Scholars have been trying to fully comprehend the drivers of the performance of public networks. Based on the multilevel performance model proposed by Cepiku, this article employs a fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to study twelve UNESCO’s Heritage Sites in Italy with the aim of investigating configurational conditions that impact community-level network performance. The analysis reveals different but functionally equivalent configurations of causal conditions that lead to high performance at the community-level, which are different from the configurations that lead to poor performance. The findings show the importance of network management to network effectiveness and reveal a path to effectiveness for highly complex networks.

In the nascent literature on leadership in networks, few have investigated its specificities. We aim to understand the existence and the extent of the difference between leadership in networks and in single-agency structures. We empirically generalize the study of Silvia and McGuire on a different population. Our research confirms findings of the original study, nonetheless, to a different extent. Different contingencies do not seem to impact leadership styles, pointing to universalistic leadership behaviours that may characterize public sector networks.

Purpose: Employees in the private, public, and third sectors have experienced an increase in stress over the years. Amongst the sectors, people working in hospitals and other healthcare facilities were put under severe stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, the World Health Organisation has clearly stated that defending people's mental health at this particular time of restless pandemic growth is an absolute necessity. The purpose of this article is to assess the perceived work-related stress (WRS) of healthcare workers (HCWs) as a result of the spread of COVID-19, as well as how a leadership role can help to reduce WRS.Design/methodology/approach: Based on a multiple case study approach applied to two Italian health-care facilities, the questionnaire results were subjected to a regression analysis.Findings: The results show an association in HCWs between the perception of supportive leadership and the perception of negative psychosocial risks whose exposure can lead to manifestation of WRS during COVID-19 pandemic.Originality/value: The study addresses the role that the perception of supportive leadership can play in reducing exposure to occupational psychosocial risks in a sample of healthcare professionals.

The extent of the effects produced by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the collaboration between public administrations and the third sector is currently unclear. Undoubtedly, as in any other organizations, social enterprises and non-profit organizations have been severely affected by the spread of COVID-19, especially regarding their relationship with the public sector. Based on an analysis of 563 Italian third sector entities (ETSs) that responded to an online survey launched in March 2020, this study aims to explore the current state and extent of the potential change in the collaboration between organizations belonging to the third sector and the Italian public administration system in response to the COVID-19 emergency. The results have shown that only approximately one-third of the organizations have been asked to jointly contribute with the public sector to contain the negative effects of the pandemic. In other cases, spontaneous support initiatives have been undertaken to manage the crisis. The findings have also revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the internal operating and functioning mechanisms of the organizations operating in the third sector. The study concludes with a forecast of the potential exacerbation of the difficulties currently faced by the third sector and with the provision of future strategic paths to contain the health, social and economic effects of the pandemic.

Purpose: The article identifies sufficient combinations of managerial conditions for public value-oriented integrated strategic planning in inter-municipal networks, addressing the limited cross-fertilization between the public value, strategic planning and network management literatures. Design/methodology/approach: A configurational perspective is adopted, applying a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to 24 Italian unions of municipalities. The aim is to examine how and to what extent combinations of political leadership, integrated planning, measurability and collaboration shape the orientation of strategic planning towards public value. Findings: Public value-oriented integrated strategic planning emerges through multiple, equifinal configurations of conditions. Three alternative pathways are identified, highlighting the substitutable and complementary roles of political leadership, collaboration and externally anchored multidimensional measurement systems. Research limitations/implications: The study examines a single national context. The positioning of Italian unions along established international taxonomies of inter-municipal governance supports their analytical value as a comparative reference point. Future research could test the configurations in other institutional settings. Practical implications: The equifinal structure of the findings serves as a navigational guide for public managers. The measurability-only pathway is particularly accessible to resource-constrained unions, where externally validated frameworks can substitute for more demanding internal coordination mechanisms. Originality/value: The study connects the public value, strategic planning and inter-municipal and collaborative governance literatures. It positions itself explicitly within ongoing debates on the operationalization of public value, demonstrating its analytical value.