Tools for Innovators : Creative Strategies for Strengthening Public Sector Organizations (Jossey-Bass Nonprofit and Public Management Series)

Rating:
Summary: one of the better resources
Review: there is now a plethora of reinventing government-themed books. Most are too general or not based in realistic opportunity to improve the public sector. This book is one of the few exceptions; it outlines numerous proven tools for the performance improvement engagement in government. The case studies included go a long way toward making it a more "real-world" reading.

Rating:
Summary: nothing new
Review: This book sums up the some popular management tools to be used in public organizations with the intent of helping them to meet citizens demands of highest quality service. Including Strategic Planning, Total Quality Management, Re-Engineering, Benchmarking, Outsourcing, many approachments (or tools) that can be useful in restructuring public organizations are told in this valuable book. Readers who want to understand the basic principles of popular management tools developed for private sector organizations (but can be applied to public sector)should read this book. One of the obvious weaknesses of the book is its cases which were not well-developed.

Overall, I recommend Cohen's book to readers who have spare time.

Rating:
Summary: balanced, real-world approach
Review: This is a helpful volume which profiles various efficiency tools with clarity, and allows reinventing government advocates to gain a realistic grasp of the possibilities and limitations of major change in public entities. As always, the negative reviews that seems to appear toward every one of these books seem baffling, perhaps attributable to an agenda of "no gain because it's too much pain" that has dogged efforts of reinventors for years. The inertia of inaction is exactly what books like this are trying to break.

Rating:
Summary: nothing new
Review: Using the over-used word "creative" as a shield, "Tools for Innovators" rehashes common-sense and stale ideas as exciting new methods for public managers. Current and aspiring managers should avoid this platitude-ridden guide: It will not improve your managerial skills, only waste time.