Does Office Location Influence the Work Actions of Public Sector Human Service Managers?

Abstract

Numerous studies have empirically examined the influence of situational determinants on the nature of managerial work. One important determinant that has received little attention is office location, or, more specifically, rural versus urban practice settings. The present study addresses this underexplored area of inquiry by assessing the relative influence of office location on core managerial role competencies. Eighty-one office managers responsible for three types of county-based human service agencies in New York State were surveyed. Public managers responsible for larger, more rural human service offices reported engaging in human resource management role competencies significantly more than their urban colleagues. After controlling for the effects of office size, public managers situated in more rural practice and settings were significantly more likely to engage in the role competencies of mentoring and staff development than were their urban counterparts. Possible explanations for the findings are discussed, along with implications for public management research and practice.