The Handbook of Public Sector Communication

22Citizen Communication in the Public Sector: Learning from High‐Reliability Organizations

Karen B. Sanders and María de la Viesca Espinosa de Los Monteros

Introduction

In their study of public sector communication, Pandey and Garnett (2006, p. 37) identify “culture that supports communication” as key to effective internal, external and interpersonal communication and, therefore, organizational performance. This chapter takes that insight as the rationale for examining how principles of high‐reliability organizations (HROs) could be incorporated into the public sector in order to foster a communication culture for the benefit of citizens. We advance the hypothesis that practices that build reliability require more effective, ethical communication, enhancing the trust and engagement of stakeholders and citizens.

Given the risk environment and complexity of public sector organizations (see van der Wal, 2017), the HRO leadership approach, which requires, among other things, active listening, is, we will argue, particularly relevant for contributing to improved citizen communication. Active, responsive listening can contribute to a culture of transparency when errors occur and facilitate and foster simultaneously citizens' trust (and healthy mistrust) of the public sector. Within the public sector, HR principles and techniques have been most intensively applied in the health sector (see below) and evidence shows that they also necessitate and contribute to greater employee engagement ...