Achieving excellence in the management of human service organizations - Peter M. Kettner

This book aims to create an integrated model for management and administrative practice.

To date, management books have identified problems in organizational functioning and described how systems should work-this book goes beyond description. First, the text identifies themes that serve as guidelines to insure internal consistency within the organization. Then it proposes what managers need to do to put their organizations back on track toward excellence. The overall emphasis is on how to get employees to perform at their optimum levels to insure organizational efficiency, effectiveness, quality and productivity.

The model presented in the book is rooted in management theory, and is adapted to human service organizations generally, and social work issues specifically. It is organized in a way that encourages managers to design or redesign organizational systems and subsystems in a way that will permit and support optimal functioning. Once the systems are in place, managers are then guided through a plan to bring employees on board and continuously nurture them in a way that they identify their success with that of the organization. A framework is presented in the final chapter for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of organizational performance and continuous quality improvement.