Public sector strategy: concepts, cases and tools

Section 1: The Public Sector

1.1. What is the ‘public sector?’

Section 2: Theoretical Underpinnings of Strategy

2.1. Approaches to strategy development in the public sector

2.2. Traditional approaches to strategy and value creation

Section 3: Factors that Influence Strategic Decision-Making

3.1. Influences on strategy development: Classical Models

3.2. Influences on strategy development: Neoinstitutional theory

3.3. The psychology of strategic decision-making

3.4. The use of cognitive heuristics in strategic decision-making

Section 4: Strategic Tools in Practice

4.1. Current debates in Strategy as Practice, NIT and workshops

4.2. Revealed Cognitive Causal Mapping: Theoretical underpinning and approaches to analysis

4.3. Running a strategy workshop: A practical guide

4.4. Case studies and insights from public sector strategy sessions

Section 5: Summary and Conclusions

5.1. Summary and Conclusions

Public Sector Strategy explores how strategic decisions are developed and implemented in the public sector, and examines the psychology underpinning strategic decision-making.

Combining knowledge from traditional perspectives with contemporary insights on strategic management, this book considers how managers make their decisions and provides key concepts and practical tools to aid delivery of strategy within highly institutionalised settings. This book provides theoretical grounding, real-life global cases, and practical examples of strategic decisions in an international public-sector context by working through the underpinnings of strategy, the influencing factors of strategic decision-making, strategic implementation, and strategic tools in practice.

It should be a core textbook for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students studying public sector strategy and strategic management more broadly. It will also be of benefit for public sector managers, consultants, and private sector organisations who wish to interact with the public sector.