Fostering public value through a collaborative organizational culture in highly vulnerable social contexts

Purpose – This study aims to investigate how internal collaborative culture within public educational institutions influences the creation of public value, particularly in contexts of social and economic vulnerability. While public value theory has evolved from managerial to co-productive and normative interpretations, its operationalization remains limited-especially in the field of adult education. Drawing on frameworks from public management and organizational theory, this research develops and empirically tests a model in which collaborative culture enables distributed leadership, knowledge-sharing systems, and collaborative governance. These organizational conditions, in turn, support the adoption of student-centered teaching practices that enhance public value outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical analysis focuses on Provincial Centres for Adult Education (CPIAs) in Sicily (Italy), institutions that provide educational services to marginalized populations, including migrants, unemployed adults, and early school leavers. Data were collected through a structured survey administered to CPIA teachers across multiple provinces. The study employs Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test direct and mediated relationships between the variables. Findings – Results demonstrate that a strong collaborative culture fosters internal organizational capacity and external stakeholder engagement, both of which are critical for implementing inclusive, student-centered teaching strategies. These strategies, in turn, are strongly associated with perceived public value creation. Originality/value – The findings contribute to the literature by highlighting the role of internal organizational dynamics in enabling public value co-creation in the education sector, and by offering insights for policy and practice in complex governance environments.