Risk-based prioritization method for planning and allocation of resources in public sector
ISSN: 1754-2731
Article publication date: 7 May 2021
Issue publication date: 10 June 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a risk-based prioritization method (RBPM), using functional failure risk and strategic importance assessment, in order to support public managers' decision-making process for the planning and allocation of scarce resources.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology incorporates two assessment matrices into a management group’s decision-making process for resource allocation. As part of an action research strategy, the authors present the developed RBPM and its application in one Norwegian police district.
Findings
The RBPM provides a processual approach to detect risk of failures in the organization, which can facilitate better planning and allocation of resources, to mitigate risks from materializing and enhance performance. The results also indicate that the proposed assessment models provide an easier approach to consolidating different perspectives and weighting the strategic importance of disciplinary functions, when prioritizing the planning and allocation of scarce resources is necessary.
Research limitations/implications
The research is restricted in that it only considers one police district in Norway. Further limitation surrounds the issue of generalizability, as only one unit from the district is used. Further research should adapt and extend the developed RBPM in the district.
Practical implications
The RBPM may be of interest to public managers in the emergency sector operating with a large number of disciplinary functions in a highly dynamic and uncertain environment.
Originality/value
The RBPM applied in this study is based on approaches with advanced application in the oil and gas industry adapted to a contextually different environment which, in contrast, consists of functional hierarchies composed of human resources.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank police superintendent Amund P. Revheim for his cooperation and disciplinary expertise in the development and implementation of the presented RBPM.
Funding: This work has been carried out as a part of a Ph.D. research project at the University of Stavanger, funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research (Grant No. 309330).
Citation
Santhiapillai, F.P. and Ratnayake, R.M.C. (2022), "Risk-based prioritization method for planning and allocation of resources in public sector", The TQM Journal, Vol. 34 No. 4, pp. 829-844. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-02-2021-0039
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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