This paper presents some preliminary findings from a research project into strategic management initiatives in the Civil Services of four countries: Ireland, Northern Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and three states within a fifth country, the USA. While often hailed as strategic management,...

A number of internal and external pressures in UK local government have led to the examination of different options for internal organisation and management. A particular pressure has recently been the reorganisation of local government towards the creation of new unitary local councils. The...

Staff perceptions of management/staff communications are examined through an attitude survey. Organisational characteristics and their likely impact on the communication climate are considered and a communications strategy is developed. In challenging and changing times, organisations need to be...

The management of organisational change has assumed critical importance in English local government. Participant perceptions of this change process are examined, reflecting interviews conducted with Chief Executive Officers in 1989‐90. After considering external pressures for change and...

Argues that strategy formulation across sectors is different. Often the use of normative approaches to strategic management that have sprung from research and experience within the private sector do not pay sufficient cognizance to the subtle differences that drive non‐profit and...

Purpose – This exploratory article aims to define foresight and consider its use in public management. Impediments to foresight best practices are also discussed. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on the literature, including both primary and secondary sources. Canada...

The ISO 9000 scheme has been reproved for being a paper driven process with little if no impact on firm performance. As international scientific literature indicates a wide range of factors leading to the adoption of the ISO 9000 schemes, the impact of this adoption should be viewed and examined...

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the strategic value of reliability and maintainability management in achieving competitiveness and customer satisfaction. It looks into performance metrics for organizational performance and associates reliability and maintainability with such metrics....

Purpose – The purpose of this conceptual paper is to examine the fit between values underpinning the ISO 9000 standard and selected managerial and organisational factors. Design/methodology/approach – The study is a conceptual one relying on the literature on the selected strategic factors...

Purpose – This paper seeks to elaborate the reasons why quality management programs (QMPs) frequently fail to produce the intended results, and to demonstrate how QMPs could be effectively institutionalised in an organisational setting. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of literature...