Excellence in the Public Service Sector
The sense of 'public services' to be used in this area of AIM is the provision of publicly funded services, whether delivered by the public, private or voluntary sectors - independently or in combination. A long-term investment in research on the public services is required, not least because of difficult methodological and data collection issues, especially for research involving international comparisons.Delivering better public services is a focus of domestic policy debate. Contributions from UK research on management can and should make an important contribution to identification and exploitation of opportunities for increased productivity and enhanced performance - while at the same time identifying issues that must be addressed in further research.
AIM Fellowships can provide a timely vehicle to help identify the agenda and capacity building requirements for the longer-term investment, while also providing for substantive contributions to current debates. Each Public Service Fellow is investigating an agenda-setting management topic as seen below:
Public Service Projects:
George Boyne - Organisational turnaround and Public Service Excellence
This project aims to develop an agenda for research on organizational turnaround in the public services, and to construct theoretical models of the impact of turnaround strategies on service improvement.
Paul Collier - Managing Police Performance - accountabilities, performance measurement and control
This project aims to examine the interaction and interdependence between national and local expectations of police forces, the demand for police services, police performance measurement and what police actually do.
James Cornford - Electronic Local Government
This project aims to build a 'Research Community' concerned with adaptation of 'e-business' technologies to meet the 'joined up' and 'citizen-focused' objectives of public service modernisation.
Cam Donaldson - Health Care Priority Setting
This project aims to investigate: the development of a systematic framework based on economic principles, for priority- setting in NHS Primary Care Trust (PCTs); the development of monetary measures of the value of health gains; and incentives in health care.
Jean Hartley - Innovation and Leadership
This project aims to explore how knowledge generation, knowledge transfer, inter-organizational networks and leadership contribute to sustained innovation in public services (health, local government and criminal justice).
Paul Longley - Geodemographics and Local Service Delivery
This project aims to develop an agenda for promoting greater use of geodemographics data to improve the evidence-base for public service delivery.
Mary O'Mahony - Metrics for Service Delivery
This project aims to develop metrics for improved service delivery that can be employed in international comparisons of performance in the public sector, with particular reference to education and health.
Mike Pidd - Modelling and Systems Aspects of Performance Measurement
This project aims to create and work with a network of public services staff to research issues related to performance measurement drawing on expertise from the private sector.
Chris Skelcher - Governance and Performance
This project aims to investigate the theoretical and empirical relationships between governance modes, managerial/professional action and public service performance.
Barbara Townley - The Metrics of Management Performance Measurement in the Public Service
This project aims to explore assumptions about rationality in appeals to performance measures, and an examination of the role of performance measures in securing inter-organizational, multi-agency collaboration in service delivery with reference to the Scottish criminal justice system.
Richard Walker - Excellence, Performance and Innovation
This project explores metrics for improvement in local government provision of public services and evidence of the role of innovation in improving performance.
Mike Wallace - Managing Complex and Programmatic Change
This project aims to refine a conception of complex educational change, change management themes and planning framework to generate a basis for future research and practical guidance.
Kathryn Haynes - Professional Identity formation and the Body in Professional Services Firms
This research programme will address the changing nature of professional identity within accounting and law firms, due to socio-cultural changes in which more women are entering professions. It will investigate the relationship between professional identity formation and visual identity, represented by the physical body, and the extent to which professional identities are gendered, or embodied in specific cultural forms, which may provide opportunities for, or inhibit, the recruitment, retention or career development of skilled professionals and practitioners.
Irene Ng - Business-to-Business Services: pricing, contracting and value-based mechanism design
Business-to-business (B2B) transacting is currently experiencing phenomenal growth. However, few studies examine B2B issues arising from the service concept. Existing literature often examines B2B issues within a service context, rather than understanding the impact of service characteristics on B2B transactions.
This research will look at the development of new business models in service organisations, which is an important means for innovation and generating value in services. An often-cited example of a distinctive business model is Amazon.com, the internet consumer goods retailer.
Martin Spring - Business Models for B-2-B Services
Most UK trade is between firms, not with consumers. This business-to-business – “B2B” – trade is therefore vital for export earnings and jobs. It covers service sectors like finance and consultancy as well as manufacturing. But even manufacturing firms are selling more and more services such as maintenance, repairs and spare parts.
Irena Grugulis - Service Work: The Creative Industries and Retail Management
This research project examines two creative industries, film and TV; and digital media, software and computer games. It considers:
1. how people working in creative industries acquire and develop skills;
2. the impact of social and reputational capital;
3. the way that work is controlled and the role played by managers and leaders.
Guiliana Battisti - Entrepreneurs Characteristics and Value Adding Activities in the Service Sector
The research concencentrates on the value adding activities and the innovation performance of British companies operating in the service sector. Particular emphasis will be put on the characteristics of their entrepreneurs. The latter play a key role in the innovation capability of their firms but are often criticized for failing or of being slow to react to economic opportunities while concentrating on low cost strategies.
For further information relating to the Public Service Projects, please contact aim@wbs.ac.uk.
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