This overview and assessment of state-of-the -art strategies for performance and productivity in public a nd non- profit organizations are research-based and draw on real cases. Topics covered include TQM, partnering and strat egic engineering. '
The contributors to this volume contend that the North American political system is undergoing a serious governmental crisis - political leaders know only how to campaign, not how to gain consensus on goals or direct a course that is to the good of the nation. Public administration is therefore forced to compensate for the growing inadequacy of the `leaders', and with a normative-based body of theorizing, perform its key role of governance within a democratic system of polycentric power. The book offers a revisualization of the relationship between public servants and the citizens they serve, and a continuing discourse on how public administration can constructively balance forces of change and stability in order for democracy to evolve and mature.
The third edition of The Public Sector is fully revised and updated to include coverage of the New Public Management. Lane introduces the major concepts, models, and approaches surrounding the public sector within a three-part framework.'
Inter-organizational collaboration is becoming increasingly significant as a means of achieving organizational objectives in turbulent environments. Yet it is not an easy process to implement successfully. Drawing on the work of authors with a high level of relevant experience, this volume provides a thought-provoking and accessible introduction to the theory and practice of `creating collaborative advantage'. The first part of the book develops a framework of key dimensions for understanding collaboration. Different perspectives highlight the diversity of rationales and contexts involved, and the range of elements which need to be considered and addressed when embarking on collaborative endeavours. The second section focuses in more detail on collaboration in practice. It examines the problems that can occur when different `stakeholders', who frequently hold different aims, cultures, procedures, professional languages and power resources, work across organizational boundaries. The last section addresses specifically the processes of acting as a facilitator to collaborative groups. It discusses how and why a third party facilitator role can be helpful, and explores the various processes and techniques that can be used.
Managing Public Organizations presents the case for the development of public management and indicates the directions it should take. It reviews the progress of new management initiatives in the European public sphere; examines the role of the public manager and the organization of public bodies; and considers the potential for change. The contributors reject the notion that there are formulas for management innovation or that general rules from private sector management can be applied. They emphasize the need to develop a concept of management that is appropriate for public organizations.
"Public Sector Management" provides a broad ranging overview of the theory and practice of public service management. Drawing together a number of key contributions to the field, it: outlines the social, political and economic contexts in which management has emerged as a crucial issue in the public sector of industrial nations; introduces the major theories, issues and concepts involved in understanding public sector management; analyzes some of the key values, which underpin discussions of the public domain; and examines some of the main challenges in terms of particular strategies, techniques and competencies, which have been proposed for the better management of public services.
Management and Measurement of Social Enterprise examines the question of what happens when performance improvement techniques originating in the private sector are applied to public and nonprofit organizations. Management and Measurement of Social Enterprise looks critically at a range of performance measurements and improvement methods, including: - outcome measurement - using financial ratios for performance comparison - social audit - process benchmarking - externally accredited standards (like 'Investors in People' and ISO 9000) - diagnostic models and other tools from the quality movements - 'balanced scorecards' Rob Paton offers a measured critique of the naive realism and rhetorical excesses of the performance management movement but also shows why many of its critics are unduly pessimistic. Through a combination of theory and research, it provides practical solutions to the problem of performance management outside of the private sector. This is an essential text for those interested in public and social enterprises, particularly MBA and Masters students in public administration/public management and non-profit management.
Although the concept of policy networks is now well-established in the field, most research has to content itself with description and analysis of their contribution to policy failure. This book goes further. It accepts policy networks as a fundamental characteristic of modern societies and presents an overview of the strategies for the management ......
This collection of eight public administration cases helps students practice the decisionmaking skills they need in their jobs as public managers. Each case includes substantial background data (budgeting priorities, political imperatives, zoning issues, etc.) and requires students to reach decisions or recommendations through a process of ......
