THE VIABILITY OF A CULTURE CHANGE AGENDA IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR: The Case of the Queensland Department of Main Roads

Most of the original drivers of change in the public sector in Australia have been political and external to individual departments. In Queensland change was spurred by the Savage Report (Public Sector Review Committee 1987), where the implementation of the report's recommendations moved the pu...

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Published inSociety and economy Vol. 26; no. 2/3; pp. 159 - 171
Main Authors LEWIS, DIANNE, CONNORS, PAUL
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Akadémiai Kiadó 01.01.2004
Subjects
Arterial highways
Business management
Cultural change
Management philosophies
Project management
Public sector
Review committees
Strategic planning
TRENDS IN PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORMS
Viability
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Summary:Most of the original drivers of change in the public sector in Australia have been political and external to individual departments. In Queensland change was spurred by the Savage Report (Public Sector Review Committee 1987), where the implementation of the report's recommendations moved the public sector towards a more business-like and commercial approach to operating. This paper uses the case of the Department of Main Roads in Queensland, Australia, as an example of the viability of a culture change agenda adopted by an individual government department in its internal efforts, to respond to the demands of the externally imposed changes. It is concluded that as culture change is very time-consuming, it may be that behaviour change rather than complete culture change is the only option in the case of change externally imposed by government.
ISSN:1588-9726
1588-970X