) in the mutual relations between local government and the RDPP.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach taken is based upon sense making in organisations. This paper seeks to draw attention to organisational tensions and some of the factors associated with organisational failure. We believe that organisations can learn from failure and learning from failure can be more important than learning from success (Cannon and Edmondson, 2001; Tax et al.,1998). However, failure from cooperation between RDPP and local self-government faces can be broader than financial insolvency and can also be about not meeting social aims (lack of created social value) or disappointing socio-political expectations (stakeholders involvement and support). The paper builds upon the concept of Sydow’s framework of interorganisational trust and integrative framework of determinants of organizational failure (Mellahi, Wilkinson, 2004). Participant drawings of these ideas were used to enhance data generated from face to face interviews.
Findings
The paper reviews actors’ experiences of failure in projects to explore the role of trust in relationships of those active in cooperation between RDPP and units of local self-government.
Research limitations/implications
The concepts of trust and learning from failure offer rich ways of perceiving the problems faced by concept of social services delivery. These concepts may go towards improving understanding in resolving problems and be beneficial in formulating policies and practices that improve service delivery within communities.
Originality/value
Little research looks at lessons learnt from failure and associated issues of trust between between RDPP and units of local self-government at a cooperation level. This paper suggests that further research in this area is needed to consider the quality of relationships being nurtured.
