ABSTRACT
The widespread acceptance and use of rational management techniques can be explained from a variety of perspectives. Rational management tools that can be manipulated to give the appearance of greater efficiency and effectiveness are therefore especially attractive to managers and politicians alike. This chapter identifies several commonly used modern management techniques that often lend themselves to dysfunctional application. It criticizes the general application and implementation of these techniques and describes the general dysfunctions that often accompany their application, rather than to analyze the techniques themselves. Dysfunctions techniques are frequently perceived as quick fixes for organization inefficiency and productivity problems. The very techniques employed for increasing organizational effectiveness contain the potential for decreasing it. This is the paradox of modern management techniques, a riddle yet to be resolved. If these techniques are to have real value to the public sector, serious consideration should be given to developing strategies for controlling the dysfunctions associated with them.
