Public Management

PA 740

Fall 2009

Style Sheet for Management Fads and Innovation Paper

20% of grade

Due Oct. 22 (by e-mail)

Organization and Style

Reference Requirements

Topic List

The purpose of this assignment is to acquaint you with the many management innovations and fads (today's innovation is often tomorrow's fad) that arise in the field of public/nonprofit management.  You will research this paper using library/Internet sources and then write a brief memo to the head of the head of a hypothetical public or nonprofit organization. That memo will describe the innovation, provide an assessment of how it works, and what its implications are for public managers and public management.  The first weekend of class a sign-up sheet will be available where you will sign up for one of twenty possible topics (see below). No more than two people will be permitted to sign up for any topic.  The papers will be posted on the class webpage so that other students can download them and have the information available about these innovations and fads.  In this way, you will all have the opportunity to learn about topics we won't have time to address in the class.

The paper should address the following questions: 

• How is the "innovation" defined? What are its origins, objectives and what issues/problems does it seek to address?

• What is one case there it has been applied?  Provide a brief assessment of what was accomplished in terms of levels of improvement, delivery of results or other benefits or drawbacks.

• What is the methodology; i.e., how does it work? How does it affect work processes, service delivery, program management, etc?

• What are the implications for public managers and public management? This bottom line evaluation should address

  • Can it generate new information and forms of knowledge for managers?

  • Can it create new methods for helping management do different things or do things differently?

  • Can it be applied effectively to other organizations--especially in government and the nonprofit sector?

Organization and Style

The maximum page limit for the paper is three pages of text (single –spaced) for the paper itself, one additional page for an appendix, if desired, and one for the list of references. It should be written in the form of a memo to a hypothetical state or local government agency or non-profit organization director who has asked for information about the “Innovation” as a management concept.  You are encouraged to include use the appendix as a way to provide a schematic or some technical detail rather than including it in the body of the paper.

Your grade will be based primarily on the extent to which you effectively address the questions listed above.  The paper should be written in narrative form, not a question-answer format. Please refer to the guidance offered in the Hacker book for tips on how to conduct research and present your findings. The use of subheadings is encouraged as they can help to clarify the logic of your organization. Your grade will also be based on the paper's clarity, logic, comprehensiveness and conciseness, as well as the extent to which you correctly cite your sources.

Reference requirements

If you choose a topic on the list of Old Management Fads, you must use a total of 10 sources, 5 of which must be academic (guidance on sources provided below).  If you choose one on the list of New Management Innovations, your paper must be based on a total of 5 sources; at least 2 of which must be academic. The reason for this difference is that there is a LOT of material available on the Old Management topics and considerably less on the New Innovations.

Examples of academic sources are academic and professional journals are MIT Sloan Management Review, California Management Review, Harvard Business Review, Academy of Management Journal, Long Range Planning, Administrative Science Quarterly, Organizational Dynamics, Public Administration Review, Public Performance and Management Review. (These sources are all peer reviewed and have extensive citations)

Acceptable nonacademic sources include consulting journals and business/management/IT media, such as Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Strategy & Business, McKensey Quarterly, The Economist, Fast Company, Wired; and public management sources such as Governing, The Public Manager, Government Executive. 

All sources must be correctly cited. Unless otherwise approved in advance, the APA in-text citation style should be used. 

Topic List (only 2 students may choose any topic)

*The term fad is not meant derisively. These fads continue to be used and have value