Facing management choices: an analysis of managerial choices in 18 complex environmental public

Abstract

This article looks at how managers in large infrastructure projects in The Netherlands deal with difficult choices, which are labelled dilemmas in this article, in their managerial activities. It presents the results of a survey of 32 managers in 18 complex decision-making projects in which public—private partnerships (PPPs) play an important role. The managers were presented with a number of choices and asked to rate the amount of attention they paid to each of the choices. The article focuses on four (groups of) dilemmas managers face in the inter-organizational context of these processes: (1) interaction with parties, (2) strategic orientation, (3) management style and (4) process dynamics.After a brief elaboration of the role of (network) managers in complex PPP projects and the nature of the dilemmas they face, the four groups of dilemmas are explored by looking at how managers scored on the dilemmas within each group. Conclusions are drawn about managers' perceptions of these dilemmas and the differences between projects. The different choices of dilemmas are then compared with the differences between the scores of the outputs of the projects as perceived by the managers. Finally, general conclusions are drawn about the dilemmas chosen by managers and the consequences of these choices.

Points for practioners

Pay attention to commitment, goal searching, communication and vertical relations if you want good outcomes in complex environmental projects. Do managers of complex spatial and environmental projects in general choose to open up the decision-making process for stakeholders to enhance support and use the knowledge of stakeholders or do they choose a more closed decision-making process that reduces the number of actors and might speed up the decision-making process? In general, one can see many of these managerial choices between a more project oriented style, that focuses on control, specifying goals, keeping the budget, etc., and a more process oriented style that focuses on activating actors, creating support, or exploring possible content. If we look at the 32 managerial strategies that were researched, there are a few strategies that are positively and strongly correlated to positive perceived outcomes of projects: commitment, goals searching, vertical relationships and communication.

Keywords

complex decision-making management dilemmas managerial choices network management public—private partnerships

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Agranoff, R. , and McGuire, M. (2003) Collaborative Public Management: New Strategies for Local Governments. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.

de Bruijn, H. , Ten Heuvelhof, E.F. and In't Veld, R.J. (1998) Procesmanagement; over procesontwerpen en besluitvorming . Schoonhoven: Academic Service .

de Bruijn H. , Teisman, G.R., Edelenbos, J. and Veeneman, W. (eds) (2004) Meervoudig ruimtegebruik en het management van meerstemmige processen. Utrecht: Lemma.

DiMaggio, P. and Powell, W.W. (1983) `The Iron Cage Revisited: Institutional Isomorphism and Collective Rationality in Organizational Fields', American Sociological Review 52: 147-60.

Ecorys (2002) `Evaluatie voortgang PPS in Nederland', mei 2002, Rotterdam.

Gage, R.W. and Mandell, M.P. (eds) (1990) Strategies for Managing Intergovernmental Policies and Networks. New York: Praeger.

Hampden-Turner, C. (1990) Charting the Corporate Mind: From Dilemma to Strategy . Oxford: The Free Press.

Hartley, J. (2000) `Leading and Managing the Uncertainty of Strategic Change', in P. Flood , S. Carroll , L. Gorman and T. Dromgoole (eds) Managing Strategic Implementation, pp. 109-22. Oxford: Blackwell.

Haynes, L. and Roden, N. (1999) `Commercialising the Management and Maintenance of Trunk Roads in the United Kingdom', Transportation 26.

10.

Healy, P. (2003) `Building Institutional Capacity through Collaborative Approaches to Urban Planning', Environment and Planning A 30: 1531-46.

11.

Hodge, G. and Greve, C. (2005) The Challenge of Public Private Partnerships. Palgrave Edward Elgar.

12.

Innes, P. and Booher, D. (2003) `The Impact of Collaborative Planning on Governament Capacity', Working Paper 2003-3, Institute of Urban and Regional Development, University of California, Berkeley .

13.

Kenniscentrum PPS (2002) Ministerie van Financiën, Voortgangsrapportage 2002, Den Haag.

14.

Kickert, W.J.M., Klijn, E.H. and Koppenjan, J.F.M. (eds) (1997) Managing Complex Networks: Strategies for the Public Sector London: Sage.

15.

Klijn, E.H. (2002) `Governing Networks in the Hollow State: Contracting Out, Process Management or a Combination of the Two', Public Management Review 4: 149-65.

16.

Klijn, E.H. and Teisman, G.R. (2003) `Institutional and Strategic Barriers to Public-Private Partnership: An Analysis of Dutch Cases', Public Money and Management 23(3): 137-46.

17.

Klijn, E.H. and van Twist, M. (2007) Publiek-Private Samenwerking in Nederland; overzicht van theorie en praktijk, M&O (themanummer ondernemen in allianties en netwerken) 61 jaargang, 3/4 (mei/augustus): 156-70.

18.

Klijn, E.H. , Edelenbos, J. , Kort, M. and van Twist, M.J.W. (2006) Management tussen publiek en privaat. Utrecht: Lemma.

19.

Klijn, E.H. , Edelenbos, J. and Hughes, M. (2007) `Public Private Partnerships: A Two Headed Reform; A Comparison of PPP in England and The Netherlands', in C. Pollitt , S. van Thiel and V. Homburg (eds) New Public Management in Europe: Adaptation and Alternatives, pp. 71-89. Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan.

20.

Koppenjan, J.F.M. and Klijn, E.H. (2004) Managing Uncertainties in Networks: A Network Perspective on Problem Solving and Decision Making. London: Routledge.

21.

Lindblom, C.E. (1959) `The Science of "Muddling Through"', Public Administration Review 19(2): 79-88.

22.

Mandell, M.P. (ed.) (2001) Getting Results through Collaboration: Networks and Network Structures for Public Policy and Management. Westport, CT: Quorum Books.

23.

Mantel, S.J. (2005) Core Concepts of Project Management, 2nd edn. New York: Wiley.

24.

Meier, K.J. and O'Toole, L.J. Jr (2001) `Managerial Strategies and Behaviour in Networks: A Model with Evidence from US Public Education' , Journal of Public Administration and Theory 11(3): 271-93.

25.

Meredith, J.R. and Mantel, S.J. (2000) Project Management: A Managerial Approach, 4th edn. New York: Wiley.

26.

Mintzberg, H. and Quinn, J.B. (1996) The Strategy Process: Concepts, Contexts, Cases , 3rd edn. London: Prentice Hall International.

27.

Nao (2002) Managing the Relationship to Secure a Successful Partnership in PFI Projects . London : NAO.

28.

Olson, M. (1965) The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

29.

Osborne, S.P. (ed.) (2000) Public-Private Partnerships: Theory and Practice in International Perspective. London: Routledge.

30.

Quinn, R.E. , Fearman, S.R. , Thompson, M.P. and McGrath, M.R. (1996) Becoming a Master Manager: A Competency Framework , 2nd edn. New York: John Wiley.

31.

Savas, E.S. (2000) Privatization and Public-Private Partnerships. New York: Seven Bridges Press.

32.

Sullivan, H. and Skelcher, C. (2002) Working across Boundaries: Collaboration in Public Services. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

33.

Teisman, G.R. (1998) `Procesmanagement: de basis voor partnerschap?' [Process Management: The Basis for Partnership?] ESB 83(4170): 21-6.

34.

Van Gils, M. and Klijn, E.H. (2007) `Complexity in Decision-making: The Case of the Rotterdam Harbour Expansion; Connecting Decisions, Arenas and Actors in Spatial Decision-making', Planning Theory and Practice 8(2): 139-58.

35.

Young, I.M. (2000) Inclusion and Democracy. Oxford : Oxford University Press.

Facing management choices: an analysis of managerial choices in 18 complex environmental public—private partnership projects

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References