Unmanaging public relations: Reclaiming complex practice in pursuit of global consent

Globalisation raises numerous problems for contemporary public relations theory. In a world where the geographic reach of organisations routinely spans cultures and nation states and where issues of culture, economics and politics are inseparably intertwined, the discipline of public relations has established a distance from the immediacy of the marketplace, failed to fully engage with discussions of culture. By taking a relentlessly managerialist approach, theorists have also failed to recognise the true complexity of public relations practice and this has marginalised aspects of practice that, though nebulous and intangible, are none the less real. This paper argues that attention needs to shift towards the complexities of practice, in order to recapture and theorise a distinctive occupational field with the aim of better understanding the relationship between universal humanising principles, on the one hand, and the purposive demands of capital, on the other; the attempt to theorise how public relations makes profitable sense in society. The paper was prompted by the author's reflections on auto-ethnographic research into the public relations field, part of an ongoing research project.     

Reviews

A multitude of influences have affected the development of social work education, one of the earliest of which was the settlement movement in British inner cities. This article explores the early impact of the settlements on social work education and presents the results of a survey of current settlements and their relationship with UK social work. Ideas from the settlement movement have continued to fertilise British social policy and community development practice but their numbers and influence have waned. In contrast, British social work and social services organisations exert a major influence on settlements both directly and indirectly. As part of the longest established sections of the voluntary sector within the UK, the settlement movement's survival may also offer suggestions about the organic development of welfare organisations which are of wider relevance in a rapidly changing social environment.     

‘Street‐level Bureaucracy’ Revisited: The Changing Face of Frontline Discretion in Adult Social Care in England

This reassessment of the continuing significance of Lipsky's (1980 ) work on ‘street‐level bureaucracy’ for frontline decision making is based on a retrospective review of the author's research on assessment practice in adult social care in England. The studies span the past two decades during which time successive governments have restructured and modernized social services departments. When these were established in 1970, they represented the high watermark of bureau‐professionalism – a mode of administration which dominated social welfare at the time Lipsky was writing. The subsequent dismantling of bureau‐professionalism calls into question the validity of his findings, and the author draws on her own research to assess conflicting views about the impact of social care reforms on the discretion which social workers exercise as street‐level bureaucrats. She concludes that the distinct types of discretion to emerge from her findings, represented in a taxonomy, are shaped by the differing micro environments of frontline practice which, in turn, affect the relative force of managerialism, professionalism and user empowerment in countering the defensive exercise of discretion described by Lipsky. Whilst her analysis affirms the continuing significance of Lipsky's analysis, it also points to the need for some revision to accommodate major shifts in welfare administration since the publication of his work. She highlights the potential relevance of these insights for investigating the next planned transformation of adult social care, personalization, as well as for the implementation literature more widely.     

Professional responses to post bureaucratic hospital reforms and their impact on care provision

BackgroundPost bureaucracy is increasingly shaping how health care professionals work. Within hospital settings, post bureaucracy is frequently connected to loss of professional autonomy and protocol-based care. However, this development also affects relationships between care providers and care receivers.QuestionTo explore experiences of post bureaucratic hospital reforms and their impact on care provision.MethodData builds on nine mini group interviews with midwives (n = three), nurses (n = three) and physiotherapists (n = three), in all thirty participants. Data was analysed using existing theories of professionalism and post bureaucracy.FindingsTwo overarching themes were identified: ‘Time, tasks and institutional duties’ which referred to transformations in care practices, increased use of screening procedures, efficiency requirements and matching linear time to the psychosocial needs of patients. ‘Managerial control of work’ which described rising administrative demands, engaging in protective measures, younger professionals pressured by documentation obligations and fear of disciplinary procedures.ConclusionThe institutional context appears to play a key role shaping care practices. Although midwives, nurses and physiotherapists share similar experiences of post bureaucratic hospital reforms, changes in care provision can impact these professions in different ways. As a discipline, midwifery is founded on relationships between women and midwives. Standardised clinical care, performativity demands, litigation risks and rising administrative obligations are liable to challenge the provision of woman centred care. These changes may also result in increased inequity in maternity care by affecting some groups of women more than others.     

公共行政的管理主义:反思与批判

公共行政的管理主义是 2 0世纪 70年代后在特定背景下发展起来并产生广泛影响的政府治理理论以及运动。它为政府管理与改革以及公共行政研究提供了不同的视野。管理主义存在着许多值得反思与批判的缺陷 :基本价值的偏颇、对市场机制的迷信、公私管理的混淆、不当的顾客隐喻等。 2 1世纪公共行政的重建需要关注公共行政的公共性 ,关注政府与社会、市场、公民的互动 ,不可陷入偏狭的陷阱     

Killing the Golden Goose? Third Sector Organizations and Back‐to‐Work Programmes in Germany and the UK

Third sector, or not-for-profit, organizations have been viewed in many parts of Europe as agencies that can be harnessed by public policy programmes to support the socially excluded. Within the emerging mixed economy of welfare, third sector agencies offering training, support and employment for groups disadvantaged in the labour market provide an important example. This illustrates, from one specific field, the dynamics occurring at the interface between public and third sectors in the delivery of public policy goals. This article examines both the history of 'partnership regimes' in this field and the evolving local organizational arrangement. The developments in the contrasting welfare regimes of Britain and Germany, which exemplify different institutional traditions, are analysed. The potential impact of regulatory changes on the capacity of third sector work integration agencies to deliver policy goals is assessed in both countries using evidence from recent case study research. The analysis suggests that the emerging managerialist partnership structures are tending to convert third sector organizations into 'just in time' deliverers of poor programme outcomes in both welfare regimes while also eroding their distinctive potential to provide more than mere labour market integration.     

A preliminary theory of managerialism as an ideology

While many know or have used the term Managerialism, the development of a theory about Managerialism remains largely non‐existent. When management becomes an ideology we speak of Managerialism reaching beyond the simple administration of a business organisation. Like many “‐isms”, Managerialism carries connotations to ideology, thereby leading to the question: what would the development of a theory of Managerialism's ideology look like? Since Managerialism has been largely been clarified (Klikauer, 2013 & 2015), this paper builds on these ideas to examine the question of a theory of Managerialism ideology. This is tackled in three steps: the paper discusses what an ideology is; this is followed by a brief outline of twelve characteristics of ideology delivering a threefold definition of ideology and leading to two schools of thoughts; finally, the paper shows how ideology and Managerialism are linked. The paper's key argument is that any theory development on Managerialism cannot avoid the issue of ideology.     

Gender,Organizational Cultures and the Practices of Manager‐Academics in UK Universities

The article explores gendered management in UK universities in the context of moves to introduce new managerialism to higher education. Qualitative data are drawn from an Economic and Social Research Council funded project (R00023 7661) in which interviews were conducted with 137 male and female manager‐academics, from Heads of Department to Vice Chancellors, in 16 universities. The career trajectories of female and male manager‐academics are analysed to see if gender power relations, expectations and discrimination have affected their careers and organizational experiences. Also examined are whether and how gender relations and cultures are perceived to be relevant to management, the practices of women and men manager‐academics and the extent to which the differential value and status attached to teaching, research and management are gender‐related. It is suggested that women's participation in management roles, their perceptions of their practices and the expectations others hold of them are still marked by gender, even though some women have benefited, through promotion, from the greater emphasis on management now evident in UK universities.     

Why don't women want to be social workers anymore? New managerialism,postfeminism and the shortage of social workers in social services departments in England and Wales

Since its origins as a philanthropic activity, the practice of social work in the UK has, numerically at least, been dominated by women. This continues to be the case, though fewer women are presenting themselves as candidates for training courses, and men do not appear to be taking their place. In addition, social workers are leaving their posts for alternative career opportunities. As a consequence there is a staffing shortage, which in some parts of London and the south-east of England, is said to have reached crisis proportions. Whilst there are a number of reasons as to why this situation has evolved, this paper gives particular attention to the way in which new managerialism is contributing to the difficulties in retaining staff. The difficulties in recruiting staff are attributed not only to the low status that is afforded caring work in late modernity, but also the postfeminist context that provides women with new opportunities for paid work in the public sphere.