Organizational climate and employee satisfaction following the reform of social services : lessons from Slovenia

Babšek, Matej (author), Kovač, Polonca (author), Tomaževič, Nina (author)

The main goal of the paper is to present how employees of social services in Slovenia view the reorganization carried out in 2018 with the purpose to draw attention to the importance of both the organizational climate and employee satisfaction before and after the reorganization given the established connection between these constructs. In the research, mixed methods were used, specifically an explanatory sequential design. In the quantitative phase, an online survey adapted to these organizations was conducted among employees, while in the following qualitative phase in‐depth semi‐structured interviews were performed with managers and professional workers. The results show the failure of the reorganization of social services because the set objectives were not accomplished. Employees rated both organizational climate and employee satisfaction worse after the reorganization than before it. Here, the most critical aspects are the lack of knowledge concerning the new organization’s mission, vision, and goals, coupled with the employees’ lack of identification with them. While, as expected, a connection exists between climate and satisfaction as well as satisfaction and attitudes to the reorganization, the research also reveals the important connection between digitalization and the principles of good governance pursued by these services. The findings of the research may be valuable for policymakers and practitioners while designing and implementing future reforms in social services organizations in terms of ensuring a favorable work climate and employee satisfaction.

• Language: English
• Keywords: organizational climate, employee satisfaction, social services, reform, reorganization, Slovenia
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FU - Faculty of Administration
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 55-70
• Numbering: Vol. 13, iss. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-164873
• UDC: 005
• ISSN on article: 2232-5867
• DOI: 10.17708/DRMJ.2024.v13n02a04
• COBISS.SI-ID: 214883587

Copyright

Licenca je navedena v zapisu za revijo v DOAJ.

• Publication date in RUL: 14.11.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Dynamic relationships management journal
• Publisher: Slovenian academy of management
• ISSN: 2232-5867
• COBISS.SI-ID: 262077952

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian

Abstract

Temeljni cilj prispevka je predstaviti, kako zaposleni na centrih za socialno delo v Sloveniji ocenjujejo leta 2018 izvedeno reorganizacijo ter opozoriti na pomembnost organizacijske klime in zadovoljstva zaposlenih pred in po reorganizaciji, glede na ugotovljeno povezavo med tema konstruktoma. V raziskavi so bile uporabljene mešane metode, natančneje način zaporednega pojasnjevanja. V kvantitativni fazi je bilo s tem organizacijam prilagojenim vprašalnikom med zaposlenimi izvedeno spletno anketiranje. V naslednji, kvalitativni fazi, so bili opravljeni poglobljeni polstrukturirani intervjuji z vodji in strokovnimi delavci. Rezultati kažejo, da reorganizacija centrov za socialno delo ni bila uspešna, saj zastavljeni cilji niso bili doseženi. Zaposleni so tako organizacijsko klimo kot tudi lastno zadovoljstvo z delom po reorganizaciji ocenili slabše kot pred njo. Najbolj kritična sta bila vidik ‘pomanjkanje poznavanja poslanstva, vizije in ciljev organizacij’ ter ‘pomanjkanje identifikacije zaposlenih z njimi’. Čeprav obstaja pričakovana povezava med organizacijsko klimo in zadovoljstvom pri delu, pa tudi med zadovoljstvom in stališči do reorganizacije, raziskava ugotavlja tudi pomembno povezavo med digitalizacijo in načeli dobrega upravljanja, ki jih zasledujejo te službe. Ugotovitve raziskave lahko bodočim snovalcem politik in izvajalcem koristijo pri načrtovanju prihodnjih reform v socialnovarstvenih organizacijah z namenom zagotavljanja ugodne organizacijske klime in zadovoljstva zaposlenih.

• Keywords: organizacijska klima, zadovoljstvo zaposlenih, socialne storitve, reforma, reorganizacija, Slovenija

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P5-0093
• Name: Razvoj sistema učinkovite in uspešne javne uprave