A Practitioner S Guide To Public Sector Productivity Improvement

This study aims to help public sector practioners use productivity improvement to cope with fiscal stress. Covering aspects such as meaning, measurement, implementation, and maintenance, it is not overwhelming in size or detail, but is presented in a direct way that facilitates use.

The productivity of America′s public agencies has never been more closely scrutinized. Taxpayers have drawn the line on what they are--and are not--willing to pay for governmental programs. Both public servants and their clients have an equal stake in making public agencies more productive and respected. Public agencies can be made more efficient, effective, and humane, and Improving Public Sector Productivity shows how. Ellen Rosen provides practical guidance to enhance both the service quality and client satisfaction of public agencies at the local, state, and national level. A wealth of current cases and examples focuses on the issues of quality management, improving service delivery, job reorganization, and worker empowerment. The author also details methods for measuring public productivity. Policymakers, public sector managers, researchers, and students of public administration will find Improving Public Sector Productivity an indispensable toolkit of ideas, strategies, and applications for making better use of taxpayers′ money. "This book is a welcome addition to the literature because it offers practical solutions as well as discussing theoretical issues. . . .The book is aimed at the serious student and practitioner of public administration and because it is written in a way that combines theory with practice, it is accessible to this audience. --Urban Studies "Managers and elected officials will find a ′tool-kit′ of ideas, strategies, and applications for making better use of taxpayers′ money--all based on sound rationale and of proven worth. The productivity concerns provided in the book can help improve service quality and client satisfaction, while being sensitive to employee concerns and asking them to contribute to the enterprise." --Beverly A. Cigler, The Pennsylvania State University "Ellen Doree Rosen′s book, Improving Public Sector Productivity, Concepts, and Practice provides some very useful information and ideas on how to attain higher levels of productivity. The book succeeds, however, in clearly explaining the many constraints on public administration which militate against achieving high levels of focus and efficiency. Improving the Public Sector Productivity et al. is thought provoking, intelligent, and one of the more practical public administration texts I′ve read. I recommend it to professors and students for its clear-eyed description of the issues practitioners must deal with in attempting to improve the way public business is conducted. It is a superior guide for those in the field who could often use a conceptual framework to help assess where we are and to mark a path in the direction we need to go." --Mark Miller, Orange County Chapter of the American Society of Public Administration

Anyone hoping to improve teamwork, performance, and budgeting, training, and evaluation programs in their organization should look no further. Completely revised, Public Productivity Handbook, Second Edition defines the role of leadership, dimensions of employee commitment, and multiple employee-organization based relationships for effective intern

First published in 1988. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

For decades, public service organizations have been under constant and growing pressure from citizens and stakeholders to provide more integrated, effective and accountable programs and services. Governments are beginning to acknowledge that they can't own every issue and increasingly look to collaboration, networking and consultation at many levels as they design and develop polices, programs and service delivery mechanisms. Building Better Public Services explores the challenges facing public services in the 21st century, including the need for systemic cultural change, enhanced governance, evidence-informed policy and program design, and shared approaches to service delivery. Based on case studies and interviews, supplemented by first person experience, Building Better Public Services will take you inside the world of public services in Canada and the United Kingdom to explore capacity building successes and lessons learned. The book offers insights into innovations that will inform public servants as they work to improve services for citizens and gives directional advice and observations on the importance of public services leadership, an area rarely explored in business leadership literature. "An essential handbook on how to improve public policy and services. This is not yet another book focused primarily on making government smaller or driven by an ideology of austerity. It is rather grounded in a deep appreciation of the importance of public service to our quality of life and well-being and of the great advantages Canada's professional, nonpartisan public service affords. Drawing on examples across Canada and internationally of what works and what does not, Tony offers concrete recommendations for building a more citizen-centred, open, collaborative public service." -Alex Himelfarb - Former Clerk of the Privy Council - Government of Canada, and current Chair of WWF-Canada and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness. "I hope Tony Dean's reflections bring a long overdue debate to a critical subject - how to make public services work better. Innovation in the public sector is a subject that cries out for real discussion, and Tony has done us all a great favour by analysing these issues with commitment and flair. It's not about cutting things, it's about creativity and getting things done, breaking down silos and making it happen." -Bob Rae - Lawyer, negotiator, and Ontario's 21st Premier. "This is a book written by someone who knows the day to day challenges and reality of making governments work. It should be read by both current and future politicians and public servants who want to improve their governments' focus on outcomes for, and with, citizens. Dean underpins this book with relentlessly wanting to achieve more. He celebrates the passion, commitment and innovation of public servants but is not blind to the need for change." --Ray Shostak - International Government Adviser and former head of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit and Director General, Performance, HM Government (UK)

A productive society is dependent upon high-performing government. This third edition of The Public Performance and Productivity Handbook includes chapters from leading scholars, consultants, and practitioners to explore all of the core elements of improvement. Completely revised and focused on best practice, the handbook comprehensively explores managing for high performance, measurement and analysis, costs and finances, human resources, and cutting-edge organizational tools. Its coverage of new and systematic management approaches and well-defined measurement systems provides guidance for organizations of all sizes to improve productivity and performance. The contributors discuss such topics as accountability, organizational effectiveness after budget cuts, the complementary roles of human capital and “big data,” and how to teach performance management in the classroom and in public organizations. The handbook is accompanied by an online companion volume providing examples of performance measurement and improvement manuals across a wide variety of public organizations. The Public Performance and Productivity Handbook, Third Edition, is required reading for all public administration practitioners, as well as for students and scholars interested in the state of the public performance and productivity field.