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Strategy in the Public and Private Sectors: Similarities, Differences and Changes

Author

Listed:
  • John Alford

    (The Australia and New Zealand School of Government PO Box 230 Carlton South VIC 3053, Australia)

  • Carsten Greve

    (Department of Organization, Copenhagen Business School, Frederiksberg DK-2000, Denmark)

Abstract

Strategic concepts and practices first evolved in the private sector, so they evoked much controversy when they migrated to the public sector from the late 1970s onwards. Partly this was about their (in)applicability to the distinctive features of government organizations, in particular their focus on public as well as private value, their situation in a political rather than a market environment, their almost exclusive capacity to use legal authority to achieve purposes, and the extent to which they often need to share power over personnel and resources with other public sector agencies. These and other factors complicated efforts to apply New Public Management and similar frameworks in strategy concepts in a governmental context. Partly also the traditional private-sector focus on single organizations did not resonate with the growth of network governance from the 1990s. The authors argue for an alternative model based primarily on the public value framework as a means of incorporating and going beyond traditional strategy thinking.

Suggested Citation

  • John Alford & Carsten Greve, 2017. "Strategy in the Public and Private Sectors: Similarities, Differences and Changes," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-17, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:7:y:2017:i:4:p:35-:d:113266
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Cited by:

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    3. Jan-Erik Johanson & Åge Johnsen & Elias Pekkola & Stephen Affleck Reid, 2019. "Strategic Management in Finnish and Norwegian Government Agencies," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-20, October.
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    5. Michal Pohludka & Hana Stverkova & Beata Ślusarczyk, 2018. "Implementation and Unification of the ERP System in a Global Company as a Strategic Decision for Sustainable Entrepreneurship," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-16, August.
    6. Rana, Tarek & Hoque, Zahirul, 2020. "Institutionalising multiple accountability logics in public services: Insights from Australia," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(4).
    7. Pilar González-Navarro & Rosario Zurriaga-Llorens & Adekunle Tosin Olateju & Lucía I. Llinares-Insa, 2018. "Envy and Counterproductive Work Behavior: The Moderation Role of Leadership in Public and Private Organizations," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-17, July.
    8. Sokol Loci & Judita Peterlin, 2023. "Leadership Development Elements Contained in the Life Stories of Leadership Members," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, December.
    9. Hana Stverkova & Michal Pohludka, 2018. "Business Organisational Structures of Global Companies: Use of the Territorial Model to Ensure Long-Term Growth," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-9, June.

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