The Kehler Management System®: Integration of External Stakeholders in the Quality Assessments of Municipal Administrations

Abstract

Abstract Research purpose The Kehler Management System (KMS) is a tool for assessing quality in municipalities. Due to technological advancements, globalisation, greater market dynamics, changing values and demographic change, municipalities find themselves in a complex and dynamic field of tension. The diversity and complexity of these fields of activity and relationship structures continue to increase, making it difficult for municipalities to adapt their processes. However, in the first stage, the focus of KMS was limited to the internal perspective of the municipal administration. This was coherent in terms of an initially necessary reduction of complexity, but in terms of a holistic view, this is insufficient. Following the successful introduction of the KMS for quality assessment in the internal structure of public administration, the concept is being expanded to include the external perspective of stakeholders. The question is: “How can the satisfaction of various stakeholder groups in the municipality be measured in a way that incurs significant participation and produces relevant results for the decision-makers in the municipality?” Design / Methodology / Approach The research design takes the form of a case study and focuses on the municipality of Ottersweier. The basis for developing the external perspective is determining the stakeholder groups interacting with a municipality. Six stakeholder groups are identified: Residents, local businesses, business partners of the administration, capital providers of the administration, civil society actors such as associations, clubs and interest groups, and corporations and institutions under public law, e.g. neighbouring municipalities. In analogy to the KMS's approach to the municipal administration's internal perspective, the first step is identifying impact factors grouped into success clusters. To assess the impact factors, questions relevant to the impact factors are developed. Questionnaires were developed and tested for the stakeholder group of residents, local businesses and clubs. All questionnaires were tested in the Ottersweier community. Findings: The survey brought about significant results that aligned with the staff's experience in the municipality. Local businesses indicated a "General Satisfaction" of 81%. They were especially satisfied with the work of the administration. The impact cluster is considered to be fulfilled. However, 18 companies indicated a willingness to relocate out of the municipality for other reasons. The survey of the clubs showed a high level of satisfaction with the service quality of the municipality for this stakeholder group. The general satisfaction of the clubs was 98%. The evaluation of the residents' views showed that the two impact clusters, "General satisfaction" and "Administration," were above the 80% hurdle. The results for the impact clusters "Municipal Policy" and "Supply and Infrastructure"were noteworthy. Both the survey of residents and local businesses obviously failed to meet the KMS target of 80% effectiveness for these two impact clusters. A closer examination of the detailed questions revealed that both stakeholder groups perceive the same areas as particularly deficient: communication and implementation of the municipal council's mission statement and public transport. Originality / Value / Practical implications In previous surveys of residents in various municipalities without using the KMS, the participation of residents was so low that only limited conclusions could be drawn about the quality of municipal services. Therefore, an attempt was made to keep the number of questions to residents as low as possible to increase the survey's acceptance. The response rate was significantly expanded concerning the number of residents compared to previous surveys. Since two stakeholder groups perceived two areas as deficient independently of each other, "Municipal Policy" and "Supply and Infrastructure", the municipality of Ottersweier must conduct a weakness analysis in order to develop a plan for action to improve the services. Semi-structured, qualitative interviews with residents can be used for this analysis. Also, the motives for local businesses to consider relocation should be investigated in more detail.