Contents -- Foreword -- About the author -- Introduction - managing the unmanageable -- How to use the book -- 01 The challenges of managing in the public sector -- No single simple success measure -- Democratic accountability -- Pressure? -- 02 Managing accountability -- Introduction - the unaccountable lack of accountability -- Why is it so hard to be accountable in the public sector? -- How to create accountability -- Creating accountability in a partnership -- Summary -- 03 Managing target setting -- Introduction - to target or not to target -- The consequences of bad targets -- Why it is even harder to get targets right in the public sector -- So what should you do about targets? -- Further tips for setting targets and picking indicators -- Summary -- 04 Managing politicians -- Introduction - the challenges of arranged marriages -- Some marriage guidance counselling -- Summary -- 05 Managing people -- Assessment and development - appraising the appraisal -- Managing poor performance -- Recruitment -- Summary -- 06 Managing risk and innovation -- Introduction - mitigating risk, stimulating innovation -- Characteristics that stimulate risk aversion and mitigate innovation -- Managing risk effectively -- Innovation - or the lack of it -- How to encourage innovation -- Summary -- 07 Managing decision making -- Introduction - public sector decision making -- How to improve your decision making -- Summary -- 08 What the private sector can learn from the public sector -- The art of persuasion -- Making complex decisions -- Crisis management -- 09 Public sector managers and their public -- The importance of good public sector management -- The status of public sector managers -- Backgammon versus chess - unfair comparisons with the private sector -- High importance, (relatively) low status - does it matter?.

Making the public sector more attractive - better status, better pay -- Conclusion -- Twenty-five key insights -- Interviewee biographies -- Index.