Pauline Jas

Intervention or Persuasion? Strategies for Turnaround of Poorly-Performing Councils

This article provides early results from a long-term evaluation of the turnaround strategies by poorly-performing local authorities in England. The history and theory behind central government interventions into local government is reviewed, focusing on the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA). The journeys taken by 10 local authorities, after being labelled as ‘poor’ or ‘weak’, are described and these responses are located within the literature on theories of turnaround and public sector service improvement. The authors conclude by setting out a research agenda for the future.

Analysing organisational context: case studies on the contribution of absorptive capacity theory to understanding inter-organisational variation in performance improvement

Background Organisational context is frequently cited as an important consideration when implementing and evaluating quality improvement interventions in healthcare, but limited guidance is available on which aspects of context are most influential or modifiable. This paper examines how internal and external contextual factors mediate organisational-level performance improvement through applying the knowledge-based theory of absorptive capacity (AC). Methods Three healthcare case studies are presented. Each case is a UK National Health Service organisation that had been identified as having performance problems. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with general and clinical managers within the organisation and members of external teams supporting or overseeing performance improvement (n=22). Interview data were analysed using an existing AC framework from the literature. Results The organisation with the highest AC showed the quickest and most comprehensive performance improvement. Internal characteristics including strategic priorities, processes for managing information, communication and orientation to learning and development impacted on the organisations ability to engage successfully with external stakeholders and make use of available knowledge. This enabled the organisation to thrive despite the challenging external environment. Lower levels of AC appeared to delay or limit the improvement trajectory. Conclusions Developing a more detailed and nuanced understanding of how context influences improvement is an important step towards achieving more effective and sustainable quality improvement programmes in healthcare. AC, with its focus on knowledge and organisational learning, provides a useful way to explore the relationship between context and quality improvement and represents a potentially valuable area for future research and development.

Connecting knowledge and performance in public services: from knowing to doing

List of figures List of tables List of boxes Foreword Chris Hood 1. Introduction: knowledge and performance - theory and practice Kieran Walshe, Gill Harvey and Pauline Jas 2. Knowledge from inspection: external oversight and information to improve performance Steve Martin 3. How is information used to improve public performance? Exploring the dynamics of performance information Steven Van de Walle and Wouter Van Dooren 4. Citizens, users or consumers: the voice of the public and its influence on improving performance Ian Greener 5. Competition and contestability: the place of markets in connecting information and performance improvement Carol Propper and Deborah Wilson 6. The role of corporate governance and boards in organizational performance Chris Cornforth and Naomi Chambers 7. Change at the top: connecting political and managerial transition with performance George Boyne, Oliver James, Peter John and Nicolai Petrovsky 8. The role of leadership in knowledge creation and transfer for organizational learning and improvement Jean Hartley and Lyndsay Rashman 9. Process improvement and lean thinking: using knowledge and information to improve performance Zoe Radnor 10. Using evidence: how social research could be better used to improve public service performance Huw Davies, Sandra Nutley and Isabel Walter 11. Absorptive capacity: how organizations assimilate and apply knowledge to improve performance Gill Harvey, Pauline Jas, Kieran Walshe and Chris Skelcher 12. Knowing through doing: unleashing latent dynamic capabilities in the public sector Ann Casebeer, Trish Reay, James Dewald and Amy Pablo 13. Conclusions: a puzzle, three pieces, many theories and a problem Colin Talbot Index.

Connecting Knowledge and Performance in Public Services: Contents

List of figures List of tables List of boxes Foreword Chris Hood 1. Introduction: knowledge and performance - theory and practice Kieran Walshe, Gill Harvey and Pauline Jas 2. Knowledge from inspection: external oversight and information to improve performance Steve Martin 3. How is information used to improve public performance? Exploring the dynamics of performance information Steven Van de Walle and Wouter Van Dooren 4. Citizens, users or consumers: the voice of the public and its influence on improving performance Ian Greener 5. Competition and contestability: the place of markets in connecting information and performance improvement Carol Propper and Deborah Wilson 6. The role of corporate governance and boards in organizational performance Chris Cornforth and Naomi Chambers 7. Change at the top: connecting political and managerial transition with performance George Boyne, Oliver James, Peter John and Nicolai Petrovsky 8. The role of leadership in knowledge creation and transfer for organizational learning and improvement Jean Hartley and Lyndsay Rashman 9. Process improvement and lean thinking: using knowledge and information to improve performance Zoe Radnor 10. Using evidence: how social research could be better used to improve public service performance Huw Davies, Sandra Nutley and Isabel Walter 11. Absorptive capacity: how organizations assimilate and apply knowledge to improve performance Gill Harvey, Pauline Jas, Kieran Walshe and Chris Skelcher 12. Knowing through doing: unleashing latent dynamic capabilities in the public sector Ann Casebeer, Trish Reay, James Dewald and Amy Pablo 13. Conclusions: a puzzle, three pieces, many theories and a problem Colin Talbot Index.

Different Regulatory Regimes in Different Parts of the UK? A Comparison of Narrative and Practice in Relation to Poor Performance in Local Government

This article addresses whether there are differences in regulatory regimes in the devolved nations of the UK. It focuses on the divergence between rhetoric and practice around improving performance of local authorities. By discussing general understanding of public sector quality and the possible role for regulators in ensuring quality it shows that Scotland and Wales have developed different approaches since devolution of power in 1999. By comparing case studies from each of the nations it shows that practices vary much less than could be expected based on the previous research. This is likely to be due to shared underlying assumptions about performance and how to improve it, rather than the regulatory regimes themselves. It is argued that external pressure and support are vital, and that these functions can be damaged by reducing involvement of the state in safeguarding quality of public service delivery.

The role of interim managers in performance improvement: evidence from English local authorities

This article shows how interim managers use the ambiguity of being perceived as both an insider and outsider to an organization to manage difficult situations in the process of turnaround from poor performance. Their temporary involvement with an organization allows them to support staff, as well as deal with urgent managerial and governance issues. Their contributions to the improvement of organization performance often take place in the early stages of the process and remain largely invisible. Reducing management in the public sector in order to cut the cost of delivery may put organizational performance at risk.

Connecting Knowledge and Performance in Public Services: Notes on contributors

List of figures List of tables List of boxes Foreword Chris Hood 1. Introduction: knowledge and performance - theory and practice Kieran Walshe, Gill Harvey and Pauline Jas 2. Knowledge from inspection: external oversight and information to improve performance Steve Martin 3. How is information used to improve public performance? Exploring the dynamics of performance information Steven Van de Walle and Wouter Van Dooren 4. Citizens, users or consumers: the voice of the public and its influence on improving performance Ian Greener 5. Competition and contestability: the place of markets in connecting information and performance improvement Carol Propper and Deborah Wilson 6. The role of corporate governance and boards in organizational performance Chris Cornforth and Naomi Chambers 7. Change at the top: connecting political and managerial transition with performance George Boyne, Oliver James, Peter John and Nicolai Petrovsky 8. The role of leadership in knowledge creation and transfer for organizational learning and improvement Jean Hartley and Lyndsay Rashman 9. Process improvement and lean thinking: using knowledge and information to improve performance Zoe Radnor 10. Using evidence: how social research could be better used to improve public service performance Huw Davies, Sandra Nutley and Isabel Walter 11. Absorptive capacity: how organizations assimilate and apply knowledge to improve performance Gill Harvey, Pauline Jas, Kieran Walshe and Chris Skelcher 12. Knowing through doing: unleashing latent dynamic capabilities in the public sector Ann Casebeer, Trish Reay, James Dewald and Amy Pablo 13. Conclusions: a puzzle, three pieces, many theories and a problem Colin Talbot Index.

Connecting Knowledge and Performance in Public Services: Frontmatter

List of figures List of tables List of boxes Foreword Chris Hood 1. Introduction: knowledge and performance - theory and practice Kieran Walshe, Gill Harvey and Pauline Jas 2. Knowledge from inspection: external oversight and information to improve performance Steve Martin 3. How is information used to improve public performance? Exploring the dynamics of performance information Steven Van de Walle and Wouter Van Dooren 4. Citizens, users or consumers: the voice of the public and its influence on improving performance Ian Greener 5. Competition and contestability: the place of markets in connecting information and performance improvement Carol Propper and Deborah Wilson 6. The role of corporate governance and boards in organizational performance Chris Cornforth and Naomi Chambers 7. Change at the top: connecting political and managerial transition with performance George Boyne, Oliver James, Peter John and Nicolai Petrovsky 8. The role of leadership in knowledge creation and transfer for organizational learning and improvement Jean Hartley and Lyndsay Rashman 9. Process improvement and lean thinking: using knowledge and information to improve performance Zoe Radnor 10. Using evidence: how social research could be better used to improve public service performance Huw Davies, Sandra Nutley and Isabel Walter 11. Absorptive capacity: how organizations assimilate and apply knowledge to improve performance Gill Harvey, Pauline Jas, Kieran Walshe and Chris Skelcher 12. Knowing through doing: unleashing latent dynamic capabilities in the public sector Ann Casebeer, Trish Reay, James Dewald and Amy Pablo 13. Conclusions: a puzzle, three pieces, many theories and a problem Colin Talbot Index.

Connecting Knowledge and Performance in Public Services: List of tables

List of figures List of tables List of boxes Foreword Chris Hood 1. Introduction: knowledge and performance - theory and practice Kieran Walshe, Gill Harvey and Pauline Jas 2. Knowledge from inspection: external oversight and information to improve performance Steve Martin 3. How is information used to improve public performance? Exploring the dynamics of performance information Steven Van de Walle and Wouter Van Dooren 4. Citizens, users or consumers: the voice of the public and its influence on improving performance Ian Greener 5. Competition and contestability: the place of markets in connecting information and performance improvement Carol Propper and Deborah Wilson 6. The role of corporate governance and boards in organizational performance Chris Cornforth and Naomi Chambers 7. Change at the top: connecting political and managerial transition with performance George Boyne, Oliver James, Peter John and Nicolai Petrovsky 8. The role of leadership in knowledge creation and transfer for organizational learning and improvement Jean Hartley and Lyndsay Rashman 9. Process improvement and lean thinking: using knowledge and information to improve performance Zoe Radnor 10. Using evidence: how social research could be better used to improve public service performance Huw Davies, Sandra Nutley and Isabel Walter 11. Absorptive capacity: how organizations assimilate and apply knowledge to improve performance Gill Harvey, Pauline Jas, Kieran Walshe and Chris Skelcher 12. Knowing through doing: unleashing latent dynamic capabilities in the public sector Ann Casebeer, Trish Reay, James Dewald and Amy Pablo 13. Conclusions: a puzzle, three pieces, many theories and a problem Colin Talbot Index.