Organizational Effectiveness in the Public Sector: The Example of Municipal Fire Protection

Abstract

This study evaluates three models of organizational effectiveness: behavioral-attitudinal, processual, and goal attainment. It is argued that the attitudes and behaviors of an organization's members and the internal processes of the organization may contribute to effectiveness but should not be confused with it. An analysis of data on municipal fire protection supports this argument and suggests productivity, which links an organization's internal processes and its societal impact, as the critical goal in a goal attainment model