Peter Gomez

Public administrations are required by law to contribute to society, thus obliged to shape the common good. What value they have to society is uncovered by their public value. This chapter provides an approach to public value management that is relevant for organizations, NGOs, and governmental institutions, in order to systematically investigate their contributions to society. Previous work on public value serves as a good starting point, providing significant public value perspectives. We follow this by a conceptual delineation of the public value concept according to Timo Meynhardt, who roots the notion of value in psychological needs theory and thereby links public value directly to a conditio humana. As cases in point, we identify and discuss two management tools, the Public Value Scorecard (PVSC) and the Public Value Atlas. We conclude with a short reflection on how public value can advance public sector management.

An organization's contribution to the wider public can be seen in different ways. Self-reported data from Switzerland and Germany indicate that top managers vary considerably concerning their awareness of various multiple realities. We explain this phenomenon by drawing on the notion of cognitive style, using the metaphor of hedgehogs and foxes. It is argued that research should move from a focus on moral awareness to value awareness in a very broad sense.