Thompson, James R.
Devising administrative reform that works: the example of the reinvention lab program - 1999 - p.283-92 - Jul-Aug
A common conclusion among those who have studied administrative reform is that it rarely "works" as intended by its sponsors. This review of the National Performance Review's reinvention lab program, on the other hand, concludes that substantial success has been achieved. The explanation offered of this apparent anomaly focuses on one of the root questions about change and change processes - whether and to what extent large organizations and the behaviors of those therein can be shaped according to the intentions of one or more actors, or alternatively, whether change proceeds according to certain "natural processes" substantially immune to human interference. The interpretation placed on the findings is that the designers of the reinvention lab program have successfully devised a means of "amplifying" those processes in ways congruent with their reform objectives. Their success leads to basic questions about the construct of administrative reform itself. - Reproduced
Administrative reform
Devising administrative reform that works: the example of the reinvention lab program - 1999 - p.283-92 - Jul-Aug
A common conclusion among those who have studied administrative reform is that it rarely "works" as intended by its sponsors. This review of the National Performance Review's reinvention lab program, on the other hand, concludes that substantial success has been achieved. The explanation offered of this apparent anomaly focuses on one of the root questions about change and change processes - whether and to what extent large organizations and the behaviors of those therein can be shaped according to the intentions of one or more actors, or alternatively, whether change proceeds according to certain "natural processes" substantially immune to human interference. The interpretation placed on the findings is that the designers of the reinvention lab program have successfully devised a means of "amplifying" those processes in ways congruent with their reform objectives. Their success leads to basic questions about the construct of administrative reform itself. - Reproduced
Administrative reform