Governing by Network: The New Shape of the Public Sector

A fundamental, but mostly hidden, transformation is happening in the way public services are being delivered, and in the way local and national governments fulfill their policy goals. Government executives are redefining their core responsibilities away from managing workers and providing services directly to orchestrating networks of public, private, and nonprofit organizations to deliver the services that government once did itself. Authors Stephen Goldsmith and William D. Eggers call this new model “governing by network” and maintain that the new approach is a dramatically different type of endeavor that simply managing divisions of employees. Like any changes of such magnitude, it poses major challenges for those in charge. Faced by a web of relationships and partnerships that increasingly make up modern governance, public managers must grapple with skill-set issues (managing a contract to capture value); technology issues (incompatible information systems); communications issues (one partner in the network, for example, might possess more information than another); and cultural issues (how interplay among varied public, private, and nonprofit sector cultures can create unproductive dissonance). Governing by Network examines for the first time how managers on both sides of the aisle, public and private, are coping with the changes. Drawing from dozens of case studies, as well as established best practices, the authors tell us what works and what doesn't. Here is a clear roadmap for actually governing the networked state for elected officials, business executives, and the broader public.

About the Author :
Stephen Goldsmith is the Daniel Paul Professor of Government and director of the Innovations in American Government Program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. He is also chair of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and he served two terms as mayor of Indianapolis. William D. Eggers is the executive director of Deloitte's Public Leadership Institute, the global director at Deloitte Research, Public Sector, and a contributing writer to Public CIO magazine. A nationally recognized expert on government reform, he is coauthor of Revolution at the Roots: Making Our Government Smaller, Better, and Closer to Home (Free Press, 1995).

Review :
. . . practical guide, based on real-life examples from dozens of pioneering government agencies . . . accessible and well-researched book. . . . But it is the second half of the book, which focuses on the tools and insights needed to create and manage successful networks, that is must-read material for reform-minded Democrats.--Marc Porter Magee, Director of the Center for Civic Enterprise, Progressive Policy Institute, Blueprint Magazine Governing by Network is especially recommended for political leaders, political science teachers, political science students, and school library collections for its invaluable contribution to observing dramatic shifts in leadership and day-to-day practice requirements.--Able Greenspan, Reviewer's Bookwatch Governing by Network is largely a how-to handbook for those considering networking within and outside government organizations.--James McNiven, Dalhousie University, Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences Goldsmith and Eggers offer a penetrating and insightful treatment of how to make the new collaborative and networked approach to government actually work. We are in the process of rewriting the rules of public management, and this book is a major contribution.--Michael E. Porter, Harvard Business School Goldsmith and Eggers, two of America's most innovative policy thinkers, show how the networking trend is transforming government. This book is a must read for anyone concerned with how to make government better and more cost effective.--Mitt Romney, Governor of Massachusetts I would . . . recommend a readthrough for managers embarking or planning networks. The book is a good read and formatted for picking up good pointers.--Kenneth D. Mitchell, The Public Manager In Governing by Network, Goldsmith and Eggers answer one of the most important public policy questions of our time: how public officials can achieve results and ensure accountability to citizens in an age in which government relies more and more on partners to do the public's business.--Edward G. Rendell, Governor of Pennsylvania Just as the twentieth century was the era of the large public bureaucracy, the twenty-first is likely to be the ear of the public-private network. Goldsmith and Eggers provide a clear and lively guide to the new terrain, offering concrete advice to public sector managers and elected officials on how to grapple with performance and accountability challenges.--Alasdair S. Roberts, Director, Campbell Public Affairs Institute, Maxwell School of Syracuse University The definitive book on managing government in the networked age.--Anthony A. Williams, Mayor of Washington, D.C. /div> The professional quality of Goldsmith's and Eggers' work is easily measured by the knowledgeable integration of the leading literature into their analysis and their refreshing humility in crediting superior authorities for vital knowledge and insights.--Chester A. Newland, Public Administration Review The reader will find that there are two books included within this well-written and well-organized volume: The first is a superb handbook about how to manage in a complex environment confronting today's public managers; the second is a collection of the usual critiques of contemporary government administration. . . . Goldsmith and Eggers's Governing by Network makes an important contribution to the literature of public management and helps build the base of knowledge available to network managers. It provides guidance on how to form networks, how to select network partners, and how to operate networks productively. Using examples from both inside and outside the United States, the authors help the reader understand the attributes of successful and unsuccessful networks and provide lessons learned for government managers who are facing or will soon face the realities of governing by network. . . . The recommendations in this book provide timely and useful advice on how to manage this emerging paradigm of government management.--Najla Mamou, GFOA's Research and Consulting Centre, Government Finance Review