Does anyone have a generic framework to think about public sector cases?
Does anyone have a generic framework to think about public sector cases?
Hi,
There is no generic framework since the variability of public-sector cases is tremendous. Moreover, the overall "Generic framework" approach is the wrong direction in your case prep.
To provide a bit of structure, there are several types of public sector cases:
I recommend always start with the objective. Two types of questions you should ask:
Feel free to reach out if you need help with these cases. I usually give a homework of 10 cases and then we go through them during a session
Best!
My approach
Public sector cases are tricky because they feasibly be any case type (Product Launch - new service for citizens; M&A - merging two departments; even Profitability - cost cutting mandate). For any public sector case, I recommend:
Considerations/Constraints
Regards #2, you know that public perception is particularly important to consider in any public sector move. Additionally, you can count on bureacracy/slowness in implementation. You should identify the goal/mission of the organisation as well and keep this top of mind (if it loses money, but achieves it's goal of helping the poor, no problem). Howvever, just because the government sector doesn't have profit as a target, doesn't mean you should ignore the profit tree altogether - governments are still obliged to take into costs (and sometimes revneues) in decisions (example: setting up a public transport initiative). Don't get tricked into thinking you can't consider the economics of the case!
Other items to consider include, but are not limited to:
Framework Resource
In terms of resources, the UPenn Wharton 2011 casebook has a framework for public sector. It's split into:
Practice Cases
If you want some practice cases:
Hope this helps, and please don't hesitate to ask any follow-up/clarifying questions!