Janine O'Flynn

Making Sense of Public Value: Concepts, Critiques and Emergent Meanings

Abstract It has been two decades since the “public value” framework emerged, articulated initially at the Harvard Kennedy School. In this paper we set out the basics of the original approach, and then consider emerging critiques and meanings. Our aim is firstly to clarify the core concepts of Moores approach, and secondly to track the new meanings of public value which are developing. This allows us to engage with the growing debate about public value both inside and outside academia, and also to discuss its trajectory as a new idea in public sector management.

You Win Some, You Lose Some: Experiments with Joined-Up Government

In 2004 a bold experiment in the use of joined-up approaches to policy-making and implementation, best captured in the design of new policy architecture and the creation of a co-location model for service delivery, was undertaken to address the entrenched disadvantage of Indigenous Australians. In this article we report on inhibitors, explaining the under-performance of the joined-up experiment, and facilitators, which explain, in part, the existence of a small number of examples defying the broader trend.

Managing Through Contracts: The Employment Effects of Compulsory Competitive Tendering in Australian Local Government

This article brings new evidence to bear on the employment and human resource effects of competitive tendering and contracting. Drawing on a database of over two hundred workplace agreements, the article examines the impact of compulsory competitive tendering on employees’ pay and employment arrangements in the Australian local government sector. The findings are contextualised in the light of evidence on the outcomes of a similar contracting regime in Britain.

Public Value: A Stocktake of a Concept

It has been two decades since the ‘public value’ idea emerged. In this paper we ‘take stock’ of the concept itself and its development. We set out the basics of the public value approach as articulated by Moore (1995) and then we investigate the ways in which his ideas have been interpreted, extended, appropriated and critiqued. In reviewing these we seek both to clarify Moore’s approach and to engage with the current debate around the validity of his ideas. Based on this review we argue that there is an emerging excitement in public value and, using the life-cycle model set out by Hirsch and Levin (1999), we situate the developing critique of public value as part of a predictable battle in the development of new ideas in public sector management.

From Public to Private: The Australian Experience of Privatisation

This article traces the development of privatisation as a key strategy in public sector reform in Australia, as used to some degree or other by parties of both the left and right. The article identifies the shift from a more pragmatic approach adopted by Labor as one element of its micro-economic reform program, to a more ideologically driven approach used by successive Liberal Coalition governments. It identifies the range of privatisation utilised by both parties and concludes that there has been some convergence in approaches. The results have significantly modified the nature of the Australian state and the way it delivers its public services. With a new government of the left elected in November 2007, it remains to be seen whether or not this trajectory will continue.

Can Enhanced Performance Management Support Public Sector Change

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the potential role that performance management could play in enabling employees’ adaptability to change and, therefore, successful change implementation. This research adopted a qualitative case study research design, focussed on seven case studies within the Australian Public Service (APS). This study utilized documentary analysis, semi-structured individual and group interviews. The findings of this research demonstrate that adaptability to change is integral for high performance; however, the constant change faced by many public servants is disruptive. The authors posit that applying a performance framework developed by Blackman et al. (2013a, b) to change implementation will help overcome, or at least mitigate, these issues. The authors argue that applying this framework will: enable adaptability to change; and provide an ongoing management function that enables change to occur. This research has been limited to seven organizations within the APS, yet it does reveal interesting implications in terms of the apparent role of performance management in both developing change capacity and supporting espoused outcomes. This research identifies the potential role that performance management can play in supporting effective change implementation through enabling employees to cope better with the change through enabling clarity, purpose and alignment with the organizational direction. The originality of this paper stems from the synthesis of different strands of literature, specifically high performance, performance management and change management, and empirical research in the public sector to provide a new way of looking at performance management as a change enabler.

John Howard: The Great Privatiser?

This article outlines and analyses the principles that have driven John Howards privatisation agenda in the context of the broader Australian experience. Howard has articulated a vision for the state in which individual choice has primacy over collective decisions, governments are strategic and the public sector is focused more on enabling or facilitating than on directly delivering public services. In this article we identify Howards articulated vision and contrast this to his time in government to address the question of whether he has, in fact, been a great privatiser. By adopting a broader framework for analysing privatisation, we argue that his vision has, in part, been enacted during the past decade through the politically strategic use of a range of privatisation technologies.

Australian Experiences with Whole of Government: Constraints and Paradoxes in Practice

Increasingly, public managers are faced with complex problems that require thinking and working across boundaries. Such problems span agencies, portfolios and jurisdictions and require actors to work across these boundaries, however, working in this manner requires inter-agency collaboration and cooperation and is based on the premise that important goals of public policy cannot be delivered through the separate activities of existing organisations. Such approaches are pursued due to the notion that the coordination or integration of services will achieve a better result than each party acting separately. In addition, a common assumption is that working across boundaries will enable more efficient and effective policy development, implementation, and service delivery. However, in practice, constraints and barriers lead to less than optimal and, sometimes, paradoxical outcomes.This paper reports upon the initial stages of a large-scale study of whole of government (WG) experiments in the Australian Public Service (APS). Drawing on empirical research across multiple organisations the paper addresses three areas. First, we identify conflicting terminology and provide definitions of whole of government derived from its use in practice. Second, we report on the critical enablers and major barriers to effective whole of government operationalisation. Thirdly, we consider ongoing tensions and some emerging paradoxes which emerge from attempts to work across boundaries in a WG fashion. Some tentative advice for developing effective WG working is proffered.

Can Strategic Human Resource Management Enable Gross National Happiness

Purpose – This is a theoretical paper, which aims to consider the role of strategic human resource management (SHRM) in the development of “gross national happiness” (GNH) in Bhutan. Design/Methodology/Approach – The paper initially examines the question of what is strategic capacity building and its importance for developing nations. It then considers the story of Bhutan where the idea of GNH forms the development philosophy and approach to attaining the long-term visions and goals for the country. Different models and structures for SHRM in Bhutan are discussed in order to determine whether it can be applied to a nation effectively and, if so, whether it will enable the attainment of GNH and the performance desired by the government.Findings – A link between SHRM and the achievement of Bhutan’s 2020 vision is identified as, if Bhutan is to achieve its national capacity, it must identify the capabilities that it needs and then the strategies to support such developments. All four of Ulrich’s HRM types will be required and this will need careful management, as there is a tendency to move towards one or other within an organization. Bhutan is going through a period of extensive change and the values will be changing. What is recognized here is that not only must the SHRM develop appropriate people management strategies, it must also acknowledge its crucial role in the recognition and maintenance of appropriate value sets. Research Limitations/Implications – The proposed framework is currently limited to a theoretical application for Bhutan because, it is argued, that an appropriate model of SHRM will support the desired attainments, but that to do so the specific values of Bhutan will need to be identified and integrated into policy development.Practical Implications – The role of SHRM in supporting or driving change is considered and a potential framework for SHRM in Bhutan is proposed. There is potential to apply these ideas more widely. Originality/Value – This paper identifies a role for SHRM in the attainment of GNH for Bhutan, which is important in helping Bhutan to achieve its national capability.

From Headline to Hard Grind: The Importance of Understanding Public Administration in Achieving Health Outcomes; Comment on 'Understanding the Role of Public Administration in Implementing Action on the Social Determinants of Health and Health Inequities'

Many public policy programs fail to translate ambitious headlines to on-the-ground action. The reasons for this are many and varied, but for public administration and management scholars a large part of the gap between ambition and achievement is the challenge associated with the operation of the machinery of government itself, and how it relates to the other parties that it relies on to fulfill these outcomes. In their article, Carey and Friel set out key reasons why public health scholars should seek to better understand important ideas in public administration. In commenting on their contribution, I draw out two critical questions that are raised by this discussion: (i) what are boundaries and what forms do they take? and (ii) why work across boundaries? Expanding on these key questions extends the points made by Carey and Friel on the importance of understanding public administration and will better place public health scholars and practitioners to realise health outcomes.