Value-Based Management in Government

CHAPTER SEVENTEENThe Future of Public Sector VBM

AS YOU NEAR THE end of this book, the authors hope that you have seen potential value for your organization in what has been presented. However, a question that likely comes to mind is what might be the future of the VBM concept as applied to the public sector in general? Answering such a question of course requires forecasting the future – always a challenging process. However, two factors to consider in such prognostication are: (1) What has been the progress of related concepts in recent history, and (2) to what extent can we expect the future environment to place further demands on organizations for VBM and associated concepts? In other words, does past progress in management practices point to a future for the application of VBM concepts, and does the foreseeable future of public sector needs increase or decrease the need for a concept like VBM?

A POTENTIAL FUTURE FOR VBM

To consider the first question, it is obvious that there has been a steady stream of advancing thought focused on making organizational management processes more effective and efficient since at least the time of Frederick Winslow Taylor, the “father of scientific management,” in the late 1800s. Concepts and practices such as strategic planning, quality management, organizational change management, cost-benefit analysis, activity-based costing, value-chain analysis, benchmarking, and countless others are the products of twentieth-century management thinkers. ...