Perceived Internal Effectiveness in Local Governance Due to the Rehabilitation of the Bulakan Municipal Government Center

Abstract

The local government plays an important role in national governance. In order to develop and strengthen them, one of the courses of action that need to be accomplished is the creation of a good working environment that motivates and encourages employees to work better and render service more competently. As part of its vision and ten point plan of providing better services to its constituents and a good working environment to its employees, the Municipal Government of Bulakan embarked on a landmark project of rehabilitating and enlarging the cramped and decrepit Municipal Government Center. It was found out that the primary reason for the rehabilitation the Municipal Government Center is because its weakening structural stability makes it unfeasible for further occupancy. By doing so, the project expanded the floor area of the building thus providing more office space to employees previously cramped in just one big room. Although the improvement of work conditions does not directly affect job performance and effectiveness, it can still be considered a component and moreover an initial step in managing organizations and making them more effective. A number of early organizational theorists assumed that internal effectiveness is the key to organizational effectiveness. Two approaches to internal effectiveness were identified namely, internal efficiency and human relations. Significant changes in an organization can bring effects to its effectiveness. That is why this study tried to answer the problem on how the rehabilitation of the Municipal Government Center influences the internal effectiveness of the local governance of the Municipality of Bulakan. This study used David Easton’s Political Systems Theory Model in determining whether the rehabilitation of the Municipal Government Center affected the Municipality of Bulakan’s internal effectiveness. This is a descriptive study which used survey to determine the perceptions of employees of the Municipal Government of Bulakan on how their transfer to the rehabilitated and reconstructed office building influenced the effectiveness and efficiency of the internal operations of their organization. A key informant interview was also conducted for added information regarding the topic. From the responses of the employees it was concluded that it does not matter to them even if they were not consulted. Because many problems regarding their previous workplace were solved, the rehabilitation of the Municipal Government Center served as a motivator for the employees to improve their work and produce better results in their performance. Moreover, the motivation of employees positively affected their efficiency in performing their individual tasks, thus improving the overall internal efficiency of the organization. The rehabilitation of the Municipal Government Center also influenced the level of satisfaction of employees in different aspects of their work which affected the human relations aspect of internal effectiveness. In general, it can be concluded that the rehabilitation of the Municipal Government Center was positively received by the employees. It motivated and satisfied them, hence producing positive effects on the organization’s internal effectiveness.