Knowledge and power in public bureaucracies : from pyramid to circle
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Bibliographic Information
Knowledge and power in public bureaucracies : from pyramid to circle
（Public administration and public policy）
Routledge, 2020
- : pbk
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Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Ever since Max Weber and Frederick Taylor, public organizations have been told that effective practice lies in maximizing rationality through science. Yet science-based management reforms have had only marginal impact on performance. People in entry-level positions possess knowledge from direct experience of the work, management knowledge is often science-based and distanced from the work, and appointed top executives struggle to join bureaucratic rationality with political exigencies. Knowledge and Power in Public Bureaucracies: From Pyramid to Circle offers fresh thinking about public organizations, arguing that conflicting forms of knowledge may be found within the bureaucratic pyramid.
Answering the question of why management reforms over the past century have failed on their own terms, this book examines the existence of conflicting forms of knowledge within public bureaucracies, how these contradictory perspectives interact (or fail to interact), and the ways in which these systems preserve managerial efforts to control workers. Authors Carnevale and Stivers argue that bureaucratic rationality is not the "one best way," as Taylor promised, and indeed, there is no one best way or model that can be deployed in all situations. The bureaucratic pyramid can, however, be made more effective by paying attention to circular processes that are widespread within the hierarchy, the authors argue, describing such circular processes as "facework." This book will serve as an ideal supplement to introductory public administration and organizational theory courses, as well as courses for mid-career professionals, helping to frame their work experiences.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Part I: The Pyramid
Chapter 1: The Failure of Management Reforms: A History
Chapter 2: Knowing in the Public Organization: The Pyramid of Knowledges
Chapter 3: What Workers Know: Felt Sense at the Front Line
Chapter 4: What Managers Know: The Power of the Concept
Chapter 5: What Executives Know: Expertise at "Being Governmental"
Part II: The Pyramid in Action
Chapter 6: The VA Case: Knowledge and Power in a Service Bureaucracy
Sequel: The Engagement Board
Attachment: The VA Summit Planning Form
Epilogue: The Knowledge Approach to Research
Part III: The Circle
Chapter 7: Introduction: From Pyramid to Circle: The Power of Facework
Chapter 8: The Logic of Reasonableness: Experience, Judgment and Dialogue in
Administrative Practice
Chapter 9: The Dialogic Circle, Conflict Resolution and Collective Bargaining
Chapter 10: Circles of Trust in Public Pyramids
Chapter 11: Authentic Ethics in the Bureaucracy
Chapter 12: Competing Knowledges and Public Service Education
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