影響基層官僚組織服務品質的因素：政府服務品質獎的資料分析

Investigating the Factors Affecting the Service Quality of Street-Level Bureaucracies: An Analysis of the Applicants and Winners of Government Service Quality Award

這是一篇初探性研究的論文，旨在探究為何某些基層官僚組織會比其他組織的服務績效更為卓越？新公共管理主張公共組織應該建立績效導向的文化，服務品質改善逐成為公部門改革運動的重要一環。既有文獻對於服務品質的測量與管理策略已有不少討論，卻殊少聚焦在制度系絡與組織屬性對於服務品質改善造成之潛在影響。基此，本研究主張組織領導與管理這類軟性／後天因素固然重要，但制度與結構等硬性／先天因素也不宜輕忽。方法論上，本研究以歷屆（2009—2013年）「政府服務品質獎」作為資料來源，針對曾參獎和獲獎的「第一線服務機關」自行建立研究資料庫。研究結果發現參照對象、行政區域，以及員工總數等先天因素，確實對基層組織服務品質的改善構成顯著影響。對於上述發現之意涵與限制，本研究也提出一些討論。

This study is intended to be a preliminary investigation of the factors influencing the service performance of street-level bureaucracies. Since advocates of the New Public Management assert that public organizations have to create a performance-oriented culture, service quality improvement gradually becomes an integral part of the reform movement in the public sector. Although much attention has been paid to the measurement of service quality and the issue of managerial strategies, the relationships between institutional context and organizational attributes and service quality improvement have as yet received relatively scant attention. To bridge the potential knowledge gaps, the authors argue that soft factors (i.e., leadership and management) and hard factors (i.e., institution and organization) are both crucial factors in determining public service performance. Methodologically, the authors establish a data set in accordance with the application records related to “the Government Service Quality Award’ (2009-2013) of “the street-level bureaucracies’. Three significant factors, including reference groups, administration regions, and the number of long-term public employees, are identified and explicated, with research limitations also being discussed.