You are on page 1of 6

The Adaptation and Implementation of Private

Sector Management Paradigms to the Public


Sector

Broad Organizational Goals

Healthy organizational change can include:

· Changes that will increase employees' autonomy or control.


· Changes that will increase the skill levels of employees.
· Changes that will increase levels of social support (both supervisory support and
coworker support).
· Changes that will improve physical working conditions.
· Changes that will make a healthy use of technology.
· Changes that provide a reasonable level of job demands.
· Changes that provide for job security and career development.
· Changes that provide for healthy work schedules.
· Changes that improve the personal coping mechanisms of employees.
· Changes that will do no harm (i.e. do not have the unintended side effect of degrading
the quality of work).

Obviously, we need to translate these broad objectives into concrete steps and programs,
but it is sometimes useful to first see the forest and then the trees. Broadly speaking,
reducing unhealthy job stressors involves a workplace in which employees have a sense
of control, connectedness, where they are working at a reasonable pace, where they are
challenged and motivated, where they have a sense of support and security. We'll get
back to specific ideas along these lines shortly.
Table of Contents

Table of Contents .......................................................................................... 2


List of Figures................................................................................................ 5
List of Tables ................................................................................................ 6
Statements and Declaration ...........................................................................
7
Abstract ....................................................................................................... 9

Chapter 1 - Introduction and Overview .........................................................


10
1.1: Introduction..........................................................................................10
1.2: Importance of Topic ............................................................................. 10
1.3: State of the Field .................................................................................. 11
1.4: Field Research Problems .......................................................................
11
1.5: Dissertation Outline .............................................................................. 12
1.6: Summary ............................................................................................. 12

Chapter 2 - Contemporary Management Practices: Organizational


Development,
Structure and Contemporary Management Practices .......................................
14
2.1: Introduction ......................................................................................... 14
2.2: Public and Private Sector Organizational Management .............................
15
2.2.1 Characteristics of Public Sector Organizations
.................................................. 16
2.2.2 Characteristics of Private Sector Organizations
................................................ 18
2.3: Growth Stages and Challenges ..............................................................
19
2.4: Strategy .............................................................................................. 29
2.5: Decision Making ................................................................................... 30
2.6: Summary ............................................................................................. 34

Chapter 3 - Contemporary Management Practices: The Conceptual and


Theoretical
Fundamentals of TQM ................................................................................. 35
3.1: Introduction.......................................................................................... 35
3.2: Definition of TQM ................................................................................. 35
3.2.1 Defining Principles ................................................................................................. 37
3.3: Theoretical Underpinning ........................................................................
39
3.3.1 Total Systems Theory ........................................................................................... 39
3.3.2 Strategic Planning ................................................................................................. 43
3.3.3 Project Management ............................................................................................. 45
3.3.5 Performance Measurement and Statistical
Rigor................................... 46
3.4: Summary ...............................................................................................
51

Chapter 1 - Introduction and Overview


1.1: Introduction

Focusing on the prevalent organizational structure and management


distinctions between the private and the public sector, the dissertation aims
to demonstrate the tendency of the public Sector to adhere to outmoded and
inefficient management models as compared to the best Practices models,
strategies, tools and mechanisms adopted within the private sector. The
disparity between public and private sector management styles and
paradigms is customarily justified through reference to organizational
structural differences. This dissertation takes a contrary position, arguing
that even though there may exist structural differences between public and
private sector organizations, the differences are not such as to prevent the
successful implementation of private sector management strategies and
paradigms in public sector organizations. These statements and arguments
shall be validated through a review of the literature on public and private
sector organizations and contemporary management strategies and,
solidified through the results of the field study. The purpose of the
dissertation is to argue and prove that there exists no valid obstacle in the
face of the public sector’s adoption of management strategies which are
comparable to those prevalent in the private sector. A guideline for the
successful implementation of total quality management (hereafter TQM) in
the public sector shall be proposed.

1.2: Importance of Topic

The study proposes to examine the similarities and differences between the public
and the
private sector for determination of whether or not private sector management
strategies withstand successful adaptation to, and implementation in, the private
sector, from within a framework of specific research questions. The research
questions are:

Q1: Can management strategies, tools, and paradigms, traditionally


associated with the private sector be applied to the public sector?

Q2: How can TQM as a strategic management paradigm be successfully


implemented in the public sector?

The importance of the topic stems from its area of focus and purpose. Focusing on
the differences between the public and the private sectors and outlining the set of
contemporary management strategies associated with best practices and total
quality management, the dissertation’s primary purpose is to prove the possibilities,
and imperatives, of the public sector’s adoption of `private sector management
strategies.’ The dissertation derives greater primary importance upon consideration
of the relationship between public and private sector organizations. As Flynn (2002)
explains, public and private sector organizations do not occupy different spaces, nor
do they operate in isolation from one another. Rather, public and private sector
organizations operate within the same space, the same environment, as in market,
economy and community and, continually interact with one another on a business
and professional level. Insofar as it proceeds from an acknowledgement of the
similarities between the two, and the imperatives of removing artificial obstacles to
the efficient and effective operation of the public sector, whether within the context
of sectoral matrix or its relationship with the private sector, this present study is
important.

1.3: State of the Field

The greater majority of comparative researches and studies on public and private
sector management have focused on structural differences, just as the majority of
the literature on TQM and strategic management has focused on their
implementation in the private sector. There exists, however, a small body of
academic literature which focuses on the disputation of the boundaries between the
private and the public sector, insofar as the applicability of TQM and strategic
management is concerned. This dissertation aims to contribute to the
aforementioned literature by making a case for applicability and designing a model
for implementation.

1.4: Field Research Problems

The aim of the dissertation is to explore public and private sector strategy. This has
been done by carrying out eight interviews within two organizations. The first
organization (Organization A) is a public sector organization and a set of four
interviews were carried out with public sector managers and consultants. The
second organization (Organization B) is a private sector organization and another
set of four interviews were conducted with private sector managers and
consultants.
The field research was limited to semi‐structured interviews which, in itself, may be
problematic and there was no opportunity to conduct a survey of employee opinion
on strategic management/TQM, their observed opinion on their organization’s
management failures and successes and, most importantly, on the possibilities of
implementing TQM paradigms in the public sector. The researcher sought to
overcome this particular problem, or limitation, through reference to secondary
case studies on the successful implementation of TQM in public sector
organizations. Another problem which the researcher confronted while conducting
the field research was the subjectivity versus objectivity of the respondents. Despite
the fact that the interviewees were, without exception, very helpful and pleasant,
often trying to give as complete an answer as possible to the questions posed, it
was difficult to determine whether these responses were objective or not. It was
incumbent upon the researcher, therefore, to ensure the validity of the responses.
Finally, the interviewee bias issue was another problem. The researcher had to
purposely detach himself from the context in order that he may later analyze the
primary data from a detached perspective and not allow his own findings and
opinions to tamper with either the direction of the interviews, influence the
responses of the interviewees or impinge upon the primary data findings.

1.5: Dissertation Outline

The dissertation will be comprised of seven chapters. Following the introductory


chapter, which outlines the nature of the study, Chapter 2 and 3 will present
reviews on related literature on contemporary management strategies, public
versus private organizations and the tools, mechanisms and strategies of best
practices business models. The focus shall be on TQM and, Chapter 3, will be
devoted to defining it, outlining its theoretical precepts and discussing its
implementation. Chapter 4 will present and defend the dissertation’s selected
methodology. Chapter 5 will present the results of the field research while Chapter
6 will present a guideline for the successful implementation of TQM in the public
sector and offer a detailed discussion and debate of the research results. Finally,
Chapter 7 will conclude the study through an articulation of the research findings, a
discussion of the implications of these findings and the presentation of a set of
recommendations.

1.6: Summary

As the current chapter has sought to explain, the dissertation shall focus upon
management strategies and paradigms in both the public and private sector,
highlighting the differences therein. The argument, however, is that the disparity
between management strategies is not justified and if private sector management
strategies and models were to be applied in the public sector, productivity and
performance efficiency and effectiveness, not to mention efficient allocation and
usage of resources would be maximized. As Dent, Chandler and Barry (2004)
explain, contemporary management practices are predominantly geared towards
the maximization of organizational efficiency through the implementation of
performance measurement and excellence tools and strategies. The
implementation of these models within the public sector has, over the past decade,
contributed to the raising of productivity levels by at least 15‐20%, in addition to
which they have functioned to eliminated resource wastage by anywhere from 40‐
90% (Dent, Chandler and Barry, 2004; Moore, 2004). While the private sector has
exploited these models, strategies and tools, the public sector has, in the main, not.
Consequently, and as Moore (2004) maintains the public sector is largely denied the
performance betterment and productivity maximization tools afforded to the private
sector. The argument, thus, is that were the public sector to implement and exploit
contemporary management practices widely used in the private sector,
performance, productivity and, efficiency levels would all experience varying
degrees of increase. Through a qualitative approach, focusing on the experiences of
one public and one private sector organization, this argument shall be supported.
The following chapter presents a review of the relevant contemporary literature on
the selected topic, with particular focus on total quality management as the optimal
management paradigm.

You might also like