1st Edition

The New Face of Government How Public Managers Are Forging a New Approach to Governance

By David E. McNabb Copyright 2009
    308 Pages 22 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Change is sweeping the globe, and at the government level, operational changes are prompting many public administrators to develop new management styles and ways of delivering services to their citizens. In the process, they are changing the face of government. The New Face of Government: How Public Managers are Forging a New Approach to Governance explores how national leaders are changing the art and practice of government and how public managers are shaping and guiding government’s response to the transformation.

    Includes a Field-Tested Survey for Diagnosing Institutional Disequilibrium

    Focusing on change at the federal, state, and local levels, this book addresses policy dimensions such as:

    • Strategic and knowledge management
    • Enterprise architecture
    • Information and communications technology
    • Organizational performance assessment
    • Technological and organizational improvement

    It evaluates how these areas enable agencies from the public and private sectors to become more cost-effective, performance-oriented learning organizations. Not all the ambiguities in policy making and administration have been resolved. However, there is much hope for the future of government and governance. The successes and failures included in The New Face of Government: How Public Managers are Forging a New Approach to Governance illustrate this promise and provide guideposts for public managers who find themselves faced with similar problems and new challenges.

    About the Author:

    David E. McNabb teaches a variety of public and private administration and management courses both in the U.S. and abroad, including college and university programs in Latvia, Bulgaria, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, and Belgium. He is the author of nearly 80 peer-reviewed conference papers and articles. This is his seventh book.

    Creating a New Face for Government

    The Shape and Scope of Changes in Government

    Forces Driving Changes in Government

    Preparing an Organization to Accept Change

    Patterns of Change in Government

    How Public Managers Shape and Direct Change

    How Technology Is Shaping the Face of Government

    Technology and Systems Change

    People and the Changing Face of Government

    Changing Government Work Processes

    How Delivery Changes Are Reshaping Government

    Expanding the Delivery Structure of Government

    How Knowledge Facilitates Change in Government

    Preparing for Change: Trouble at the Sheriff’s Office

    References

    Appendix A: Organizational Assessment Instrument

    Appendix B: URLs for Various Federal E-Government

    Transformation Reports

    Index

    Biography

    David E. McNabb, PhD, is a professor emeritus at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Washington; an adjunct professor at Olympic College, Bremerton, Washington; and a recent consultant for an agency of the federal government. He earned his PhD at Oregon State University. He has authored 12 books with another forthcoming, is a joint author of two books, and author or joint author of nearly 100 articles and conference papers. His research interests are in the transformation of government institutions in the United States and in the Baltic states. He is or has been a member of several organizations related to political science, public administration, and European studies.