Teleworking and Clients’ Perception of Frontline Services: Evidence in Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic

IF 2.2 3区管理学 Q2 PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Public Performance & Management Review Pub Date : 2023-01-11 DOI:10.1080/15309576.2022.2164020

Youlang Zhang, Wei Hu

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Abstract

Abstract Previous research has examined the effects of client and bureaucrat attributes as well as contextual factors on clients’ perception of aggregate-level public services. However, there is limited evidence on clients’ evaluation of specific frontline services and the role of technology. This study takes advantage of a unique multi-year course evaluation dataset in higher education in China to elucidate the effect of teleworking on clients’ perception of frontline services. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak in January 2020, Chinese universities were forced to turn the in-person courses into online courses, which provided an excellent opportunity to identify the exogenous effect of technological shock. A series of statistical analyses suggest that online teaching significantly improves students’ perceptions of course quality. Moreover, this positive effect increases when class size, a typical indicator of task complexity in teaching processes, increases. This study has important theoretical and policy implications for introducing teleworking into public service delivery.

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远程办公与客户对一线服务的感知:COVID-19大流行期间高等教育的证据

摘要以往的研究考察了客户和官僚属性以及情境因素对客户对总体级公共服务感知的影响。然而，关于客户对特定一线服务和技术作用的评价的证据有限。本研究利用中国高等教育独特的多年课程评估数据集来阐明远程办公对客户对一线服务感知的影响。由于2020年1月的新冠肺炎疫情，中国高校被迫将面对面课程改为在线课程，这为识别技术冲击的外生效应提供了一个极好的机会。一系列的统计分析表明，在线教学显著提高了学生对课程质量的认知。此外，当班级规模(教学过程中任务复杂性的典型指标)增加时，这种积极效应会增加。本研究对于将远程办公引入公共服务提供具有重要的理论和政策意义。

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来源期刊

Public Performance & Management Review PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION-

CiteScore

5.50

自引率

16.10%

发文量

期刊介绍： Public Performance & Management Review (PPMR) is a leading peer-reviewed academic journal that addresses a broad array of influential factors on the performance of public and nonprofit organizations. Its objectives are to: Advance theories on public governance, public management, and public performance; Facilitate the development of innovative techniques and to encourage a wider application of those already established; Stimulate research and critical thinking about the relationship between public and private management theories; Present integrated analyses of theories, concepts, strategies, and techniques dealing with performance, measurement, and related questions of organizational efficacy; and Provide a forum for practitioner-academic exchange. Continuing themes include, but are not limited to: managing for results, measuring and evaluating performance, designing accountability systems, improving budget strategies, managing human resources, building partnerships, facilitating citizen participation, applying new technologies, and improving public sector services and outcomes. Published since 1975, Public Performance & Management Review is a highly respected journal, receiving international ranking. Scholars and practitioners recognize it as a leading journal in the field of public administration.