Abstract
The study of collaborative networks in the public sector has been mostly approached from structural and managerial perspectives. Cultural dimensions, however, have not been sufficiently studied. Drawing in a cognitive approach of culture, this article studies how emerging cultural constructs shape the operation of a municipal association in Chile. The study relies on 48 semi-structured interviews and the review of archival data coming from network meetings. The data analysis reveals that cultural constructs shape network operations by predisposing members to interact in certain ways. These ways of operation demonstrate functional and non-functional effects.
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Notes
Here, left wing mayors took all board positions as a reflection of the political majorities of members; as a result, the agreement was broken and many rightwing members resigned their memberships.
Regarding the silence about divergence among mayors as revealed in my interviews with them, I presumed that this was partially a function of members’ social desirability biases – that is, to place the partnership in the best possible light while also making themselves appear to favor consensus. However, the absence of debate was also reinforced by the records of meetings. In verbatim transcriptions I observed that meetings were usually short, concrete and without much debate. Instead, members’ comments generally echoed support for initial proposals presented by either the manager or chair of ARMMA, and thus, reflected a limited debate about proposals.
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Acknowledgements
I am very grateful to Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Usach. DICYT Project number 031764AY who helped with the financial support for this research, and to Luis Garrido-Vergara and Karina Retamal who helped with the edition of this article.
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Arias-Yurisch, K. Exploring Public Network’s Operation from a Cultural Approach: The Case of an Inter-Local Association in Chile. Public Organiz Rev 19, 65–83 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-018-0429-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-018-0429-3