The steering journey focuses on how steering towards customization is shaped throughout all managerial layers of an organization. Steering for customization is challenging because customized solutions often show benefits in the long term, whereas indicators such as processing times, caseloads and cost control are more visible in the short term. Moreover, customization should not result in randomness; public organizations must provide clear frameworks within which customization can be delivered. 

Drawing on the concept of a customer journey, which focuses on the experience of a customer throughout different stages of service delivery, the steering journey examines how messages move through hierarchical layers, from top management to middle management and frontline professionals. Interviews show that managers at different levels steer towards customization in different ways, resulting in various degrees of room for customization among professionals.  

The research shows that top managers often combine a managerial identity with a professional identity and they explicitly prioritise customization. Middle managers, by contrast, typically have a strong managerial identity focused on KPIs, annual plans and productivity targets, which means customization is less explicitly addressed in their steering. Direct supervisors with a professional background, often originating from frontline work, tend to want to give professionals room to deliver customization. At the same time, they experience tension because they are also assessed on production targets. This makes managing customization complex, especially as rules intended to protect quality and uniformity can sometimes restrict room for customization. 

The study highlights the importance of facilitating professionals sufficient room to make decisions within existing frameworks that fit with the unique needs of citizens. Direct supervisors play a key role in this process but often have limited room to manoeuvre because they operate between higher management layers and frontline staff. One of the key recommendations is to explicitly link KPIs to tailored service delivery, enabling middle managers to incorporate this into their steering practices. 

Why does one professional speak up when rules hinder customized service delivery, while another remains silent? What happens on an 'ordinary' workday that determines whether someone raises their voice? This study shifts the focus away from policy and structure, but focusses on the everyday team environment and how it influences professionals to deliver customization. 

Based on 156 completed diaries, the study shows that psychological safety and inclusive leadership are crucial for professionals’ upward voice: the ability of employees to speak up about rules, procedures and problems that hinder customization. Public organisations consist of multiple hierarchical layers, and input from frontline professionals is essential for developing policies and rules that are workable in practice. Employees must feel safe to express their opinions without fear of negative consequences. Leaders play a key role in fostering this environment. 

The findings demonstrate that employees’ experiences of psychological safety, voice behaviour and the need for customization vary from day to day. Work pressure, interactions with colleagues or supervisors, and the nature of the work influence these experiences. Active listening and acknowledging diverse perspectives contribute to an environment in which professionals feel comfortable making mistakes and engaging upward voice. By holding regular one-on-one conversations, discussing casework and actively inviting input from frontline staff, managers can foster a team environment centred on customization and learning from mistakes. This helps create a responsive organisation that is better equipped to meet the unique needs of citizens and clients. 

In public organisations, managers continuously balance efficiency, accountability and the delivery of customized services. These choices differ from manager to manager, even within the same organisation, because individuals weigh different interests, priorities and circumstances. Middle managers occupy a particularly important position: situated between top management and frontline staff, they must constantly navigate between strategic objectives and practical realities. This makes them crucial actors in steering towards customization. 

The context in which managers operate influences their decision-making. Political pressure or societal expectations may encourage managers to focus more strongly on tcustomized services or, conversely, on productivity and rule compliance. Internal factors, such as the organisational climate, determine the extent to which managers feel safe to deviate from standard approaches, take risks and apply their professional judgement. 

Through interviews with 25 middle managers, this study explores which contextual factors shape managerial decision-making. The findings will provide insight into how managers balance efficiency and customisation and how conditions can be created that enable managers to make decisions aligned with organisational goals, employee needs and societal expectations. 

Data collection for this study will take place in spring 2026. 

To be developed in 2026/2027.