Managerial Functions in the Public Sector

The managerial functions in the public sector are many and varied and this chapter maps their terrain. In so doing, it addresses a number of key questions: First, what are these managerial functions and have they changed over time? Second, what skills are required by public sector managers to carry out these functions? Third, are the functions and skills unique to the public sector? In seeking to answer these questions, it is suggested that managerial functions will be conditional upon organizational structures, on community expectations of public managers, and on the political direction that public servants are given by their political leaders.

Throughout the discussion, the term public managers is used to refer to those appointed civil servants and local government officers who are responsible for overseeing the delivery of public services whether they are in education, healthcare, social welfare, policing, defense, economic development, or waste disposal. The term public managers should be distinguished from public service professionals such as teachers, social workers, clinicians, or police officers. It is recognized that many of these professionals are, increasingly, taking on managerial functions, and this is discussed below.

Management is also distinguished from leadership as it is generally considered that management is concerned with planning; budgeting; measuring and managing performance, people, and change; and ensuring the day-to-day running of the organization. In itself, management is a complex, difficult, and essential task. Leadership is considered to be about taking an organization into the future, having a vision, leading, and inspiring rather than managing people. Leadership can be found throughout the organization, not only at the top and is not just exercised by the politicians. Both leadership and management are essential, and, as suggested below, leadership is required from more and more people. At the same time, effective leadership might be comparatively rare and an important consideration is how to assess the performance of both leadership and management. Not only that but in seeking to improve and develop leadership skills, there is a continuing debate about whether effective leaders are born rather than made.