Networking in Comparative Context: Public Managers in the USA and UK

Abstract

Networking has become a key theme in the research literature, reflecting a shift from government to governance. Though scholarship on this topic has grown apace, little evidence has been produced on the ways in which managerial networking manifests itself across national settings. Given this state of affairs, we explore whether managerial networking is a broad and common pattern in contemporary governance systems or contingent on setting. Analysis was undertaken from a sample of over 600 US public managers and 300 UK local officials. The results confirm that managerial networking is extensive and support the view that networking is a key management competence. While general networking behaviours are evident in the data presented, there was also variation, suggesting that managers are able to exercise choice and construct their networked environment to reflect local requirements.