Discover the latest insights in organization theory from a comprehensive and masterful volume Understanding and Managing Public Organizations, 6th Edition provides readers with an authoritative reference for scholars, masters, and doctoral students in public management and public affairs programs in the United States and other nations. The 6th Edition of Understanding and Managing Public Organizations presents the latest research and insights from organization and management theory and their application to public organizations and the people in them. The book expands coverage from previous editions about organizational goals, performance and effectiveness, strategy, decision-making, structure and design, organizational change, operating environments, individuals and groups, motivation and work-related attitudes, leadership, teamwork, and more. Authors and professors Hal Rainey, Sergio Fernandez, and Deanna Malatesta provide new and expanded coverage of such topics as The context and distinctive character of public and nonprofit organizations, including expanded coverage of "publicness" and of the legal context including "state action" Performance management, measurement, organizational effectiveness, and managing for high performance Representative bureaucracy, workforce diversity, and performance Communication and information technology Employee engagement and empowerment, intrinsic motivation, self-determination theory, public service motivation, and positive organizational behavior--resilience, self-efficacy, optimism, and hope Recent developments in theory and thought on leadership, including authentic leadership, shared leadership, servant leadership, and integrated leadership Design and process topics including red tape and green tape, administrative burdens, and organizational routines Theoretical perspectives such as behavioral theory of decision making, resource dependence theory, and others, and their implications for public and nonprofit organizations Advances in theory and practice about rapid developments in collaborative governance, organizational networks, partnerships, and contracting Since the book is used in courses for students in numerous public affairs programs, this new edition updates the Instructor's Guide, with new and revised PowerPoint slides, cases, exercises, and discussion and examination questions These materials, with the topics in the chapters, are designed to address the learning outcomes required by NASPAA accreditation requirements Belonging on the shelf of scholars and students in public affairs, as well as anyone interested in public management or organization theory, this new edition of Understanding and Managing Public Organizations provides an advanced and comprehensive enhancement to a widely used and compelling series of previous editions.

"Representative Bureaucracy and Performance: Public Service Transformation in South Africa is a first-rate blend of quantitative and qualitative analysis of one of the major transitions in modern governance. Fernandez makes a major theoretical contribution to the literature on representative bureaucracy in demonstrating how descriptive representation translates into both active representation and better performance. His discussion of the crucial role of language and communication brings new insight to the literature on public administration and democracy."-Kenneth Meier, Distinguished Scholar in Residence, American University "This study of public sector transformation goes beyond the descriptive qualitative research largely found in South African public administration historiography by undertaking sophisticated quantitative analysis to show that representation of previously historically disadvantaged groups, under certain circumstances, can improve the performance of public organizations. This is an excellent contribution, not only to public administration scholarship in South Africa, but also to the sparse literature on public organizations in developing countries. The book should be of great value to scholars and practitioners of public administration, as well as to students of political science and organizational studies."-Robert Cameron, Professor, University of Cape Town "This book provides an excellent analysis of the theory of representative bureaucracy in the context of South African post-apartheid government. South Africa is an important and fascinating case. The work adds substantially to the literature on representative bureaucracy and will be of interest to all who are concerned with the effectiveness of government organizations."-J. Edward Kellough, Professor, University of Georgia Governments throughout the world seek to promote employment equity and ensure that bureaucracies are representative of the citizenry. South Africa offers a rare and fascinating case for exploring what happens to bureaucracies as they undergo demographic transformation. Grounded in the theory of representative bureaucracy and using a mixed methods approach, this book explores how major changes in the demographics of the South African public service have affected the performance of the institution. The empirical analysis offers compelling evidence that representative bureaucracies perform better. As public organizations become increasingly representative by hiring historically disadvantaged persons, especially Africans, their performance improves, controlling for a range of factors. Evidence indicates representative bureaucracies perform better because they empathize with and advocate for historically disadvantaged communities, are equipped with linguistic and cultural competencies to serve a diverse citizenry, and can induce compliance, cooperation, and coproduction.

"Representative Bureaucracy and Performance: Public Service Transformation in South Africa is a first-rate blend of quantitative and qualitative analysis of one of the major transitions in modern governance. Fernandez makes a major theoretical contribution to the literature on representative bureaucracy in demonstrating how descriptive representation translates into both active representation and better performance. His discussion of the crucial role of language and communication brings new insight to the literature on public administration and democracy."-Kenneth Meier, Distinguished Scholar in Residence, American University "This study of public sector transformation goes beyond the descriptive qualitative research largely found in South African public administration historiography by undertaking sophisticated quantitative analysis to show that representation of previously historically disadvantaged groups, under certain circumstances, can improve the performance of public organizations. This is an excellent contribution, not only to public administration scholarship in South Africa, but also to the sparse literature on public organizations in developing countries. The book should be of great value to scholars and practitioners of public administration, as well as to students of political science and organizational studies."-Robert Cameron, Professor, University of Cape Town "This book provides an excellent analysis of the theory of representative bureaucracy in the context of South African post-apartheid government. South Africa is an important and fascinating case. The work adds substantially to the literature on representative bureaucracy and will be of interest to all who are concerned with the effectiveness of government organizations."-J. Edward Kellough, Professor, University of Georgia Governments throughout the world seek to promote employment equity and ensure that bureaucracies are representative of the citizenry. South Africa offers a rare and fascinating case for exploring what happens to bureaucracies as they undergo demographic transformation. Grounded in the theory of representative bureaucracy and using a mixed methods approach, this book explores how major changes in the demographics of the South African public service have affected the performance of the institution. The empirical analysis offers compelling evidence that representative bureaucracies perform better. As public organizations become increasingly representative by hiring historically disadvantaged persons, especially Africans, their performance improves, controlling for a range of factors. Evidence indicates representative bureaucracies perform better because they empathize with and advocate for historically disadvantaged communities, are equipped with linguistic and cultural competencies to serve a diverse citizenry, and can induce compliance, cooperation, and coproduction.

Hay muchas personas que desarrollan trabajos como empleados por los que no sienten ninguna pasion, que los mantienen solo por conseguir la remuneracion de final de mes. Por otra parte estan los emprendedores, gente que ha puesto en marcha una aventura empresarial y que suele atravesar todo tipo de problemas, excesos o dificultades hasta, si logran salir adelante, llegar a ver cumplido su sueno. En Espana, mas de la mitad de los suenos empresariales fracasan en el primer ano y tan solo un quince por ciento supera los cinco anos. Tiene en sus manos un libro que le detalla y aconseja sobre los principales errores que cometen con mayor frecuencia los emprendedores. Si es cierta la sentencia que afirma que los fracasos constituyen el mejor aprendizaje, este libro es el perfecto formador.

Escritoras espanolas de posguerra rescata del olvido y estudia de de manera critica la obra de nueve autoras que, con sus novelas y cuentos, fueron protagonistas de la escena literaria espanola en los anos de la posguerra. Estas autoras encontraron entonces un hueco en importantes editoriales y publicaron obras que han resultado decisivas en la cultura espanola, e incluso recibieron galardones de gran prestigio. Sin embargo su obra ha sido posteriormente desatendida por la critica y en gran parte invisibilizada en el circuito editorial, perdiendose asi la voz de la mujer en el franquismo. Los diferentes trabajos recogidos en este volumen evidencian el valor historico, sociologico, cultural y literario de un grupo de mujeres marcado por diferentes circunstancias personales y unido por unos mismos acontecimientos historicos: el estallido de la guerra civil, la instauracion de la dictadura franquista y los obstaculos de la censura. Con la intencion de que no queden relegadas al olvido, Narradoras espanolas de posguerra se ofrece como un valioso documento de la narrativa de este periodo.

A detailed study of ceramics from the Iberian sites commonly known as 'Las Motillas' - arguably the most singular form of prehistoric settlement on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in the central area of Spain called 'La Mancha' they date to the Bronze Age (2200-1500 cal. BC), with the sites characterised by artificial tells produced by the destruction of complex fortifications with concentric stone walls. These sites were believed to be funerary barrows until the 1970s, when the systematic excavation of La Motilla del Azuer (near Daimiel (Ciudad Real), on the left bank of the Azuer River) was undertaken. From the beginning of the fieldwork, the nature of the fortified settlement quickly appeared, clearly defined thanks to the documentation of a central fortification surrounded by a small settlement and its necropolis. This study assesses the Bronze Age pottery assemblages from the site, presenting a typological and technological classification.