Definition
Transforming public organizations is when a strategic process and strategic leadership are used to change public organizations.
Introduction
In recent years, public organizations have been called upon to make radical, transformational changes (Osborn and Gaebler 1992). This call has been made before and is repeated anew, seemingly with each new budget crisis (Wechsler and Backoff 1986; Nutt 2004a). Budget crises are coming more frequently so calls for transforming organizations are coming more frequently. The question is whether such demands are feasible: Can public organizations truly make radical and transformational, changes? What constitutes a transformation? And under what conditions would transformations be possible? This chapter offers some insights into these and related questions.
The primary focus is the general-purpose bureau or agency found in federal, state, county, and city governments (Nutt
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Nutt, P.C. (2016). Transformation Metaphor of Organizations. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2554-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2554-1
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