Department of Public Services Management & Organisation

About

The Department of Public Services Management & Organisation explores some of the most complex and pressing issues faced by both professionals and organisations providing public services. We address these concerns by examining the ways in which organisations are rooted in broader social and political systems, structures, processes and practices. And, in doing so, we examine the Business School’s interests in the major themes of digitalisation, governance, diversity & inclusion, and the future of work and the public services.

In particular, the department considers the importance of the following developments for work and organising in the public, private and third sectors:

new public policy objectives and programmes
new forms of regulation
new technologies

To underpin our substantive concerns, the department specialises in the theory and methods of organizational research, with expertise ranging from the philosophy of social science through to the analysis of novel forms of data. For example, we include the Social Ontology Research Unit and the Work, Interaction and Technology group within the department.

Study

Our research directly informs our teaching. So, the group runs two specialist MSc programmes that speak to our research strengths: the MSc in Public Policy & Management and the MSc in Management & Technological Change. In addition, the department contributes to the full suite of undergraduate and executive education programmes at King's Business School.

MSc in Public Policy & Management

We lead the highly regarded MSc in Public Policy & Management, an advanced interdisciplinary programme covering the management, organisation, funding, administration, and delivery of public services.

MSc in Management & Technological Change

We lead the new MSc in Management & Technological Change, a programme designed for students to bridge the gap between understanding the potential of new technologies, while appreciating the critical importance of the people, work practices, and social processes that shape their success or failure.

Undergraduate teaching

Staff members from the Public Services Management & Organisation department members contribute to various informal pathways through our undergraduate programmes, leading modules on public management, the theory and methods of organisational research, business and society, and studies of work and technology.

Postgraduate research (PhD)

We attract an impressive and thriving cohort of research students, examining cutting-edge topics and concerns. Each year we have fully-funded studentships available to excellent prospective PhD researchers, so please do get in touch with a potential supervisor within the department if you’d like to join us.

Research

The Department of Public Services Management & Organisation has three broad themes that reflect our key research interests:

the management and organisation of public services, including studies of co-production in regulation and governance; the roles of social enterprises, private companies, and philanthropic foundations in public service provision; outcome-based commissioning in the public services; the evaluation of public programmes and initiatives; power, inequality, and global development; and technology-mediated organisational change;
professional work, including studies of new occupational and professional roles; inclusive leadership; professional expertise and skills; professional identities; digital education; interaction and collaboration in the workplace; and the impact of new technologies on work practices;
theory & methods of organisational research, including developments in relation to Cambridge Social Ontology and the theory of social positioning; histories of economic thought and management studies; the analysis of organisational documents; statistical analysis for policy evaluation; and the use of audio-visual data in organisational research.

We conduct our research:

in a range of settings, including health & social care, education & training, transport, local government, the utilities, professional service firms, museums & galleries – crossing the public, private, and third sectors
using a variety of research approaches, from in-depth qualitative analyses, to large-scale labour market studies
in multi-disciplinary research projects, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, Department of Health & Social Care, ESRC, EPSRC, Medical Research Council, Nuffield Foundation, and more
in partnership with departments from across King's, universities in the UK and across the globe, and non-academic organisations, such as the Royal Academy, College of Optometrists, Royal College of Nursing, MacMillan, NTT Communications Lab, Pembroke House, the Elton John AIDS Foundation and various NHS Trusts.

The department generates well-cited publications in public management and organisation studies, as well as more broadly across sociology, economics, philosophy, political science, education, and health services research.

Members of the department are editors or associate editors of Artificial Intelligence in Education; Cambridge Journal of Economics; Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Health Research Policy & Systems, as well as editorial board members of journals such as Academy of Management Learning & Education; Business & Society; Gender, Work & Organization; Human Relations; Organization Studies; and Symbolic Interaction.

Engagement

The applied character of much of our work means that the Department of Public Services Management & Organisation’s work is high impact and we contribute to key debates in policy and practice through our work as members and advisors to expert panels and committees.

The Department of Public Services Management & Organisation submitted three high-quality impact case studies to the last UK Research Excellence Framework.

Many of our members have key advisory roles. For instance, colleagues have become members or advisors to groups such as the Number 10 Policy Unit; the Independent Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours; the ESRC Caucus on Innovation; the Health Education England ‘Talent for Care’ Implementation Group; and the NHS England Healthcare Support Worker Recruitment, Task and Finish Group.

We are home to the:

The Integrated Care Systems Research-Practice Network

The London PhD Colloquium for Public Management