Contracting in Government - Using Organizational Change Research to Better Prepare Public Servants

The extent of work and type of work being contracted out in government is growing in magnitude. Government agencies wrestle with the effect this has on government operations as the daily work of many government employees is changing from that of actually conducting government work to overseeing government contractors who are now providing goods and services for government. However, most studies of government contracting sidestep or ignore the role of individual employees in ensuring the success of contractual relationships with the private sector. Scholars in public policy are calling attention to the need to look at theories from organizational change research and apply them to the context of changing government organizations. Furthermore, organizational change theorists stress the importance of studying individuals within organizations that are undergoing trans­formations. Heeding this advice, this study uses the theory of readiness for organizational change to develop a readiness for contracting theory to study how individual government employees respond to increasing contracting out in government. This book is addressed to researchers and practitioners of public administration.