The Public Sector Managing the Unmanageable [Hardcover]

The Public Sectoroffers practical advice to British public sector managers on how to develop techniques to deal with the challenges they face, particularly in the areas of accountability, setting targets, risk management/encouraging innovation, managing people, decision making and working with politicians. 

Based on original interviews with politicians and senior public sector managers in the UK, it is full of anecdotes, actionable lessons and insights. Each chapter takes a specific aspect of management and starts by explaining why it is different in the public sector, then sets out ways for public sector managers to handle those differences and ends with an executive summary and a checklist to prompt managers to think about how they might change what they currently do.
Alexander Stevensonworked for theFinancial Timesand was a key member of the team which launched FT.com. He then set up a public sector consulting company and has advised over 150 public sector organizations. His insights may cause you to look at the civil service in a whole new light. Stevenson writes from a British point of view, and many of his examples are based in London, but readers everywhere will glean useful tips.getAbstractrecommends his surprisingly breezy advice to leaders in either sector.

Foreword by Lord Mandelson
Acknowledgements
About the author

Introduction – managing the unmanageable

01 The challenges of managing in the public sector
No single simple success measure
Democratic accountability
Pressure?

02 Managing accountability
Introduction – the unaccountable lack of accountability
Why is it so hard to be accountable in the public sector?
How to create accountability
Creating accountability in a partnership
Summary

03 Managing target setting
Introduction – to target or not to target
The clÃ)