Public managers, drivers of ambidexterity in public service delivery. The perceived impact of red tape and PSM on ambidexterity

Purpose To overcome external challenges and deliver high-quality public services, public organizations must balance efficiency and innovation, becoming ambidextrous. The main purpose of the paper is to gain more insight into the impact of red tape on ambidexterity and the moderating role of public service motivation (PSM) by examining the perceptions of public managers. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through a survey among 278 public managers working for a general administration of a Federal Public Service in Belgium and analyzed by multiple linear regression. Findings Our findings show that red tape has a negative impact on ambidexterity. Although PSM does not moderate this relationship, it does show a direct positive effect on ambidexterity. Originality/value Although considered an important capability within public administration (PA), research on specific PA antecedents of ambidexterity is still limited. This paper makes two important contributions. First, by focusing on public managers, it explores what their role is regarding ambidexterity. Second, this paper empirically contributes to the understanding of how two specific PA phenomena, red tape and PSM, influence ambidexterity. This contributes to two debates: the debate on the influence and control of individual managers on the consequences of red tape within public organizations and the debate about the consequences of red tape and PSM for ambidexterity.