Leadership and Change in Public Sector Organizations ─ Beyond Reform

Successful change in the public sector can be supported or hindered by political and administrative leadership, individual and group motivation, and the public’s perception of the effectiveness of public officials and government structures. But do the very characteristics of public sector organizations present obstacles to successful transformative change? This book assesses the current state of the literature on leadership and change in government and public policy, and introduces the reader to innovative new ways to demonstrate leadership in times of change.

Contributions from accomplished scholars in the field cover the traditional public administration areas of performance and management, as well as the diversity of issues that surround public leadership and change, both domestic and global. Chapters on public sector innovation, performance leadership, governance networks, complexity in disaster management, change initiatives in educational systems and local government, citizen advisory bodies, and gender and race equality, to name but a few, provide important case studies throughout the volume. Leadership and Change in the Public Sector will be required reading for upper level undergraduate and graduate courses in public administration/management, leadership, and public policy analysis.

James D. Ward is a Visiting Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University, Newark, USA. He is the author or co-author of more than 70 manuscripts, journal articles, book chapters, and books including Institutional Racism, Organizations and Public Policy (2014). His current research interests include local government reform, collaborative governance, state and local government fiscal and policy issues, public sector performance, and institutional commitments to diversity including race and public policy. He received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.