Obedient Servants?: Management Freedoms and Accountabilities in the New Zealand Public SectorThe experiences of a representative sample of public servants, members of Parliament, and informed observers of the control systems of New Zealand’s public management model adopted in the early 1990s are examined in this book. Revealed is a trend that is moving away from the tradition of delivering public services through a centralized bureaucracy. Richard Norman uses his experience critiquing public service bureaucracies as a journalist, working for a government-owned corporation that crashed after becoming too entrepreneurial, and delivering training in finance and management to public servants adjusting to the systems of the “New Public Management” model to examine the creation of a new model of control that achieves a balance between control and empowerment. |
Contents
Preface | 7 |
67827 | 17 |
Chapter 1 | 45 |
a public sector revolution in New Zealand | 55 |
Chapter 5 | 71 |
Chapter 6 | 96 |
Chapter 7 | 110 |
Creating quality information | 122 |
Chapter 8 | 143 |
Chapter 9 | 171 |
Efficiency and effectiveness | 194 |
Moving beyond onedimensional thinking | 219 |
Aspects of control systems | 234 |
240 | |
253 | |
Common terms and phrases
ability accountability achieve administration adopted agreement approach Audit authority balance become budget bureaucracy central agencies Chapter chief executives clear commented concerns consultant contracts control systems corporate costs created decisions deliver delivery departments described doctrines economic effective efficiency emphasis established example expected experience focus focused formal freedom funding goals human important increased inputs interest interviewees involved issues late limited major managerial means measures Ministers Ministry objectives observed Office operational organisations outcomes outputs particularly parties performance period planning political politicians practice private sector problems production public management public sector public servants public service purchase questions reality reform relationships reporting requirements responsibility risk role seeking seen spending staff statement strategy structures survey group theory Treasury units Zealand