Strategic management in public services organizations : concepts, schools and contemporary issues

This book sets out to connect the two traditionally disparate academic literatures of public management and strategic management. The authors argue that some models of strategic management are now of enhanced relevance for contemporary public services organisations, especially when considering successive New Public Management reforms. This observation has important consequences for the requisite work practices, skills and knowledge bases of current public managers, as they are increasingly being asked to act as strategic as well as operational managers. This book takes a strongly comparative and international perspective in addressing the fundamental issue of strategic management within diverse public administration traditions. The impact of strategic management on the performance of public agencies is examined and it is argued that the appropriate use of strategic management models depends on the politico administrative and cultural contexts of the public services organisation in question; concluding that there is no single best way to strategically lead public organisations. This is an advanced textbook aimed at the postgraduate level, particular students on Masters courses in public policy and public management.