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PurposeInternal aspects of public sector branding have received limited attention in existing research. The purpose is to examine, firstly, how public managers experience and handle the tension between empowering employees to be dedicated brand ambassadors while at the same time regulating their voice, and secondly, to outline some implications of aligning employee voice with the organization's brand, especially for the public interest.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on two sources of data. The first includes official admission statistics for high schools in Oslo, Norway, for 2018/2019. Schools in Oslo, a city which has introduced a competitive secondary education market, fall into three admission levels based on points necessary for entry. The second source is semi-structured interviews with principals in 15 high schools on different admission levels.FindingsMost of the principals were concerned about how marketization of the high schools leads to a skewed distribution of students and an increasing divide between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ schools, but signalled market adaptation through their handling of employee voice. Due to reputation and branding concerns in the competition for students and funding, voice restrictions, not brand ambassadorship, was the preferred strategy to ensure brand alignment. The consequence of this strategy, the paper argues, is public silence at the expense of the public interest.Research limitations/implicationsNot interviewing teachers or middle managers may be seen as a limitation, but principals were chosen as they are the main decision makers and strategists in high schools. Using a qualitative research design may be a limitation, but this design was chosen as it seems appropriate in order to uncover the school executives' perceptions, experiences and thoughts.Practical implicationsSelling the brand to employees and enabling them to further sell it to external stakeholders is an enticing ideal but perhaps less possible to implement in reality for public sector organizations facing strong market mechanisms because the concern for the brand image takes precedence. Public sector managers should exercise care when managing employee voice so as to not negatively influence employees’ commitment to the brand. They should also be aware of the implications of voice restrictions for the public interest. Public silence may cause a less informed public with limited possibilities to make informed school choices and knowing how money is spent.Originality/valueThe present study is among the first to explore internal aspects of public sector branding. Researching the position of employee voice in brand alignment strategies is a novel contribution. The study is unique in its focus on the implications of branding for the public interest.

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PurposeIn the deregulated public sector upper secondary school field in Oslo, Norway, turnover among teachers is found to be high. The purpose is to examine whether instrumental practices like control-oriented HRM, performance appraisal and heteronomy directly or indirectly lead to turnover intention, as a crucial pre-stage to turnover. Another purpose is to examine whether this varies with feedback format.Design/methodology/approachThe present study is based on a survey (N = 1,055) carried out among upper secondary school teachers in Norway. Data were analyzed with path analysis, and mediation and moderation analyses were performed.FindingsThe study shows that control-oriented HRM, PA dissatisfaction and heteronomy are antecedents to turnover intention for teachers receiving feedback in three different feedback formats. The effect of control-oriented HRM and PA dissatisfaction on turnover intention was generally not stronger among numerically rated than among those rated otherwise. For most feedback format groups, leader–member exchange mediated between turnover intention and PA dissatisfaction and heteronomy, respectively, but not between turnover intention and control-oriented HRM. For teachers rated with text, figures or colors, LMX moderated between control-oriented HRM and turnover intention.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper advances that introduction of instrumental practices will be seen as breaches of the psychological contract, but this does not apply to all feedback format groups, for example those receiving numerically rating. Limitations involve self-reported measures, direction of causality issues and a relatively low sample size for some groups.Practical implicationsPractitioners should note that both control-oriented HRM, performance appraisal and little autonomy may cause teachers to consider leaving their jobs. Practitioners should also be aware of the importance of the relationship between employee and leader, as negative responses to instrumentality may work through the leader–employee relationship, leading to turnover intention and, possibly, turnover.Originality/valueThe present study is among the first to examine whether and how antecedents to turnover intention vary with feedback format. A rare interaction between HRM and LMX is uncovered. Few other studies have analyzed the relationship between instrumental practices and turnover intention in light of psychological contract theory.

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