Public Sector Development Research Articles

Innovation quality management in public sector research and development organizations: Application of six sigma methodology

Measuring and managing six sigma critical success factors (CSF) is required for organizational alignment and optimization to its perceived goals. This research explores the key aspects of CSF public sector R and D organizations (PSRDO) which seem consistent for breakthrough improvement through six sigma. This paper proposes a framework to integrate innovation ability and quality management (Six Sigma) into a framework for enhancing and improving innovation quality in public sector research and development organizations. Twenty-three critical variables for implementing Six-Sigma were identified through documentary investigation, brainstorming and Delphi methods. The relevance rating and rank of these variables were computed from the response of 195 and 240 scientists in two sets. Following hierarchical cluster analysis these 23 variables were grouped in to five critical successes factors. A framework encompassing these five factors is proposed for institutionalizing Six Sigma approach in PSRDO to foster innovation quality and productivity.

Success factors of a networked government: learning from Thai Health Promotion Foundation

The paper is based on the study sponsored by the Office of the Public sector Development Commission (OPDC). It aims to identify the critical success factors for an effective networked government. The network concept represents a new way for a public agency to work with its stakeholders. The organisation under study is Thai Health Promotion Foundation (THPF) with the focus on its road accidents prevention campaign during the New Year. This campaign had drastically reduced road accidents. The success factors included network design, clarity of roles and responsibilities, and knowledge management. An international expert, Mr. William Eggers, also helped verify these findings.

Defining and measuring productivity in the public sector: managerial perceptions

PurposeThe paper aims to identify what productivity means in the public sector, how it is measured and how it should be measured and improved, according to municipal authorities in managerial positions.Design/methodology/approachThe approach is both theoretical and empirical. The first part is a literature review of research concerning public sector productivity. The second part presents findings of empirical research that is based on interviews and workshops with municipal authorities representing: special healthcare services; basic healthcare and social services; and educational services. The research has been carried out in the Päijät‐Häme region, Finland.FindingsAccording to the results, there is a certain mismatch between perceptions concerning productivity and the potential that lies in this concept as a functional tool in the public sector's development efforts. Public sector productivity cannot be developed and discussed without taking into consideration the issue of effectiveness.Research limitations/implicationsDeeper common understanding concerning productivity and effectiveness and their measurement is likely to facilitate municipal decision making and service processes in individual workplaces as well as within and among different spheres of authority – and thus facilitate mutual learning.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to development and application of productivity and effectiveness thinking in the public sector. It is linked to service excellence, performance measurement and management systems, creativity in process delivery and deployment of improvement techniques in the public sector. It is of interest both to researchers and to practitioners.

Food Security: Translational Agriculture

In the Perspective “Radically rethinking agriculture for the 21st century” (12 February, special section on Food Security, p. [833][1]) N. V. Fedoroff et al. rightfully propose a rethinking of the regulatory system to support public-sector development of genetically modified (GM) crops in the United States and as an international precedent. This strategy will only be effective if it is coupled with a comprehensive translational research paradigm for public agricultural research—analogous to the approach that the National Institutes of Health has been adopting since 2003 to better link basic research to patient needs. In the past 20 years, private companies have only invested in the development of a few traits in a few major crops. As a result, specialty crops and traits with high environmental or social value but low economic value have been completely bypassed. Despite more than two decades of public research investment, only two GM crops developed in the public research sector have been approved for commercial release. How can the public agricultural research sector implement a paradigm of translational research? First, researchers in agricultural biotechnology should anticipate the downstream development, deployment, and commercialization requirements from the start, rather than as an afterthought. They should address regulatory requirements and intellectual property access, and they should determine how to bring the project results to scale. Second, to achieve both basic research goals and successful translation, research teams should include members from multiple disciplines and maintain a high degree of connectivity and communication. Finally, translational research should be characterized by clear accountability focused on progress toward deliverables. Philanthropic sponsors of agricultural development are now beginning to demand clearly articulated translational research strategies that encompass these components. If the public sector is going to contribute in tangible ways to Fedoroff et al. 's vision of the future of agriculture, the public research system needs to be tuned up for translation. [1]: pending:yes

Defining and measuring productivity in the public sector: managerial perceptions

PurposeThis paper aims to identify what productivity means in the public sector, how it is measured and how it should be measured and improved, according to municipal authorities in managerial positions.Design/methodology/approachThe approach is both theoretical and empirical. The first part is a literature review of research concerning public sector productivity. The second part presents findings of empirical research that is based on interviews and workshops with municipal authorities representing: special healthcare services; basic healthcare and social services, and educational services. The research was carried out in the Päijät‐Häme region, Finland.FindingsAccording to the results, there is a certain mismatch between perceptions concerning productivity and the potential that lies in this concept as a functional tool in the public sector's development efforts. Public sector productivity cannot be developed and discussed without taking into consideration the issue of effectiveness.Practical implicationsDeeper common understanding concerning productivity and effectiveness and their measurement are likely to facilitate municipal decision making and service processes in individual workplaces as well as within and among different spheres of authority – and thus facilitate mutual learning.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to development and application of productivity and effectiveness thinking in the public sector. It is linked to service excellence, performance measurement and management systems, creativity in process delivery and deployment of improvement techniques in the public sector. It is of interest both to researchers and practitioners.

Inter‐organizational collaboration projects in the public sector: a balance between integration and demarcation

For several years, the development of the Swedish public sector has been accompanied by a discussion about inter-organizational collaboration, which has been examined in several national experiments. The experience, however, indicates significant difficulties in implementing collaboration in local authorities' regular activities. This article argues that organizing inter-organizational collaboration in projects tends to be counterproductive, since the purpose of this collaboration is to increase the integration of local authorities. This article is based on case studies of three different collaboration projects. Each project is analyzed in relation to the way collaboration is organized within the project and how the relationship to the local authorities' activities is designed. The outcome of these studies shows that while collaboration projects increase integration between the responsible authorities, the integration stays within the projects. This is due to the fact that the projects were designed as units separate from the responsible authorities. As a result, the collaboration that occurs in the projects is not implemented in the local authorities' activities, and the viability of the increased integration of different responsible authorities does not extend beyond the projects.

Late Prof. Shinkei Liu and His Analysis of Taiwan Economy: Based on the Kitaba Michiko Study “Development and Dual Structure of Public and Private Sector in Taiwan Economy”

Late Prof. Shinkei Liu and His Analysis of Taiwan Economy: Based on the Kitaba Michiko Study “Development and Dual Structure of Public and Private Sector in Taiwan Economy”

Development and Dual Structure of Public and Private Sector in Taiwan Economy: On Rereading the Masterpieces of Shinkei Liu

Development and Dual Structure of Public and Private Sector in Taiwan Economy: On Rereading the Masterpieces of Shinkei Liu

Sustaining organisational development through knowledge management in the public sector

The study focuses on the importance of knowledge management or KM on sustaining continuous performance improvement in the public sector. From the top management at the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission, KM represents a critical success factor in driving high performance (e.g. responsiveness, efficiency, productiveness and flexibility), and sustainable improvement into public agencies. The surveys are distributed to Chief Knowledge Officer to help assess current KM practices in public agencies, to identify roadblocks for KM deployment and to pinpoint potential plans and initiatives to ensure that KM can be effectively integrated into public agencies. The overall finding shows that the use of information and communication technology has become an integral part of governmental operations. Nevertheless, the findings reveal several serious issues, especially a lack of awareness on possibly using external knowledge and of linking KM with performance measurement and analysis. Future plans are proposed to help overcome these barriers.

Innovation in the public sector: the roles of external influences

The study identifies the common factors that contribute to service innovation and improvement for the public sector. Two public agencies, Bantak Hospital and the Department of Corrections, are selected and examined owing to their successful transformations. The findings from these two cases show that, for public agencies, the external factors greatly influence the paradigm shift in an organisation. For Bantak Hospital, becoming more proactive in the community helps improve necessary services to citizens. For the Department of Corrections, a paradigm shift helps change the perception of its staff and administrators in terms of inmate handling and control. This study is sponsored by the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC). This agency is expected to continue playing a crucial role in transforming public agencies in Thailand.

Developing sustainability: sustainability policy and gentrification on Toronto's waterfront

A “three pillar” concept of sustainability guides the current publicly funded planning and redevelopment process on Toronto's waterfront. While this concept serves as a guiding framework, sustainability is largely defined in planning and redevelopment policy and practice by multi-level public sector urban intensification policy and a reliance on the private sector-led implementation of new sustainable communities. This study connects perspectives on “policy-led gentrification” and “third-wave gentrification” with an exploration of public plans and development strategies for the new West Don Lands waterfront neighbourhood. It traces how sustainability objectives are integrated into a gentrification process driven by public sector planning and development policies and private sector development interests. Components of the integration of sustainability into gentrification practices are the sale of publicly owned waterfront lands to private developers and public sector financial and educational incentives for private real estate development that meets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design sustainability targets.

Beyond the ‘iron triangle’: Stakeholder perception of key performance indicators (KPIs) for large-scale public sector development projects

Performance measurement criteria vary from project to project. Despite much work on the subject, there is no commonly agreed framework of performance measurement on mega projects. To bridge this gap, this research targets to investigate the perception of the key performance indicators (KPIs) in the context of a large construction project in Thailand. The study explores the significance of key performance indicators in perspective of various construction stakeholders (client, consultants, and contractors). Findings indicate that the traditional measures of the iron triangle (on-time, under-budget and according to specifications) are no more applicable to measuring performance on large public sector development projects. Other performance indicators such as safety, efficient use of resources, effectiveness, satisfaction of stakeholders, and reduced conflicts and disputes are increasingly becoming important. This implies that the Thai construction industry is slowly departing from the traditional quantitative performance measurement to a rather mix of both quantitative and qualitative performance measurement on large-scale public sector development projects.

Commercialization Through Standards Development

Commercialization Through Standards Development

Performance measurement: roles and challenges

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the past and present practices, and the future roles of performance measurement in the Thai public sector. It is part of a transformation effort initiated by the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC) on m‐government – more mobile, responsive, and flexible government. The paper also aims to identify possible roadblocks from successfully integrating performance measurement into a management process.Design/methodology/approachIn‐depth interviews with 12 executives and top administrators from private firms and public agencies, and document reviews are performed. The analysis on the participants' opinions is based on the applications of the grounded theory. The interview's findings are verified with document reviews. The roadblocks are identified and substantiated by two experts.FindingsFor past and present practices, performance measurement is part of management tool and responsibility, a quality management system, and a learning organization. Its future viewpoints include a driver towards good governance, transparency, and accountability, and a success factor of performance audit and organizational competency/capability. Four important roadblocks in implementing performance measurement in an organization relate to staff empowerment, budgeting, external knowledge, and linkage with software usages.Practical implicationsThe findings provide important information into the OPDC's planning process on its m‐government transformation initiative.Originality/valueThe paper attempts to blend knowledge on performance measurement from both the private and public sectors. It highlights the greater roles and expectations on performance measurement in an organization.

Dynamic Comprehensive Strategic Planning: Integrated Land Development, Public Facility Capacity Planning, and Capital Budgeting Decision Analysis Framework

Federal, state, and local governments have been developing and implementing various comprehensive land-use and infrastructure investment plans. However, in several regions, rapid employment and housing growth have created severe quality-of-life and environmental problems due to sprawl-creating land-use policies and lack of investment for adequate public facilities. I present a conceptual dynamic comprehensive strategic planning (DCSP) decision analysis framework. The cyclic discrete staged DCSP incorporates short- and long-range integrated land-use, capacity planning, and capital budgeting decisions. Private and public sector developments are synchronized using an alternative mix of growth plans and a matching mix of technologies (infrastructure network). For each alternative, scenario analysis is applied to address risk from uncertainties of key driving factors such as state of the economy, demographic composition, and emerging technology. Impact analysis (fiscal, environmental, etc.) of each alternative policy is incorporated in the model.

Obstacles for Women in Leadership Positions: The Case of South Africa

Previous articleNext article No AccessComparative Perspectives Symposium: Challenges to Women's LeadershipObstacles for Women in Leadership Positions: The Case of South AfricaAmanda GouwsAmanda GouwsPolitical Science DepartmentUniversity of Stellenbosch Search for more articles by this author Political Science DepartmentUniversity of StellenboschPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Signs Volume 34, Number 1Autumn 2008 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/588486 Views: 516Total views on this site Citations: 20Citations are reported from Crossref © 2008 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Hlengiwe Portia Dlamini Leadership and gender in Eswatini: Swati politics through the prism of Gelane Simelane Zwane, 1990–2018, Journal of Contemporary African Studies 9 (Feb 2022): 1–15.https://doi.org/10.1080/02589001.2022.2027350Ján Michalko “This Lady, She’s A-List!”: The Empowerment Impact of Womxn Political Elites for Womxn in South African Higher Education, Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society 28, no.44 (Feb 2020): 1095–1114.https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxaa001Ca-Asia A. Lane An Organizational Leadership Response for Women in Leadership: An Analysis of Romans 16:1–16, (Jul 2022): 159–175.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04006-1_9Wendy van Eyck, Yolande Steenkamp Leadership Capacities Contributing to the Success of a Multi-Stakeholder Partnership in Eswatini, (Jun 2021): 155–167.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70948-8_11Collin Kamalizeni, Mohammad Hoque, Abdullah Kader, Hatikanganwi Mapudzi Towards a Conceptual Framework for Organisationally Effective Female Leadership in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Public Enterprises in Eswatini, Africa Journal of Public Sector Development and Governance 4, no.11 (Jan 2021): 89–110.https://doi.org/10.55390/ajpsdg.2021.4.1.5Efua Prah, Terri Maggott The role of feminisms in building a transformation framework for institutions of higher learning in South Africa, Social Dynamics 16 (Dec 2020): 1–25.https://doi.org/10.1080/02533952.2020.1858541Trang Thi Thu Tran, Huy Van Nguyen Gender preference in higher education leadership: insights from gender distribution and subordinate perceptions and expectations in Vietnam universities, International Journal of Leadership in Education 8 (Apr 2020): 1–22.https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2020.1753244Gabi Mkhize, Nwabisa Mgcotyelwa-Ntoni The impact of women’s movements’ activism experiences on gender transformation policies in democratic South Africa, Agenda 33, no.22 (May 2019): 9–21.https://doi.org/10.1080/10130950.2019.1618637Jacqui Poltera Exploring examples of women’s leadership in African contexts, Agenda 33, no.11 (Jul 2019): 3–8.https://doi.org/10.1080/10130950.2019.1602977Jacqui Poltera, Jenny Schreiner Problematising women’s leadership in the African context, Agenda 33, no.11 (Jun 2019): 9–20.https://doi.org/10.1080/10130950.2019.1613057Claude-Hélène Mayer, Sabie Surtee, Jasmin Mahadevan South African women leaders, transformation and diversity conflict intersections, Journal of Organizational Change Management 31, no.44 (Jul 2018): 877–894.https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-10-2016-0196Claude-Hélène Mayer, Rian Viviers “Can One Put Faith and Work in the Same Sentence?” Faith Development and Vocation of a Female Leader in the Engineering Profession, Journal of Religion and Health 57, no.33 (May 2017): 821–835.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0404-2Claude-Helene Mayer, Louise Tonelli, Rudolf M. Oosthuizen, Sabie Surtee ‘You have to keep your head on your shoulders’: A systems psychodynamic perspective on women leaders, SA Journal of Industrial Psychology 44, no.00 (Mar 2018).https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v44i0.1424Claude-Hélène Mayer, Rudolf M. Oosthuizen, Sabie Surtee Emotional intelligence in South African women leaders in higher education, SA Journal of Industrial Psychology 43 (Feb 2017).https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v43.1405Claude-Hélène Mayer, Rudolf M. Oosthuizen, Sabie Surtee Emotional intelligence in South African women leaders in higher education, SA Journal of Industrial Psychology 43, no.00 (Feb 2017).https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v43i0.1405Lindsay Clowes ‘I act this way because why?’ Prior knowledges, teaching for change, imagining new masculinities, NORMA 10, no.22 (Jul 2015): 149–162.https://doi.org/10.1080/18902138.2015.1050863Claude-Hélène Mayer, Antoni Barnard Balancing the Scales of Gender and Culture in Contemporary South Africa, (Apr 2015): 327–349.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14005-6_16Claude-Hélène Mayer, Llewellyn E. Van Zyl Perspectives of female leaders on sense of coherence and mental health in an engineering environment, SA Journal of Industrial Psychology 39, no.22 (Mar 2013).https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v39i2.1097Gretchen Bauer Update on the Women's Movement in Botswana: Have Women Stopped Talking?, African Studies Review 54, no.22 (Oct 2013): 23–46.https://doi.org/10.1353/arw.2011.0040Michael M. O. Seipel Gender Empowerment Measure and Policy Choice, Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services 91, no.44 (May 2018): 350–355.https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.4036

Ensuring Stable and Inclusive Growth in Pakistan

The article provides an overview of the Pakistani economy and addresses various sectoral issues currently being faced by the economy. The first and the most critical problem highlighted concerns the protection of the poor. Other issues highlighted relate to education, healthcare, housing, taxation and energy. This paper discusses how the current account deficit needs to be tackled by higher tariffs, exchange rate adjustments, and possible export duties. The paper also discusses the need to reduce the cost of production for industry and upgrade governance through an emphasis on the local government system. Regarding public sector investments, the paper explains how the government needs to be transparent about the Public Sector Development Programme, and allow projects to be executed by the provinces.

How to Define the Optimal Level of Public-sector Infrastructure Development? A Conceptual Model for Decision-making in Infrastructure Projects

Debates with respect to financial problems of public-sector infrastructure development increasingly focus on ways to improve value capturing. Two issues play a crucial role in this debate: how much value can be captured and how can we maximize the value to be captured? In this paper a conceptual model is presented that enables defining the optimal level of public sector infrastructure development—combining a social and financial perspective. Using the model, it is possible, in principle, to define the maximum level of value capturing. Additionally, the paper provides empirical evidence of the potentials of value capturing in three Dutch case studies. The case studies show that the potential value to be captured as a result of investments in rail infrastructure is substantial, but also that it is unknown whether value capturing would be higher in case of alternative investment levels. It will be argued that the conceptual model might be useful to define the optimal level of investment in accessibility in each case study.

A Daunting Task in Asia

This article deals with the question of how to transform the public sector in Asia towards transparency and accountability. What are the main challenges and constraints in promoting transparency and accountability? What kind of strategies can we suggest to enhance and sustain transparency and accountability? It will start with the introduction, including environmental changes in public affairs, and a brief overview of transparency and accountability. Then it will look at what major challenges and constraints there are in enhancing transparency and accountability. This will be followed by a discussion of key strategies for the transformation and sustainability of transparency and accountability for further development in the Asian public sector.

The “pros” and “cons” of career development in the Greek public sector

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the nature and role of the politico‐administrative institutions on career development in the Greek state employment. It attempts to achieve this by exploring the extent to which such institutions are still fitted within the Napoleonic and Weberian traditions and how these may affect the policy implementation of career progression within one public organisation in Greece.Design/methodology/approachThe study takes an interpretivist inductive perspective and its nature is qualitative with an exploratory and explanatory aim. It adopts a case‐study strategy and data were collected through documentary evidence, structured questionnaires and semi‐structured interviews with key informants.FindingsThe emerging career model in the Greek public sector is still embedded within a highly bureaucratic yet clientelistic system. It frequently overlaps with employment due to external institutional influences and though being bureaucratic thus objective at national level it is political manifested thus subjective at organisational level. Objective careers have by no means disappeared while subjective careers are seen as a political vehicle for inter‐organisational advancement.Research limitations/implicationsDespite the in‐depth and rich qualitative analysis of this study further case‐examples are required in similar national and industrial contexts.Practical implicationsThe study provides a useful real‐life practical example on the interlocking of career progression and political clientelism in a national context in which politico‐administrative mechanisms have traditionally oiled the wheels of the civil society.Originality/valueThe paper adds to the limited body of scientific and academic debate engaging with public sector management issues and the emerging state career models in European Mediterranean countries. It also contributes to the impartial knowledge on the traditional career mechanisms, underpinned by a relational psychological contract, that have long been an implicit feature of state employment in bureaucratic public sector organisations.