Management in Networks: On multi-actor decision making - Softcover

De Bruijn, Hans; Heuvelhof, Ernst Ten

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415462495 ISBN 13: 9780415462495

Publisher: Routledge, 2008

Synopsis

Getting what you want – even if you are the boss – isn’t always easy. Almost every organization, big or small, works among a network of competing interests. Whether it's governments pushing through policies, companies trying to increase profits, or even families deciding where to move house, rarely can decisions be made in isolation from competing interests both within the organization and outside it.

In this accessible and straightforward account, Hans de Bruijn and Ernst ten Heuvelhof cast light on multi-stakeholder decision-making. Shunning simplistic model talk, they reveal the nuts and bolts of decision-making within the numerous dilemmas and tensions at work. Using a diverse range of illustrative examples throughout, their perceptive analysis examines how different interests can either support or block change, and the strategies available in managing a variety of stakeholders

This insightful text provides both depth of understanding and a wealth of advice. It is invaluable reading to students working in business and management, public administration and organizational studies, plus practitioners – or actors – operating in a range of contexts.

About this title

About the Author

Hans de Bruijn is Professor in Organization and Management at Delft University of Technology. He has a broad research portfolio with a recent focus on decision making in networks, performance management, enforcement and decision making on large infrastructure projects.

Ernst ten Heuvelhof is Professor in Public Policy at Delft University of Technology and Erasmus University Rotterdam. He has performed extensive research into environmental and planning issues in the utility sector.

Review

"In an increasingly interactive world knowledge of how networks operate and evolve, and how they can be managed effectively, is increasingly important to students and practitioners of public administration, public management and public policy. In the first edition of this excellent book, the authors developed the idea of "process management" - contrasting it with other forms of such as "project-based" management – highlighting the advantages of using a process lens as a guide to producing better public sector outcomes. In this thoroughly revised and expanded new edition, the authors continue this pursuit, adding detail and nuance to their analyses of the best (and not-so-good) strategies that can be used to enhance collaboration between public, civil society and other actors in the pursuit of public value and the public good."

Burnaby Mountain Chair, Department of Political Science, Simon Fraser University and Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore

"Management in Networks (second edition) is a fundamental guide for policy makers and managers who wants to consciously decide and act in today’s uncertain and complex world, where all decisions involve many actors, with different values and targets."

- Giovanni Azzone, Professor of Management and Rector Emeritus, Politecnico di Milano, Italy

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0415462495
• ISBN 13: 9780415462495
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 172