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The Public Sector
Book

The Public Sector

Managing the Unmanageable

Alexander Stevenson
Kogan Page, 2013
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

It is a truth universally acknowledged that – to borrow a phrase from Jane Austen – the public sector produces little besides bureaucracy and bad management. Management consultant Alexander Stevenson argues otherwise. He provides worthwhile lessons about how to manage well in government and how managers in private businesses and corporations could benefit from the public sector’s example. His insights may cause you to look at the civil service in a whole new light. Stevenson writes from a British point of view, and many of his examples are based in London, but readers everywhere will glean useful tips. getAbstract recommends his surprisingly breezy advice to leaders in either sector.

Summary

Two Different Animals

Bad managers can emerge everywhere, but the public sector bears an unfortunate reputation for having the worst executives ever. This unfounded aspersion exists because: 1) Public sector managers often don’t have “a single simple...measure” to gauge their progress and performance, and 2) public sector managers must answer to the public in ways that private-sector managers do not. Bosses in private companies have to demonstrate that they can generate “profit,” or “the promise of creating a profit,” a straightforward measurement of performance. Public sector managers must balance a wide range of conflicting goals, most of which are not quantifiable. This makes every task a public sector manager must accomplish more difficult.

Public sector agencies bear the unique burden of “democratic accountability” to the public, often via the press. Government managers are accountable to investigatory committees, regulators and other overseers, often arguing about the control of large budgets. This level of accountability is challenging for three reasons: 1) Discussions occur in the public square, 2) elected officials have political axes to grind and 3) journalists...

About the Author

Management consultant Alexander Stevenson specializes in the public sector and was affiliated with the Financial Times group.

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