1st Edition
Organizational Assessment and Improvement in the Public Sector
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 2010The 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