1st Edition

Organizational Assessment and Improvement in the Public Sector

By Kathleen M. Immordino Copyright 2010
    248 Pages 59 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Calls for performance measures and metrics sound good, but public sector organizations often lack the tools required to assess the organization as a whole and create true change.In order to implement an integrated cycle of assessment, planning, and improvement, government agencies at all levels need a usable framework for organizational assessment that speaks to their unique needs. Organizational Assessment and Improvement in the Public Sector provides that framework, an understanding of assessment itself, and a methodology for assessment focused on the public sector.

    The book introduces the concept of organizational assessment, its importance, and its significance in public sector organizations. It addresses the organizational theory that underlies assessment, including change management, organizational and individual learning, and organizational development. Building on this, the author focuses on the processes and demonstrates how the communication that results from an assessment process can create a widely accepted case for change. She presents a model grounded in the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program criteria but adapted for the culture of government organizations. She also addresses the criteria that form the basis for assessment and implementation and provides examples and best practices.

    Facing decreasing budgets and an increasing demand for services, government agencies must increase their capabilities, maximize their available fiscal and human resources, and increase their effectiveness and efficiency. They often operate in an atmosphere that prizes effectiveness but measures it in silos assigned to individual programs and a structure that encourages people to do more with less while systematically discouraging efficiency. Stressing the significant and important differences between a business and a government, this book supplies the knowledge and tools necessary to create a culture of assessment in government organizations at all levels.

    Organizational Assessment and the Public Sector

    The Demand for Effectiveness and Efficiency

    Organizational Assessment

    Assessment and Organizational Development

    Challenges in Public Sector Assessment and Improvement

    Opportunities in Public Sector Assessment

    Summary

    Notes

    Assessment as a Communication Process

    Communication Processes in Self-Assessment

    Summary

    Notes

    Applying Assessment Practices in the Public Sector

    Current State of Assessment in Government and How It Has Developed over Time Structured Self-Assessment Models

    Adapting Existing Assessment Processes for the Public Sector Assessment

    Summary

    Notes

    The Public Sector Assessment and Improvement Model

    Structure

    The Human Factor Group: Interpersonal and Communication Competence

    The Operational Factors: Enabling the Work of the Organization

    Dashboards

    Assessment: Applying the Information Learned

    Notes

    Implementing a Self-Assessment Program

    Step 1: Preparing for an Assessment

    Step 2: Conducting the Assessment Process

    Step 3: Following Through on Outcomes

    Summary

    Notes

    Assessment, Improvement, and the Process of Organizational Change

    Change Efforts in the Public Sector

    Identifying Barriers to Change

    The Process of Organizational Change

    Understanding the Scope of Change

    Organizational Learning and Personal Learning: Creating an Internal Case for Change

    Creating an External Case for Change: Constituent Involvement

    Summary

    Notes

    Case Studies and Best Practices in Assessing Public Sector Organizations

    Case Studies

    Summary

    Notes

    The Future of Assessment

    The Need to Identify and Disseminate Best Practices in Government Assessment

    The Need for Continued Adaptation of Assessment Models

    Identifying Tools that Facilitate Assessment Processes

    Finding New Ways to Encourage Governments to Participate and to Engage Their Staff

    Increased Recognition of the Role of Constituents in Assessment

    Linking Assessment Processes to Strategic Planning and Budgeting

    Finding Ways to Sustain a Culture of Assessment that Do Not Rely on a Single Champion

    Conclusion

    Bibliography

    Glossary

    Appendix A: The Public Sector Assessment and Improvement Model

    Appendix B: The Public Sector Assessment and Improvement Model—Short Form

    Appendix C: Exercises

    Appendix D: Tools for Organizational Change Efforts

    Biography

    Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, USA National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Stressing the significant and important differences between business and government, this book supplies the needed knowledge and tools to create a culture of assessment in government organizations at all levels.
    Abstracts of Public Administration, Development, and Environment, September 2010

    The author uses the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award framework as the underpinning for her public sector assessment and improvement (PSAI) model. The model is designed specifically to accommodate the culture, language and needs of government agencies. … This is a step-by-step manual for improving government agencies, and it provides a clear and practical approach to organizational assessment and improvement in government. If you are serious about improving your organization, you should read this book.
    —Jim Kotterman, Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, in QP Reviews, October 2010