Guardians of Public Value: How Public Organizations Become and Remain Institutions

Narrates the histories of a dozen high-profile pubic organisations from across the world Analyzes how over time these organisations have become highly values 'institutions' Suggests leadership lessons for institution builders Offers an array of teachable case studies about successful organisations fit for classroom us

Guardians of Public Value: How Public Organizations Become and Remain Institutions

It’s an institution—a phrase we have all come across or may have used. We intuitively understand what it means. There is something special, perhaps mythical, about them. We value these institutions. We may even find it hard to imagine a life without some of these institutions. In this chapter, we offer a definition of institutions and introduce our theoretical framework (based on the work of Philip Selznick). We introduce the case studies in this book and identify patterns of institution building