Instability in New Zealand’s Public Sector

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26686/pq.v19i4.8573

Keywords:

Organisational restructuring, Managerialism, Organisational instability, Public sector, Hyper-innovation

Abstract

This article assesses the level of organisational instability in New Zealand’s public sector, measured by changes in structure, leadership and mission. Based on the methodology employed, it finds that there is a high level of organisational instability, characterised by frequent restructuring, rapid changes of organisational mission, and frequent leadership change, resulting in less-than-optimal CEO tenures. The article explores the reasons for the high level of change, and whether there might be better strategies for responding to an increasingly turbulent public sector environment.

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Author Biographies

Richard Hamblin, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

Richard Hamblin is a PhD candidate in the School of Management, Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka and director of health quality intelligence at Te Tāhū Hauora Health Quality and Safety Commission. Having worked for 20 years in senior roles in national health quality agencies in the UK and New Zealand, he is interested in why some organisations do better than others, and how leadership, organisational, policy and cultural contexts affect this.

Geoff Plimmer, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

Geoff Plimmer is a senior lecturer in the School of Management at Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka. His interests are in public management, and how work environments influence employee experiences and the quality of public services. His research concerns public value, capability and wellbeing in public administrations, in both developing and developed countries.

Policy Quarterly Volume 19 Issue 4 2023

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Published

2023-11-23

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 4 (2023): Policy Quarterly

Section

Articles

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