2nd Edition

Managing Complexity in the Public Services

By Philip Haynes Copyright 2015
178 Pages 8 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

178 Pages 8 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

178 Pages 8 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

The application of complexity theory to management and the social sciences has been a key development in theory and practice over the last decade. This approach questions the possibility of finding universal methods of practice, and proposes a pragmatic and humanistic management style that evolves out of a reflective method. The focus is on practitioners observing patterns of similarity and being... Read more

1.Management, Professions and the Public Service Context  2.What is Complexity?  3.Strategy and Planning in an Unstable World  4.Complexity and the Performance of Public Services  5.Information Management  6.People in Public Organizations

Biography

Philip Haynes is Professor in Public Policy and Head of School of Applied Social Science at Brighton University, UK. He is the author of Public Policy Beyond the Financial Crisis: An International Comparative Study, 2012, Routledge and has published extensively in journals such as Public Management Review and International Journal of Public Administration and Social Policy and Administration

‘Phil Haynes’ excellent book demonstrates, once again, how far complexity thinking has come, how much it has to offer those working with public policy and management and how to go beyond the rigid limitations of New Public Management and the targeting/auditing culture.’ - Robert Geyer, Professor, Lancaster University, UK

‘This book is both conceptually stimulating and highly practical, combining a deep analysis of the complex and dynamic public service environment with an incisive examination of what this means for managing strategy, performance, information and people. An essential read.’ - Ellen Roberts, Director of Online Studies in Public Policy and Management, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of York, UK

‘Haynes' first edition of this enormously useful book, useful because it takes social science beyond the academy and into application, was a major contribution both to complexity thinking and to public managerial practice. This second edition is even better. It is not only sound and well written – it also engages with the morality and ethics of management practices in relation to complex systems. Haynes not only helps us to think through managing the complex, he shows us a way out of the mess that crude market rationales have made of public service provision. Read it! And for those who can Act on it!’ - David Byrne, Professor of Applied Social Sciences, Durham University, UK