Complexity and the Public Sector PDF
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“Across the globe, it is widely assumed that management is natural and universal, serving everyone’s interests equally. So it is refreshing to read a new book which challenges these assumptions in the context of public services, and which recognises the interests being served by the mana- gerialist systems which now dominate many country’s public sectors. Its international set of authors all hold senior positions and are trying to get things done, in spite of the ideological dominance of today’s quasi- competition and league tables. Their work is complex, and any successes are often paradoxical, but their personal narratives in the book are all the more compelling for the challenges involved. Their stories represent vital reading for anyone who wants to make a similar difference when faced with the neoliberal modes of governance that have become so widely used in today’s society.” Mark Learmonth, Professor Emeritus, Nottingham Trent University “A refreshing perspective on managerialism and a highly recommended read. The book offers a unique window into senior practitioners’ lived experiences of their management role within the public sector within the UK and internationally. A very useful resource for managers, consultants and academics faced with complexity and the dilemma of making sense of their role and the context they find themselves in.” Dr Julia Gale, Associate Dean (Special Projects), Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, a joint enterprise of Kingston University and St. George’s, University of London “Resonates absolutely with the reality and tumult of public sector lead- ership. The authors clearly describe the realities of improvement in the public sector, and help our understanding of the mismatch between overly simplistic rhetoric and the complex reality leaders and their teams experience.” Danny Mortimer, Chief Executive of NHS Employers, Deputy CEO of the NHS Confederation COMPLEXITY AND THE PUBLIC SECTOR Since the early 1990s, public sector organisations have been overwhelmed with what has come to be termed New Public Management (NPM) meth- ods. NPM idealises performance, metrics, transparency and marketisation. This book explores some of the tensions which arise in institutions where NPM methods prevail, introduces different ways of thinking about the task of managing for public good and offers a radical challenge to the dominant assumptions regarding why and how professional communities of practice may (or may not) come to change their working practices. In this third book in the Complexity and Management series, the expert authors bring together their experiences to provide vibrant accounts of how to manage in everyday public sector organisational situations using practical judgement. The book includes a brief introduction to complexity and public sector management, real-world narratives illustrating concrete dilemmas in the workplace and a concluding chapter that draws together the practical and theoretical implications of a complexity perspective. With both theoretical grounding and practical insights from senior managers and consultants, the book provides an ideal resource for students on management or executive leadership programmes for the public sector, as well as managers in and consultants to the sector. Chris Mowles is Professor of Complexity and Management at the University of Hertfordshire Business School and Director of the Doctor of Management programme there. He is the author of Complexity: A Key Idea for Business and Society (2021) also published by Routledge. Karen Norman is Visiting Professor at the University of Hertfordshire Business School, UK, and Visiting Professor at the School of Nursing, Kingston University and St George’s, University of London, UK. She also works as a Non-Executive Director at Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Complexity and Management SerieS editor: ChriS MowleS, UniverSity of hertfordShire, UK The Complexity of Consultancy Exploring Breakdowns within Consultancy Practice Edited by Nicholas Sarra, Karina Solsø and Chris Mowles Complexity and Leadership Edited by Kiran Chauhan, Emma Crewe and Chris Mowles Complexity and the Public Sector Edited by Chris Mowles and Karen Norman For more information about this series,please visit: www.routledge.com/ Complexity-and-Management/book-series/CM COMPLEXITY AND THE PUBLIC SECTOR Edited by Chris Mowles and Karen Norman Cover image: Getty Images / sssimone First published 2023 by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2023 selection and editorial matter, Chris Mowles and Karen Norman; individual chapters, the contributors The right of Chris Mowles and Karen Norman to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Mowles, Chris, editor. | Norman, Karen, editor. Title: Complexity and the public sector / Edited by Chris Mowle and Karen Norman. Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York : Routledge, 2023. | Series: Complexity and management | Includes bibliographical references and index. Subjects: LCSH: Public administration. | Administrative agencies—Management. Classification: LCC JF1351 .C589 2023 (print) | LCC JF1351 (ebook) | DDC 351—dc23/eng/20220628 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022015490 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022015491 ISBN: 978-0-367-54473-7 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-367-56920-4 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-09992-5 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003099925 Typeset in Joanna by codeMantra To Ralph Stacey, in loving memory. CONTENTS Notes on Contributors xi Preface to the Complexity and Management series xiii chris mowles Acknowledgements xxv 1 The Complexity of Managing in the Public Sector: Introduction 1 chris mowles and karen norman 2 Calls to Interprofessionalism and ‘Best’ Practice in Healthcare Distract Attention from Everyday Experience: Practical Implication for Leaders and Practice Consultants 19 marion briggs 3 The Double Bind of Metrics 50 emma elkington 4 Working with Difference: The Emergence of Prejudice When Integrating Care in the National Health Service (NHS) 72 fiona yung 5 Trust, Metrics and Complexity in Meaning-Making 95 sara filbee
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