How much decentralization? Managerial autonomy in the Canadian public service

This article examines the extent of managerial autonomy middle managers in Canadian governments report in financial and human resources management areas. It analyzes whether during a period of intense government restructuring middle managers' autonomy has increased or not and whether there are any environmental or structural factors that could explain the variation in the extent of managerial autonomy reported by them. Managers reported the most autonomy regarding quality and client consultation issues and relatively high levels of autonomy for performance management, training and development, and staffing decisions. The extent of perceived managerial autonomy was found to be statistically significantly related to being a manager of a work unit in the periphery, managing a small unit, leading a corporate unit, and having greater emphasis on results.