Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
All characters reduced
The Blame Game - Spin Bureaucracy and Self-Preservation in Government - cover

We are sorry! The publisher (or author) gave us the instruction to take down this book from our catalog. But please don't worry, you still have more than 500,000 other books you can enjoy!

The Blame Game - Spin Bureaucracy and Self-Preservation in Government

Christopher Hood

Publisher: Princeton University Press

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

The blame game, with its finger-pointing and mutual buck-passing, is a familiar feature of politics and organizational life, and blame avoidance pervades government and public organizations at every level. Political and bureaucratic blame games and blame avoidance are more often condemned than analyzed. In The Blame Game, Christopher Hood takes a different approach by showing how blame avoidance shapes the workings of government and public services. Arguing that the blaming phenomenon is not all bad, Hood demonstrates that it can actually help to pin down responsibility, and he examines different kinds of blame avoidance, both positive and negative.  Hood traces how the main forms of blame avoidance manifest themselves in presentational and "spin" activity, the architecture of organizations, and the shaping of standard operating routines. He analyzes the scope and limits of blame avoidance, and he considers how it plays out in old and new areas, such as those offered by the digital age of websites and e-mail. Hood assesses the effects of this behavior, from high-level problems of democratic accountability trails going cold to the frustrations of dealing with organizations whose procedures seem to ensure that no one is responsible for anything.  Delving into the inner workings of complex institutions, The Blame Game proves how a better understanding of blame avoidance can improve the quality of modern governance, management, and organizational design.
Available since: 11/15/2010.

Other books that might interest you

  • The Art of Conscious Conversations - Transforming How We Talk Listen and Interact - cover

    The Art of Conscious...

    Chuck Wisner

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Ditch the negative mental habits that derail conversations and destroy projects, and discover a framework for forging authentic, enduring, and productive connections. 
     
    We live in conversations like fish live in water-we're in them all the time, so we don't think about them much. As a result, we often find ourselves stuck in cyclical patterns of unproductive behaviors. We listen half-heartedly, react emotionally, and respond habitually, like we're on autopilot.  
     
    This book is a practical guide for thoughtfully reflecting on conversations so we can avoid the common pitfalls that cause our relationships and work to go sideways. Chuck Wisner identifies four universal types of conversations and offers specific advice on maximizing the effectiveness of each: 
     
    	Storytelling-Investigate the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and others 
    	Collaborative-Explore the way our stories and other people's stories interact  
    	Creative-See new possibilities and discover unforeseen solutions  
    	Commitment-Make promises we know we can keep 
      
    These conversations unfold sequentially: our awareness of our and others' stories transforms our ability to listen and collaborate, which opens our thoughts to creative possibilities, guiding us toward mindful agreements.  
     
    Our conversations-at home, at work, or in public-can be sources of pleasure and stepping-stones toward success, or they can cause pain and lead to failure. Wisner shows how we can form a connection from the very first conversation and keep our discourse positive and productive throughout any endeavor.
    Show book
  • Surrendering to Wholeness - cover

    Surrendering to Wholeness

    Jerry Wennstrom, Marilyn Strong

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    At the age of twenty-nine, Jerry Wennstrom changed the course of his life in a way that brought answers to life's "big" questions and more. He was a successful New York City artist when he began to sense that something much larger and more important was stirring, waiting to emerge in his life.  What he discovered was a path to understanding and wholeness that brings the ancient teachings into the context of our modern world.
    Show book
  • Customer Centricity: A Present and Future Priority - cover

    Customer Centricity: A Present...

    Phil Geldart

    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
    A customer-centric culture is one in which every employee consistently asks, "How will the decision I am about to make impact our customers' experience?" Not only that, but with the support of their leaders, they know what to do about it. 
    
    Eight-time author, experiential learning expert, and CEO of Eagle's Flight, Phil Geldart, shares his insights on what it takes to create an enviable customer experience in his book, "Customer Centricity: A Present and Future Priority." He created this book to help organizations committed to building a singular focus on the customer. It includes practical steps to take, components critical to long-term success, and real-life case studies of a customer-centric culture in action from his team at Eagle's Flight.
    
    Through topics on customer expectations, empowerment, corporate culture, and the role of leadership, Geldart shares the critical factors to consider when building a customer-centric culture. These lessons were learned from building his own customer-centric organization and his 30 years' experience working with organizations to transform company cultures.
    
    By the end of "Customer Centricity: A Present and Future Priority," you will understand what is required to build a customer-centric organization, the pitfalls to avoid, and how to engage the entire organization in providing the kind of customer experience that causes your customers to wish that every organization they dealt with was like yours.
    Show book
  • High Credit Score Secrets - Boost Your Credit Score Repair Guide to Excellent Credit and Overcome your Credit Card Debt Forever - cover

    High Credit Score Secrets -...

    Jerome Hamlin

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Poor Credit Score Could Cost You Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars! 
    A FICO score is involved around five central points, albeit some are weighted more vigorously than others, for example, installment history and obligation owed. Here's the breakdown:Installment history: Your record installment data, including any wrongdoings and open records.Sums owed: How much you owe on your records. The measure of accessible credit you're utilizing on spinning accounts is vigorously weighted.Length of record as a consumer: How quite a while in the past you opened records and the time since account action.Credit blend: The blend of records you have, for example, rotating and portion.New credit: Your quest for extra credit, including credit requests and the quantity of as of late opened records. 
    FICO assessment factors 
    With that, there are a couple of basic things you can do to get your funds on track, as indicated by Rod Griffin, chief of state funded instruction for Experian. Here are his six different ways to all the more likely deal with your credit and improve your score: 
    Cover your tabs on schedule, without fail. Reprobate installments and assortments have a significant negative effect on your score.Keep adjusts low on Mastercards and other rotating credit.Apply for and open new cards just varying. Opening extra records to have a more noteworthy credit limit won't fundamentally improve your score.Try not to close unused charge cards. Doing so may really bring down your score.Shield your credit data from extortion and fraud.Start raising your credit score
    Show book
  • Selling in a Crisis - 55 Ways to Stay Motivated and Increase Sales in Volatile Times - cover

    Selling in a Crisis - 55 Ways to...

    Jeb Blount

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    In Selling in a Crisis, the world's most sought-after sales trainer Jeb Blount delivers an essential blueprint for staying motivated, keeping your pipeline full, increasing sales, retaining your customers, and advancing your career in times of uncertainty and change.In his classic, no-nonsense style, Jeb gives you fifty-five easy to consume tips, techniques, and tactics that are time-tested and proven to help you stay on top when everything and everyone else is down. You'll also discover: the real secrets to selling more in a crisis;  how to be a right now sales professional; 7 Steps of Effective Prospecting Sequences and how to be professionally persistent; how to adjust sales messaging to meet the moment; The five questions you must answer in the affirmative for every stakeholder; five ways to protect and advance your career; and so much more . . .Jon Kabat-Zinn once said, "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf." This is exactly what you'll learn to do in this indispensable guide for sales professionals who are navigating the rough seas of volatility. With each chapter you will find the motivation, inspiration, and confidence catch to rise above the negativity, catch your wave, and take control of your life, career, mindset, and income.
    Show book
  • The Profit Process - Building a Successful Business without Profit Leaks - cover

    The Profit Process - Building a...

    Brent Trenholm

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    In his book The Profit Process: Building a Successful Business without Profit Leaks, author and consultant Brent Trenholm guides his readers to examine their leadership style and to be open to take corrective action to plug the profit leaks in their businesses. Through research, experience, and case studies, Trenholm offers practical suggestions to reduce operating costs by streamlining management, communication, sales, accounting, and operations, and to deliver what is promised to the customer. Trenholm invites you to assess what is not working in your business and to take proactive steps to keep your business on an upward trajectory of success.
    Show book