Managing chaos and complexity in government

the long version

To keep government operating smoothly, changes in public management policy and strategy usually follow the old rule of change - that it must evolve in an incremental, step-by-step fashion. But in today's unpredictable world of shrinking budgets, demands for better service, and greater accountability and adaptability, step-by-step change is no longer enough. In this new book, L. Douglas Kiel presents a framework that addresses the new chaotic reality of public management and the need for responsive change and innovation. By acknowledging the potential for positive change and renewal that can arise from uncertainty and instability, Kiel offers managers a different paradigm for transforming government performance. Managing Chaos and Complexity in Government offers an overview of the concepts of chaos theory and the science of complexity and demonstrates how public administrators can apply these concepts and create a new vision of organizational change. The book presents a range of both traditional and innovative management techniques - shaping organizational cultures, flattening hierarchies, and reengineering work - and evaluates their capacity to allow organizational systems to respond to change. Drawing on data from the author's case studies, the book is filled with charts, graphs, and practical computer spreadsheet exercises designed to give public managers and students of public management hands-on experience to meet the challenges of organizational change.