Question

Elaborate on the characteristics of the public management environments.

Subject: Public Administration

Answer 1

The most important characteristics of public management environment are are complexity, uncertainty, Independence and instability.

* The environment is complex

The characteristic is particularly relevant for public managers to find themselves in the midst of political decision and practical realities. Policy decisions are sometimes made for political gain and cannot really be reconciled with the practical realities. The public manager is then confronted with this situation which could result in an ethical dilemma. Another complicating factor is economic realities in terms of Limited budget for executive institutions that have to provide more services with less capital.

* Environmental uncertainty

Uncertainty is a reality in any public environment. It can never be established with absolute sir tenneti if the service concerned will have the desired results and if the policy will receive the necessary support from the public. It can also not be established with any certainly to what degree the Macro environment, such as economic, political and socio-cultural trends will influence the institution.

* The environmental factors or variables are interdependent.

In the same way that a change in one of the external factors may cause a change in the micro environment of internal factors, a change in one aspect of the external environment can also bring about change in the other external environmental variables.For example, urbanisation has a ripple effect by influencing other variables such as poverty, unemployment ,housing shortages ,crime and the disintegration of family ties.

* increasing instability

The result of the interdependence of environmental variables is increasing in stability and change in the environment. Consequently the public manager is always confronted with change and instability. It is important to take this characteristic India account in decision making strategic planning and budgeting.