DigitalCommons@UNO

Follow

• 

  In Pursuit of Performance: Management Systems in State and Local Government

  Patricia W. Ingraham, Donna Dufner, Lyn M. Holley, and B. J. Reed

  Chapter contribution, "Information technology management in U. S. states, counties, and cities" by Dufner, D. L., Holley, L. M., & Reed, B. J. (2007). Information technology management in U. S. states, counties, and cities in Patricia W. Ingraham's "In Pursuit of Performance: Management Systems in State and Local Government".
  
  

  Based on five years of extensive research by the Government Performance Project, this volume offers a comprehensive analysis of how government managers and elected officials use management and management systems to improve performance. Drawing on data from across the nation, it examines the performance of state, county, and city governments between 1997 and 2002 within the framework of basic management systems: financial information, human resources, capital and infrastructure, and results evaluation.
  
  Key issues addressed:
  • How governments strategically select elements of management to emphasize the role of leadership
  • How those governments that aim to improve performance differ from those that do not
  • What "effective management" looks like

  Through this careful, in-depth investigation, the contributors conclude that the most effective governments are not those with the most resources, but those that use the resources available to them most carefully and strategically. In Pursuit of Performance is an invaluable tool for government leaders and the scholars who study them.

• 

  New Strategies for Public Pay: Rethinking Government Compensation Programs

  Howard Risher, Charles H. Fay, Lyn M. Holley, and J. R. O'Connell

  Chapter contribution, 'Job Classification' by Lyn M. Holley and J. R. O'Connell in Howard Risher & Charles H. Fay (Eds.), New strategies for public pay: Rethinking government compensation programs (pp. 76-97). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  
  

  The survival and success of public organizations depends on employee satisfaction and motivation to improve performance. New Strategies for Public Pay addresses one of the strongest motivators?compensation. The book outlines proven strategies, many of which are successfully used in private industry, that are also well-suited for government organizations. Specific programs are described and analyzed by experts from government, academia, think tanks, labor unions, and private business, running the gamut from merit pay to competency-based pay to gainsharing.
  
  New Strategies for Public Pay introduces a range of alternative pay systems that show public sector managers how they can:
  
  ? Set standards that match the unique needs of individual organizations
  
  ? Stimulate desired new behaviors necessary to overcome the fear of change and business as usual mentality
  
  ? Energize employees and provide a fresh incentive for continuing improved performance
  
  The decision whether or not to revolutionize pay systems is fundamental. The way compensation is addressed and managed can either hinder or help accomplish an organization's mission. New Strategies for Public Pay offers a useful framework for planning compensation programs that are in line with the times and that will help create more efficient, flexible, and responsive public organizations.