The Differences in Public Management and Private Management - Essay Example

Identify at least two dimensions on which public management and private management are alleged to differ. By reference to examples, consider critically how real these differences are in 2008. What implications do the differences you identify have for the way in which public managers should do their jobs and/or the skills and knowledge that they should have? Public management and private management have changed – more so in the present day management regimes, where the focus is on getting things done at a rapid pace. These management hierarchies have emphasized a great deal on the manner work gets done and that too within the available resources. Time is a major factor that is being given more and more consideration by the people at the helm of affairs so that wastage is minimal and publics, for whom the management is taking steps in the first place, are properly looked after and catered to. In the current era, public and private management structures have been shown to have marked differences within their basic philosophies. This is because public management is an effort on the part of the government whereby the basic necessities are looked after by the state so that their provision helps and facilitates the working regimes of the people in general. Private management, on the other hand is pretty different. It looks to solve the issues related with the organizational stakeholders, the employees and the customers of that very organization, alike. Hence the differences in attaining the much needed mileage on the part of the public management and private management initiatives is immense right from the onset of such a comparison. Comparing all these differences in the year 2008 with that in the past, one finds a host of avenues and the debate that follows here discerns the very same. Ferlie (2002) is of the view that the trends within the present day public management regimes have changed drastically. Now the trend is to catch up with the mannerisms of the private management systems that are already in place and doing impeccable work day in day out. Hence public management is fast catching up on the bandwagon of providing ‘value-able’ services for the sake of the consumers, the publics in entirety. Ferlie (2002) asserts that this indeed is the new public management that will change the way people perceive the same in the first place. It will change the way they thought about it and shape it in a completely different manner. Much good work within the related domains has already started and a number of avenues are being chalked out to have a strategic basis of linkage with the private management partnerships. The end result would be one of success for one and all and the public will benefit at large, which in essence is the basic intention of any public management institution. However this is theoretically easier said than done since the much needed steps have to be incorporated by a sense of vigor and intent, which seems to be missing somehow, for reasons pretty diverse and distinctive in nature. The lack of incentives for the employees could be jotted down as the biggest hurdle in the wake of low confidence and morale. All this could change in a whisker if the problems are nipped in the bud. Public management can deliver immensely if the strengths that it offers are played upon and weaknesses are plugged in a quick way. Any government’s role towards encouraging education to prosper within a country is always commendable. This is because education lays the eventual basis of advancements and prosperity within the country. Its people are in line to meet the needs and wants of the changing times. The role of government is significant since it has to govern all the steps taken under the education wing as well as instruct the relevant authorities at the helm of affairs to look after the pertinent education policies, reforms and expansion basis of education within a nation. Bringing the education sector right under the auspices of the private sector is important because there is more check and balance in doing the same and that there are minimal losses, both from the imparting of education as well as the financial standpoint. Also encouraging private sector organizations to come up with different education related and vocational ventures is indeed much needed at present. This is because education is usually the responsibility of the state itself but the people who could impart training regimes and coaching measures are the ones who hail from the private sector, in essence the specialists who know their work well and hence they must be given their due right to express what they can do best. Levine (1985) is of the view that steps need to be taken to bring them in the forefront so that their undertakings could be further developed from and that there are no grey areas when the talk goes out loud regarding institutionalizing education centers and areas of excellence related with the very same topic. The way in which organizations have adopted the role as the torchbearers for the society when it comes to imparting education, falls directly under the domains of the notion of corporate social responsibility. (Sims, 2003) This is a term that has been spoken of at length within the present day organizational regimes due to the fact that a number of different education programs, social awareness measures, human development initiatives and general reforms have made the rounds of the organizations on a consistent basis and essentially benefited the different publics of the said organizations as well as the society. It is true that from a general standoff education pretty much plays a pivotal role in the development of any nation. This markedly sets the tone for the people to harness their skills and potentials which they are quite unaware of before they actually get out in search of educating themselves and their families. The reforms have to be brought from the top side of a nation, whereby the government needs to take bold steps to promote it no matter how hard it is on their budgets. Awareness does not come out of the blue for the people, it has to be injected courtesy education and one must understand the real rationale behind putting emphasis on this subject before one actually moves ahead and does something or the other. (Bertucci, 2006) One major facet of these reforms is that proper distribution of funds and allocation of budgets must be made on the part of the government as well as the people who are at the helm of affairs with regards to these schools and the like so that people who want to move ahead in life are not deprived of the same opportunity to do so. More than that, these reforms must be on a continuous basis and should not be abandoned or put off for one reason or the other every now so often as it basically disrupts the continuous development of that very society and the people in particular. Foskett (2001) asserts that the teachers and instructors need to play a fairly significant role in this scenario as they are the one who understand the true meaning of imparting education and training to people right from the very beginning when a child is just starting up and growing to understand the inner details of life and all that comes with it. If proper measures are not adopted with respect to the reforms, they will be somewhat misaligned from the actual subject and the result eventually will be one that does not support the ones under education nor the people who are actually striving to bring in a change. It is not only the responsibility of the teachers who are imparting education to get on the right track but it is imperative on the part of the state machinery to act in unison so that a difference could be brought right from the very onset of these reforms and hence the mission itself that has to bring about a difference, not only in the educational levels of the people but also their awareness, intellect and thinking capabilities and all these actually are real significant in the longer duration of one’s life. Hence it does not ask for any kind of ignorance or letting down of efforts by the people involved in it either in a direct or an indirect manner. Responsibility is thus two fold in this case and one can pull a horse to a well but cannot make him drink too. Stress should be put on all the parties who have their stake in the reforms concerned with education of a particular area, region or for that matter an entire nation. Medical health and security are no matter important but awareness and education must be parallel with these two basic requirements of a human being who has to play an active part in the development and the eventual success of the society. It has to be a collective effort by all and sundry, one that asks for endeavors on the part of a single entity or an individual for that matter as the latter cannot do much in this case. The public sector services under the public sector domain are the most basic of needs coming within the auspices of the government and for carrying out these undertakings; the government need not charge anything. However the social sector taxes and the income cuttings play a huge role in providing the funding for the public sector services’ institutions to work in a wholesome manner. Fink (1992) believes that what is needed is an effort by the state machinery (government) to step up the activities which come under these services and make sure that the same are given out to one and all. This is so said because the government is indeed responsible for each and every citizen who lives in the country as he looks towards the government when it comes to meeting its most basic needs and requirements. There are a number of different services which come under the direct and indirect role of the state and for which public sector services are given out by the government and its various stakeholders itself. Now what is needed by these stakeholders is to make sure that they carry out their commitments in an earnest manner and not to put the state machinery in a fix as concerns to the delivery of these public sector services for the sake of the public in a timely and convenient manner. A number of public sector organizations around the world have time and again changed and altered their strategies so that they can reap the benefits of both the short term as well as the long one. This, they do in order to guarantee that the stakeholders remain satisfied with the workings of the multinational organization as well as to ensure that its products and/or services are in the recall set of the target audience. However much more than this is needed to keep the enterprises on track as well as serve in the best interest possible for all concerned. This would mean that multinationals have to invest in not only a change in strategy over a period of time but also carry out related activities like proper methods of hiring, removing inefficient employees, investing a little more on the units which are ready to default as well as strengthen the cash cow strategic unit of the company, all the same. The role of private sector organizations becomes pertinent since they achieve revenue generating goals from set ups which run education and build infrastructure for the attainment of profits all at the same time. What is more is that these organizations achieve positive word of mouth within the general public and they have a solid and long lasting rapport with the different stakeholders present within the varied echelons of the society. The role is essentially a symbiotic one since nearly every party derives a benefit or two from the whole related undertaking in the name of education and training. Organizations achieve the corporate social responsibility targets in a very easy manner and at the same time build a credible and trustworthy image within the minds and hearts of the people at large. The image building mechanism plays a quintessential role in the wake of this organization meeting bureaucratic troubles from the state machinery and the like every now and so often. Of late, there has been a very active role of education in the overall growth and expansion of a country. History has been witness that those nations who did not recognize the significance of education were quite often doomed than anything else as well as education has since then played a very pivotal role in the success of the developed states. A flourishing country faces many challenges regarding its education impartment. To list a few of any country’s challenges one might take account of the rationale behind bettering as well as achieving the educational opportunities and to find particular methods to deal with such problems and educational dilemmas for the children. Also to find the answers as well as quick remedies to these problems one cannot by any measure of the word ignore or for that matter give up on the notion that says the dialogue of reforming of schools as an alternative, new ways of education, the reorganization and streamlining of schools as well as the recommendations to improve might just be the only response to these very problems. Issues like a weak curriculum prevalent in schools and colleges of the time as well as the poor standards in these schools and universities have been identified, and recommendations have also been brought up in order to do away with these very problems. Apart from this, a general sense of need has been attached to put emphasis on what is right and what must be done in order to bring about a change in the mannerisms of the people, their thinking in general and their acts that should go along nicely and in accordance with what they perceive, judge and thus follow suit. Also the problems as well as mistakes that have happened of late regarding the distribution of funds on the part of the government for these schools have been pretty much addressed and recommendations have thus been made so that these funding are distributed in an equal manner and within the states accordingly. The common people ask the stance of the pertinent country’s ruling elite on this issue. The federal government of the country under consideration needs to take this topic in a more serious tone and manner as well as lend a hand to these very states on a much greater and bigger level than it is doing at the very moment. (Cooper, 2004) Jonah (1995) opines that the private sector organizations running the helm of affairs must take these salient features into due consideration before any impending tasks are properly addressed. Along with the teacher’s adeptness in the area of teaching, there has to be staff agreement and accord at all levels, without any discrimination. (Tomei, 2003) To encourage and stimulate teachers toward these changes, their school life style has to be upgraded too. The private sector must ensure that the teachers should have their own offices, their own phones and better working conditions as well as attractive salaries so that they contribute in a very effective and efficient way. Carter (1994) highlights the notion that the state should get involved in the public education so that it does not leave the private sector organizations to impart and train the younger generations alone. A check and balance mechanism has to be instilled by the government so that the private sector does not play havoc with the institutions and there is more collaboration between the schools at different levels, no matter whichever jurisdiction they come under. Graduation requirements for students should be set by the state, and local districts should also have the ability to control schools. Local counselors should be given more authority and they should be authorized to hire or fire principals. Parents with low incomes who are unable to give their children basic school education should be assisted financially, and children should have more freedom to communicate and interact with teachers. Millheim (1999) seconds the thought that groups within the schools should be more flexible depending on the student’s abilities. The same teachers should stay with a group of students for two or three years so they have a better chance to learn the weaknesses and strengths of the students, and it is easy for them to help the students along the way. Middle schools should be in the separate buildings. Efficient high schools should be encouraged and assisted in their efforts whereas the ones who are doing poor as far as standards are concerned should be shutdown. With all the mentioned recommendations of high standards, comes the high price as well. Within the private sector education organizations, the financial issues cannot be ignored in entirety since these form a realistic basis for the functioning of the schools and colleges in the first place. Due emphasis needs to be placed on these financial tangents before delving into the same any further. All these reforms and the implementations of new ways of educations are possible if the financial obstacles are taken care of. At present funding for schools comes from three different sources: it comes from districts, state, and federal government. 40 to 60% of this has accounted from district or property taxes, 60% has come from state taxes and 5 to 15% has literally come in from the federal taxes. In some states there is five times as much spending on students in some school districts as in others. If one observes this data, it is very noticeable that federal government is playing a less active role in financing the education. One way to provide high quality of education is that federal government should get more involve with the current schooling system. Parents in general public can play their part and instead of criticizing the present system, they should elect the candidates in the government who give higher priority for the education and reserve more funds for the improvement and reforming of the school systems. Quite rightly so, Ramsey (1998) is of the view that parents’ responsibility is of fundamental significance here as they are the first schools for their kids and their guidance can only bring about a change, both for the better as well as otherwise in their kids that will not only do them a world of good but would also raise their parents’ reputation and image in the society, not to forget their own as well. Here it must be said here that school reforms do help the ones who want to move ahead in life and these must not be stopped no matter how bad the economic situation of the country as these kids of today would move ahead and solve the problems that the economy has plunged into. Leaving them without reforms would only prolong the bad times of the financial sectors of any country. Bibliography BERTUCCI, Guido. (2006). Unlocking the Human Potential for Public Sector Performance. Public Personnel Management, Vol. 35 CARTER, Tom. (1994). Can the World Find Aid in the Private Sector. Insight on the News, Vol. 10 COOPER, Cary L. (2004). Reinventing Human Resources Management: Challenges and New Directions. Routledge FERLIE, Ewan. (2002). New Public Management: Current Trends and Future Prospects. Routledge FINK, Stephen L. (1992). High Commitment Workplaces. Quorum Books FOSKETT, Nicholas. (2001). Choosing Futures: Young Peoples Decision-Making in Education, Training, and Careers Markets. Routledge/Falmer JONAH, Sam. (1995). The Role of the Private Sector. African Business LEVINE, Marsha. (1985). The Private Sector in the Public School: Can It Improve Education? American Enterprise Institute MILLHEIM, Dave. (1999). Public or Private Sector Work: The Eternal Question. Public Management, Vol. 81 RAMSEY, Krista. (1998). The Private Sector Beckons. School Administrator, Vol. 55 SIMS, Ronald R. (2003). Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility: Why Giants Fall. Praeger TOMEI, Manuela. (2003). Discrimination and Equality at Work: A Review of the Concepts. International Labour Review, Vol. 142 Word Count: 3,154 Read More