In techno-organisational innovation, knowledge is reconstituted. Understanding this process in its complexity and its outcomes asks for an inquiry and interpretation that heed to the conditions at the end of modernity, and must therefore take recourse to practical philosophy. This understanding has been formulated with reference to a field study that inquired into the conduct of reform and effectuation of new information technology by the central department of a regional government over a period of approximately eight years. In considering this ambience, the study has been informed by (i) a synopsis of hermeneutic thinking on knowledge; (ii) an outline of governmentality and (information) technology; (iii) a reflection on the conditions of the social sciences and their relation to information technology; (iv) an exploration of the possibilities of social inquiry at the end of modernity. Deliberating the stipulations of social inquiry, the destructive narrative is proposed that allows for a rational and argumentative appropriation of the past, beyond scientific method and mere perceptivity. Events, ideas, and experiences indicate the reciprocal relation of political and organisational rationalities, on the one hand, and managerial and informational technologies on the other. Within these dimensions, the knowledge of governmentality is being re-defined, shifting expertise into the harness of business discipline. The rationalities of information, process, integration, prediction and performance, and ultimately efficiency, make bureaucracy itself an object of increased scrutiny. These rationalities also remind that the challenge of Ge-stell and the rule of politics-as-fabrication do neither come to pass primarily in implementations of managerial technologies, nor in instantiations of information systems, but within the articulations of the technological worldview. Due to the fragmented and contentious nature of knowledge, innovation as routine nevertheless appears disjointed and asynchronous, yet upholding the representational and disciplinary constellations.

The last two decades of the twentieth century saw unprecedented change in the Western Australian public sector. Legislative reform, royal commissions and new policies aimed at enhancing public sector accountability, transparency and efficiency have served to highlight the critical role of CEOs in delivering change. Underpinning sustainable organisational change is cultural change, which in-turn is most effectively driven by a transformational leadership style. There has been little research into CEOs' perceptions of their role in leading cultural change in their organisations. This thesis details an exploratory study of WA public sector CEOs. It discovered that CEOs identified with elements characterising the theoretical construct of a transformational leader. They perceived cultural change as the realignment of organisational values and behaviour with mission, government and community expectations, efficiency and effectiveness. CEOs actively deployed a number of strategies to bring about cultural change but were uncertain about the extent which substantive cultural change was taking place within the public sector. Factors they saw as impacting on their capacity to lead such change included the Government's policy agenda, management theory and potentially, peer support. CEOs who participated in the study were predominantly career public servants, male, over the age of fifty, had worked exclusively in the public sector and only led a small number of organisations. They had mixed views about the impact of such demographics on a CEO's capacity to effectively lead cultural change citing situational factors and personal attributes as being significant variables. There were a number of clear findings from the study that have significant, practical implications for the public sector. CEOs would benefit from a government that communicated a stronger sense of vision about the ++ / future directions of the sector. CEOs require structured opportunities to enhance their competencies in the leadership of change and incentives to commit to change agendas that may extend well beyond the tenure of their employment contacts. Finally, CEOs cannot effectively transform organisational culture without support from other leaders and strategic plans that take account of emerging demographic shifts in the workforce that will inevitably impact on staff values, behaviours and expectations.

This thesis is about the impact of the New Public Management (NPM) paradigm on public sector reform in Thailand. The main objective of the thesis is to explore the question of whether Thai public sector reform belongs to the NPM paradigm, especially whether the intentions and contents of policy documents are actually realised in the implementation process. The study commences by reviewing the transformation of public administration to NPM and how this has affected developing countries. In theory, the traditional model of public administration, namely bureaucracy, has been considered as dysfunctional, no longer able to cope with changing circumstances and the new environment. NPM was introduced during the 1980s and 1990s in some rich countries in order to replace the traditional model of public administration. However, there are doubts about the appropriateness of NPM for the public sector in developing countries. The thesis is specifically concerned with Thailand and as a first step delineates the history of public administration and its reform in Thailand including current policies. This includes the introduction of NPM. The remainder of the thesis is comprised of a case study of one ministry in Thailand. Much of the data was collected from semi-structured interviews with officials in the ministry and government agencies responsible for reform. The case study focused on four dimensions of reform: organisational restructure and redesign of internal authority, public culture and values reform, workforce reduction, and internal NPM reform initiatives. The findings were mixed. Some NPM style initiatives such as restructuring of roles and functions were accomplished. However, some areas of NPM have either been partially implemented (downsizing) or not introduced at all (greater competition in public sector). It was also found that some reform initiatives, such as public culture and values reform, fell outside of the NPM paradigm. The research concluded that the NPM paradigm had made limited progress in the Thai public sector.

The theme of the re-aggregation of public organisations has been embraced in the recent public sector reforms of some developed countries such as the UK. The re-aggregation of public organisations may benefit the government in terms of focusing its interests on policy coordination. This is an alternative way of reforming the public sector in order to increase greater outcomes and the performance of public organisations with regard to the achievement of particular policy goals. The reform inevitably affects the targeted public organisations in both tangible and intangible ways. Since organisational culture is an important issue that can affect organisational outcomes and performance, including the achievement of policy goals, the research aims to analyse how organisational cultures have been changed following the integration of Thai public organisations. In this respect, the researchers used an integrated model of Competing Values Framework and human paradox theory to assess cultural changes of integrated public organisations.The research was based on quantitative and qualitative data gathered in field research conducted in Thailand’s four integrated public organisations. It was found that, overall, organisational cultures were altered following the organisational integration. Public employees perceived that the hierarchy culture hardly changed following a reform. However, the clan value has largely reduced, while market and adhocracy values have increased rather significantly within the new organisations. In terms of clan value, the research found that the reduction was a result of power struggles between groups of people who came from different organisational backgrounds. Power-struggling between clans could lead to lower team cooperation, a lack of trust and diminished loyalty to organisations. Public officials also perceived that a significant development of market and adhocracy cultures in organisations could be a result of external forces, as well as the integration reform. With regard to these changes, the development of market values was inimical to human relations within integrated organisations. Together with the existence of a patronage system in the Thai public organisations, leadership also contributed to a paradox of competition and cooperation where members of a dominant clan could be favoured over the others. People who came from minor cultures might feel a disadvantage from being part of the minority and then give minimal cooperation to the integrated organisation. In this respect, teamwork and organisational cohesion could be difficult to build if the tension is unbalanced. It can be concluded that the cultural model of the organisations studied changed and seemed to be more balanced than was previously found. The integration of organisations also has a great influence on cultures and paradoxes in organisations. The dissertation hopes to contribute to the existing literature, with regard to the application of a Competing Values Framework and human paradox theory to the underexplored context of integration reform in the public sector. Findings from the use of this instrument can offer a fresh point of view towards the reality of organisational integration reforms, especially for academics, Thai reformers and public employees themselves.

In 2007, Uganda had one of the lowest levels of access to electricity in the world. Given the influence of multilateral and bilateral agencies in Uganda; the strong international reputation and domestic influence of its President; the country’s historic achievements in public sector and economic reform; and the intimate connection between economic performance, social well-being and access to electricity, the problems with Uganda’s electricity sector have proven deeply frustrating and, indeed, puzzling. Following increased scholarly attention to the relationship between political change, policymaking, and public sector reform in sub-Saharan Africa and the developing world generally, this thesis examines the multilevel politics of Uganda’s electricity sector reform process. This study contends that explanations for Uganda’s electricity sector reform problems generally, and hydroelectric dam construction efforts specifically, must move beyond technical and financial factors. Problems in this sector have also been the result of a model of reform (promoted by the World Bank) that failed adequately to account for the character of political change. Indeed, the model of reform that was promoted and implemented was risky and it was deeply antagonistic to domestic and international civil society organizations. In addition, it was presented as a linear, technical, apolitical exercise. Finally the model was inconsistent with key principles the Bank itself, and public policy literature generally, suggest are needed for success. Based on this analysis, the thesis contends that policymaking and reform must be understood as deeply political processes, which not only define access to services, but also participation in, and exclusion from, national debates. Future approaches to reform and policymaking must anticipate the complex, multilevel, non-linear character of ‘second-generation’ policy issues like electricity, and the political and institutional capacity needed to increase the potential for success. At the heart of this approach is a need to carefully consider how the character of state-society relations in the country – “governance” – will influence reform processes and outcomes.

Este trabalho apresenta os resultados de um estudo de caso (MINAYO, 1993, 2010; YIN, 2010), de abordagem qualitativa, realizado junto à Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, com o objetivo de identificar, sob a perspectiva de rito de passagem, como se dá a socialização dos ingressantes técnico-administrativos e que ações institucionais poderiam contribuir para consolidar o vínculo desses servidores. A pesquisa orientou-se pelo pressuposto de que as emoções afloradas durante a socialização de ingressantes na Administração Pública podem tanto contribuir quanto prejudicar a formação de vínculos afetivos, impactando, positiva ou negativamente, a identificação com a organização e o comprometimento com o trabalho. Assim, a socialização é contemplada como um reflexo da relação indissociável e interdependente entre indivíduo e sociedade, e a realidade social como um produto da socialização e da interação humana, em consonância com as concepções de Berger e Luckmann (2011), Cavedon (1990, 2000, 2010) e Setton (2010, 2011). Já a mudança de status, decorrente do ingresso no setor público, é tratada como um rito de passagem constituído de três fases, separação, margem e agregação, conforme teoriza Van Gennep (2011). Os dados foram coletados por meio de pesquisa documental, diários de campo, observação participante, questionários abertos, aplicados a ingressantes do concurso 2010, e entrevistas realizadas com servidores “antigos”, com apoio de um roteiro semi-estruturado. Os resultados sugerem que a fase de margem, correspondente ao estágio probatório de três anos, não é legitimada como um período de aprendizado, e, consequentemente, não há clara definição dos papéis de socializados (ingressantes) e socializadores (“antigos”). Existem expectativas de que os ingressantes adotem uma postura de humildade e deferência em relação aos “antigos”, e de que estes, por sua vez, assumam responsabilidades em relação ao aprendizado dos recém-chegados. Entretanto, em decorrência da indefinição de papéis, essas teatralizações, que são próprias da fase de margem, tendem a ser negligenciadas, causando conflitos que prejudicam o trabalho em equipe e o andamento do trabalho. A importação da lógica de mercado no serviço público também é evidenciada como origem de muitas das dificuldades identificadas, apontando para a necessidade de direcionar esforços visando uma conscientização nesse sentido. Como possível solução para os problemas levantados, sugere-se a realização de procedimentos ritualizados que reforcem o caráter de aprendizado da fase liminar, conduzidos por facilitadores designados e capacitados para tanto, que atuem como mediadores legitimados, em nível de unidade. Por fim, conclui-se que investimentos na socialização de recém-concursados são primordiais, podendo repercutir em maior comprometimento com o trabalho e melhores resultados em relação aos objetivos institucionais do que a implementação de mecanismos coercitivos de controle e de gestão do desempenho, característicos do modelo gerencialista que vêm se consolidando na administração pública desde o Plano Diretor da Reforma do Aparelho do Estado de 1995. / This work presents the results of a qualitative case study (MINAYO, 1993, 2010; YIN, 2010) that took place at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul with the aim of identifying, according to the perspective of rite of passage, how the socialization of the administrative staff is carried out and what institutional actions may contribute to the consolidation of organizational bonding. The research had its starting point in the assumption that newcomers who join the public sector experience emotions, triggered by socialization, that have the potential to either enhance or impair bonding processes, impacting identification with the organization and commitment to work in a positive or negative way. Thus, socialization is seen as a reflection of the inseparable and interdependent relation between individual and society whereas social reality is considered a by-product of socialization and human interaction, according to the conceptions of Berger and Luckmann (2011), Cavedon (1990, 2000, 2010) and Setton (2010, 2011). In its turn, the change of status caused by getting a job in the public sector is treated as a rite of passage that can be divided into three phases, separation, margin and aggregation, as theorized by Van Gennep (2011). The data was collected by means of documentary research, field journals, participant observation, open questionnaire applied to the newcomers of the 2010 selection process, and semi-structured interviews with senior level staff members. The results suggest that the margin phase, which corresponds to the three-year probationary period, is not legitimized as a learning period, therefore there‟s no clarity with regard to the different roles of “persons being socialized” and “agents of socialization”, to be respectively assumed by the newcomers and the senior level staff members. The newcomers should adopt a humble and respectful attitude towards their senior level colleagues, who, in turn, should undertake certain responsibilities in the learning process of the former. However, due to the lack of clearly defined roles and responsibilities, these expected theatrical-like behaviors tend to be neglected, leading to conflicts that disrupt teamwork and hinder the workflow. There‟s also evidence that the adoption of the market logic in the public sector may be the cause of many of the identified difficulties, which points to the need of directing efforts to raise awareness about this issue. A possible solution to the problems addressed by this research is the institutionalization of ritualized procedures designed to reinforce the learning-focused nature of the margin phase and conducted by properly trained facilitators, appointed to act as legitimate mediators in each decentralized unit. Finally, it is concluded that investments in the socialization of newcomers are essential and may yield stronger commitment to work and better results for the institution than the implementation of coercive mechanisms of performance management associated with the managerial model that has been consolidating itself in the public administration since the public sector reform of 1995.

From the early 1980s, Western governments, led mainly by those in the United Kingdom, have pursued public choice ideas in managing their public sectors, often targeting the monopoly position of public sectors in delivering public goods and services and also the influence and position of public sector trade unions. This policy approach also underpinned the reforms to local government in Victoria, Australia that occurred between 1992 and 1999. The Victorian State Government pursued an agenda of reform aimed at reducing costs in local government, reducing the size and scope of local government in delivering public goods and services and also seeking to reduce the perceived high level of influence of trade unions. On the basis of a literature review of the experiences of public sector reform in the United Kingdom during the 1980s, this study sought to test two propositions about public sector reform agendas and trade unions, using the Victorian local government reform as the primary research context. This was an important research gap since trade unions were a major target of the reform agenda and little research information existed as to how the reform agenda impacted on local government trade unions. Although the Victorian State Government did not possess direct legislative power over trade union behaviour, a reform agenda similar to that imposed by the governments in the United Kingdom, could inflict negative outcomes through the consequential changes resulting from competition in the delivery of local council services. The first proposition was that public sector reform agendas underpinned by public choice ideas sought to inculcate competitive practices in the provision of local government services and consequently reduce trade union influence and position in local government. The second proposition was that the level of success achieved by governments on these dual objectives was determined in part by the responses taken by trade unions to the reform agenda and on the extent to which local councils adopted a competitive culture.Five major research questions and a number of sub-questions were developed from the literature to test these two research propositions. In addition, models of effects on trade unions arising from public sector reform and on trade union responses were developed. The models were important for visually showing the areas of impact on trade unions and the level of impact caused by the reform and to identify the options available and responses undertaken by trade unions during this period. An analytical framework was also established and served as a template for organising and recording findings in this study. The analytical framework served to show the main causal links between the reform agenda and outcomes for trade unions. The study adopted features of both positivist and interpretive methodological approaches to address these research questions. A positivist approach was applied in the development of research protocols to ensure researcher independence. In addition, the information collected was matched to the models of union behaviour and to the relevant elements in the analytical framework. The study also adopted features of an interpretive approach in respect of using small samples and in gathering data through interviews with key informants from three case study organisations, one trade union and two local councils.The information collected on the research questions enabled conclusions to be reached on the two research propositions. The findings supported the first proposition and confirmed previous research studies in the United Kingdom that showed how governments are able to target trade unions in indirect ways through the consequences of the promotion of competition in the delivery of local government goods and services. The study identified the negative effects arising for Victorian local government trade unions in areas of access and influence on government policy decision making, membership levels, bargaining outcomes and relations within and between trade unions. The findings gathered in this study also supported the second research proposition. The level of success by the Victorian State Government in achieving local government reform objectives was in part limited by the responses taken by trade unions and also by the extent to which local councils adopted competitive practices. These findings have contributed important insights into local government reform and trade unions, which had not previously been addressed by researchers. The study has also contributed models of union behaviour and an analytical framework for addressing contemporary public policy issues and trade unions. The amalgamation of local councils planned by the Queensland State Government provides a similar research context in which to further test the usefulness of the models of union behaviour and the analytical framework. In addition, the return of the Australian Labor Party to Federal Government, and their aim of dismantling the previous Liberal-National Party’s WorkChoices industrial relations legislation, provides a context for testing these models and framework under conditions where more direct legislative changes affecting union rights to organise and bargain are pursued.

This thesis provides an attempt to better understand the design and operation of accounting control systems as part of an interrelated control package in an Australian higher education institution subject to an increasingly competitive environment. The study was designed: (1) to understand how and why the accounting control systems changed; (2) to understand how accounting shapes and can be shaped by other institutional processes; and (3) to understand the roles accounting control systems play in higher education institutions. The research aims and objectives lend to a longitudinal case study approach. The data collection consisted of two phases: (1) a pilot study to determine issues for the intensive study and to identify or develop a suitable theoretical framework; and (2) an intensive field study of the subject organisation to develop and explain the observations. Data collection involved a triangulation approach that mixes three sources: interview, observation, and document evidence over a two-year period between 2000 and 2002. The interviewees were selected from different hierarchical levels: Vice-Chancellor, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Deans, Heads of School, general staff, and Education Queensland. This thesis draws on multiple theoretical perspectives to understand the complexities of accounting control systems change. These perspectives are: institutional theory, leadership theories, political and power theories, and resistance theories. Such an emergent research strategy was deemed pertinent to build a more holistic analysis and to offer alternative explanations of the phenomena under scrutiny. The case highlights a number of findings. First, despite the suggestion that universities operate as autonomous institutions, the University studied still succumbed to external pressures, especially from the Federal Government, for a more managerialist approach. In this study Federal Government pressures were the primary source of change identified. Second, the design and operation of the accounting control systems was found to be contingent on the related control systems and vice versa. Third, the accounting control systems played several roles in the organisation. In particular, they provided visibility to external constituents giving the impression that rational techniques had been employed consistent with Government prescriptions. This was the case for both the budget system and the performance management system. In addition to this, from an internal perspective, the budget was used to promote a sense of equity and fairness, at the same time reducing conflict in the organisation. Finally, the budget system was found to be a source of power in the organisation; it determined the level of control used to direct organisational activity. Implications for future research are presented in the concluding section.

The debates over the structure of the Turkish government in the context of Public Administration Reform that point to restructuration of state and/or to re-organization of social relations between state, market and &amp / #8216 / civil society&amp / #8217 / have gained momentum especially since the arrival of draft law about Main Principles of Public Administration and Restructuring of Public Administration to the Turkish Parliament. This thesis attempts to analyze the debate on recent public administration reform in Turkey in the contexts of the socio-economic transformations of new capitalism/neo-liberalism within the notion of decentralization and of how/in what ways the neoliberal policies have been legitimated within the specific historical context of Turkish public administration reform. The purpose of the study is to understand the connection between the legal text of public sector reform and the social context in which these legal regulations find their meanings. For this aim, the debate on public administration reform in the Turkish Parliament was argued as a discursive battlefield where the demands and interests of the conflicting social groups &amp / #8216 / clash&amp / #8217 / with each other. Therefore, this study concentrates its attention on the critical analysis of the discursive acts of the Justice and Development Party government, and of the Republican People&amp / #8217 / s Party on reform for understanding how both authority/legitimacy and resistance/de-legitimacy are (re)produced within the parliamentary debates/discourse.

In 2007, Uganda had one of the lowest levels of access to electricity in the world. Given the influence of multilateral and bilateral agencies in Uganda; the strong international reputation and domestic influence of its President; the country’s historic achievements in public sector and economic reform; and the intimate connection between economic performance, social well-being and access to electricity, the problems with Uganda’s electricity sector have proven deeply frustrating and, indeed, puzzling. Following increased scholarly attention to the relationship between political change, policymaking, and public sector reform in sub-Saharan Africa and the developing world generally, this thesis examines the multilevel politics of Uganda’s electricity sector reform process. This study contends that explanations for Uganda’s electricity sector reform problems generally, and hydroelectric dam construction efforts specifically, must move beyond technical and financial factors. Problems in this sector have also been the result of a model of reform (promoted by the World Bank) that failed adequately to account for the character of political change. Indeed, the model of reform that was promoted and implemented was risky and it was deeply antagonistic to domestic and international civil society organizations. In addition, it was presented as a linear, technical, apolitical exercise. Finally the model was inconsistent with key principles the Bank itself, and public policy literature generally, suggest are needed for success. Based on this analysis, the thesis contends that policymaking and reform must be understood as deeply political processes, which not only define access to services, but also participation in, and exclusion from, national debates. Future approaches to reform and policymaking must anticipate the complex, multilevel, non-linear character of ‘second-generation’ policy issues like electricity, and the political and institutional capacity needed to increase the potential for success. At the heart of this approach is a need to carefully consider how the character of state-society relations in the country – “governance” – will influence reform processes and outcomes.