Buildings Blocks for Public Value - a study of four managerial activities as conditions for public value creation

Abstract

In this article, we explore how the interaction of four activities of managers – managerial, technical, political and philosophical work – contribute towards public value creation. We use the relatively new approach fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to systematically compare the activities of managers and assess the public value of twelve community colleges. This article contributes to the emergent literature in which public value theory is applied in empirical research. The analysis showed that in order to achieve a high degree of public value, at least three but preferably all four activities need to be executed by the manager. Among these political work is the most important driver of effective managerial value creation.