Public Management and Administration - Owen E.hughes

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Time perspective is a problem, but rather than this point dooming any strategic plan, it should be factored into the analysis for the plan. Any long-term view in a rapidly changing area does need to be constantly updated. Some private sector industries also change very quickly – computers, for example – but strategic management is still feasible there. There are other problems. Sufficient information may not be available to enable a plan to be developed. There may be a bias towards measurable activities in the strategic plan, to the possible cost of activities that are not. Staff may be inadequately trained and there is always the problem that even when produced, the strategic plan gathers dust on a shelf and is not regarded as meaningful by the staff. However, none of these criticisms is so damaging as to make a strategic perspective in the public sector useless. They may serve as a caution against expecting too much and point to the need for careful implementation with stakeholders. It should be a method of thinking above all else, as Bryson argues (1988, p. 46): Any strategic planning process is worthwhile only if it helps key decision makers to think and act strategically. Strategic planning is not an end in itself, but merely a set of concepts to help leaders make important decisions and take important actions. Indeed, if any strategic planning process gets in the way of strategic thinking and acting, the process should be scrapped not the thinking and acting. Introducing a strategic perspective into the public sector is valuable if it is done sensibly, not too rigidly, involving stakeholders, and as an aid to management rather than being an end in itself. It is the case that the transition ‘from bureaucratic organizations to strategy-led organizations that manage continuous improvement and responsiveness to the public will take some time to achieve’ (Joyce, 2000, p. 229). After this is done, or even while it is managing the process, there should be positive effects on the organization with regard to focus and results and ultimately its long term future. Conclusion Strategic Management 147 An enhanced concern with strategy is part of the change from the traditional model of administration to the managerial model. As a result of managerial reforms, no organization can automatically assume its future existence is guaranteed. Even if it may not face the immediate threat of going out of business if a product does not sell, as in the private sector, the difference between sectors may no longer be that great. There is the constant threat of re-organization, amalgamation with some other agency, privatization or the government deciding that the function is no longer needed. The absence of certainty is not altogether bad, as it concentrates attention on what the organization does in terms of goals and missions and in phrasing these to meet the government’s overall
148 Public Management and Administration strategic objectives. In theory, it should be possible to link the strategic planning process with the other elements of the managerial programme. From the strategic planning process, it should be possible to identify the areas of operation to be concentrated on. These are identified as programmes, funded separately as programmes, and performance measures and detailed evaluations feed back into the strategic planning process the next time around. In the private sector, strategic management and planning are useful tools for management, although they have not proved a panacea. The same should be true in the public sector. Just thinking about the future is a useful exercise for public sector organizations, although it was neglected under the traditional model of administration. If the aims of strategic planning are to assist in the provision of information, it should prove useful. There have been some bad examples of strategic planning in the public sector, where this lesson was not absorbed. Strategic management should not be introduced in an overly rigid fashion, nor indeed should the managerial system in general. The process should include compromise, political constraints and politicking as an integral part rather than something that occurs outside the model. Strategic planning or management is not something to be done just once. It is the planning process not the plan itself which is important; the use of strategic concepts allow the organization from top management down to develop a shared vision for the future. It does not guarantee that mistakes will not be made. Strategic planning and strategic management simply give some direction and purpose to public organizations, something that is required in moving from public administration to public management.
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Public Management and Administratio
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Also by Owen E. Hughes AUSTRALIAN P
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© Owen E. Hughes 1994, 1998, 2003
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Preface Over the past 20 years the
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viii Preface the Colorado link such
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2 Public Management and Administrat
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3 Public Management Introduction Th
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5 Public Enterprise Introduction Pu
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11 Managing External Constituencies
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12 Public Management in Developing
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13 Accountability Introduction The
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14 Conclusion: A New Paradigm for P
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284 References Borins, Sandford (19
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286 References Glor, Eleanor D. (20
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288 References Jordan, Grant (1997)
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290 References Monroe, Kristen Renw
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292 References Putt, Allen C. and S
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294 References Wilson, Graham K. (1
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296 Index bureaucracy 1-5, 9, 15-43
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298 Index information and communica
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300 Index ‘one best way’ thinki
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302 Index Ritter, G. 85, 86 role of
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Public Management and Administration - Owen E.hughes

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