Unlocking Public Value: A New Model for Achieving High Performance in Public Service Organizations

By Greg Parston and Martin Cole

Book Overview

A new approach to understanding and improving performance and public value This book presents the Public Service Value Model-an innovative, rigorous approach to defining public outcomes and quantifying results-to help readers understand and improve public service delivery. Filled with in-depth insight and expert advice, this guide will arm public service managers-whether in government, nonprofit, or even for-profit organizations-with a practical framework that can be used to define outcomes and manage trade-offs in public service delivery. Martin Cole (Hartford, CT) is Group Chief Executive of Accenture's Government Operating Group. Greg Parston (London, UK) is Executive Director of the Accenture Institute for Public Service Value.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471959456
• ISBN13: 9780471959458
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A useful framework for managing government performance

This book provides a useful conceptual model for relating effectiveness of achieving results that are of value to the public to cost-effectiveness. In my opinion, the pros of the book are: -Very practical model and approach. Should be helpful to practitioners -Should have value for practitioners at every level of practice, from those just starting out with performance management to those who are more advanced. -Provides an interesting analytical model that is intuitive, so would be useful for communicating with those outside of management staff. The cons are that: -The methods for calculating the values/measures advocated by the authors are not explained very clearly. You may have to read through it a couple of times and fill in a few gaps for yourself. -The model advocates finding a role for every organizational capacity in the performance management model. Another view might be that those capacities that doen't have a role may very well be unnecessary and should be discontinued. I think the author's method is the politically expedient way to go, but may not be the best way for long term financial sustainability.