In the 1990s, demands for change in public organizations are reaching new and unfamiliar levels. The continuing fiscal crisis and widespread disenchantment with governing institutions suggest that traditional change practices that gradually adapt public organizations to their environment are...

Agencies are small public organizations that can be managed strategically to achieve a legislated goal. Develops a framework that can help them do this by working with their five key relationships: the Minister and Government, the Minister′s department, central control agencies, the agency′s...

State road transport undertakings (SRTUs) in India presently operate around 110,000 passenger buses with a total investment of about Rs60 billion. Criticism of SRTUs has become more transparent with the recent policy changes. One of the major criticisms is that they are, by and large,...

Considers five topics in an attempt to review the concept of institutional development (ID): institutions; development; institutional development; projects; technical assistance. Institutions are seen as fundamental to the development process. Development is seen as a political process. ID is...

Describes Oxfordshire County Council′s QUEST programme (quality; effectiveness; service to all) and its implementation by introducing a devolved cost‐centre management accounting system to achieve accountable management, and decentralization to give managers more flexibility. Examines each...

Focusing on one of the “Next Steps” agencies, explores the difficulties which many organizations experience in relation to the process of strategy implementation. States that agentization has created a need for public sector organizations to embark on strategic change. However, adherence to...

Explains the process of strategic management based on the existing literature and fits these concepts within the domain of local government. Develops a tentative model of the development of a strategic process for local government and reviews aspects of current practice. The desire to be more...

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...