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. It applies the Business School’s interests in the major themes of digitalisation, sustainability, governance, and the future of work and the public services.

In particular, the department considers the relevance of the following kinds of developments for the practices and processes of 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 also 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. The group leads the MSc in Public Policy & Management and makes contributions to the full suite of undergraduate, postgraduate and executive education programmes at King's Business School.

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, and studies of work and technology.

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.

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 propspective 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 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; and the evaluation of public programmes and initiatives;
professional work, including studies of new occupational and professional roles; professional expertise and skills; professional identities and leadership; 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, financial markets, museums & galleries – crossing the public, private and third sectors
using a variety of research approaches, from in-depth qualitative analyses, through to large-scale labour market studies
in multi-disciplinary research projects, funded by the ESRC, EPSRC, Medical Research Council, Nuffield Foundation, National Institute for Health Research, Department of Health & Social Care, 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, NTT Communications Lab, Pembroke House and the Elton John AIDS Foundation

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

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 and 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.