Complexity theory and the new public management

Complexity theory and the new public management: "Complexity theory and the new public management"

This article explores whether complexity theory can inform a more realistic and democratic approach to achieving policy goals than the audit culture of performance management. The example of higher education is used to show how organisational systems interact with a policy landscape which can be tuned by government action. Universities exist at different attractors on this landscape and its ruggedness determines the extent to which transformative organisational change is likely to occur. Policy landscapes can be tuned to actively encourage transformation in performance. This is similar to the use of performance targets to steer organisations towards meeting their targets, but unintended consequences often follow from target-setting for organisations and individuals because it fails to recognise whole systems. Using examples from neighbourhood renewal, the article considers the alternative of scanning key parameter values and feedback to an organisation's planning and operational processes. Scanning and responding to key parameter values offers a more flexible and adaptable approach than performance management, but needs more autonomy and a greater degree of discursive democracy within organisations than is currently the case in the UK's public services.