2008. Serpents in the sand: Managerial networking and nonlinear influences on organizational performance

Scholars of public management have consistently found that management matters, but little research has considered how much management matters or whether the link between management and performance may be contingent on various factors. This article further investigates the link between management and performance by examining the functional form of the relationship. Analyses using data from 1000þ public organizations point to some diminishing returns. Results suggest that networking with other organizations might not always result in gains for the organization. Findings also show how managerial quality and differences in organizational staff can affect this relationship. In recent years, the research literature on public management has begun to focus on the link between management and public organizational performance (for instance, Boyne and Walker 2005; Ingraham and Lynn 2004; Lynn and Heinrich 2000). For the most part, researchers have emphasized the critical question, ‘‘Doesmanagementmatter?’ ’ Systematic work has clearly demonstrated that this questionmust be answered in the affirmative (Rainey 2003). Public management not only matters but also it can be a critical determinant of an organization’s or program’s ability to achieve its goals. Indeed, it is increasingly obvious that multiple aspects of management can be related to performance results (e.g., se