The Perceptions of public and private sector managers: a comparison

Abstract

The paper is based on a five year, UMIST-Institute of Management study into the changing nature of the Quality of Working Life and seeks to uncover differences in the incidence and impact of organizational change on the perceptions and experiences of managers in the public sector, the private sector and the (former public) utilities. The research indicates that there are significant differences in the impact of organizational change on managers in the three sectors with public sector managers and managers from the utilities having been more adversely affected. An analysis of managers' perceptions of their 'organization as a place to work', prevailing managerial styles in their organization and managers' perceptions of the 'changing nature of their job' also reveals wide differences between managers in the three different sectors.