Decentralization in public sector organizations: Do organizational autonomy and result control lead to decentralization toward lower hierarchical levels?

Decentralization of managerial authority in public organizations, from top management to lower hierarchical levels, is believed to lead to more committed and empowered middle and lower managers and consequently to improved organizational performance. This article provides an empirical understanding of the effect of organizational autonomy and result control on internal decentralization of managerial decision-making in public sector organizations. Results show that organizational autonomy and result control affect the degree of internal decentralization, and so, too, do organizational size and age.