The article under consideration is called Post-foundational development management – power, politics and complexity and written by Christ Mowles (2010).
The author discusses the place of management theories in learning and development theories as well as how they are applied to introduce changes and improvement. Particularly, the author focuses on post-foundational management theory based on the principles of emergence.
The work combines empirical and theoretical framework for analyzing the major aspects and strategies needed to upgrading the development management. Investigating future perspectives of improvements and programs, the research also places an emphasis on such concepts as predictability, control, emergency, and system change.
All the above-described aspects are considered in regional context that provides a favorable ground for more effective implementation of theoretical approaches. In addition, the author provides some historical facts and a comparative analysis of theories for the audience to have clearer understanding of their essence.
While discussing particular theories, the author resorts to assessment of post-foundational management within the local context believing that this principle creates a number of positive perspectives for improvement of public sphere.
To enlarge on this, Mowles believes that strategies and generalized plans are always perceived in particular contexts with certain actors participating in political cooperation aimed at grouping their efforts and sharing their experience in overcoming particular problems.
In this respect, an alternative theory put forward by the research draws on the concept of emergence, a condition under which all governmental and managerial procedures can be considerably improved. This is explained by the fact that quick adjustment to changes creates a number of benefits in critical situations, especially when time is of primary importance.
Considering these concepts, the author reaches a conclusion that, even if future perspectives and strategies are idealized and, sometimes, far from reality, planning and projecting intension can better assist in meeting the future goals rather than taking no measures at all.
In the article, the author presents a well-planned presentation of arguments and approaches used to assert the validity and reliability of facts. More importantly, the author has managed to sustain the balance between theoretical and empirical information applied. It should also be stressed that the main hypothesis of the paper is quite specific and consistent with the proposed supportive arguments.
However, excessive reference to theoretical materials provides a number of ambiguities that prevent readers from understanding the connection between practical and theoretical information. Despite that, the major strength of the article lies in a multidimensional approach the author has chosen for considering one theory within different contexts.
The writing style of the article refers to scientific genre, because the researcher resorts to a great number of business and scientific terms. Nevertheless, the abundance of terminology does not distort the overall impression from the text.
The information is logical and consistent where each argument is supported by evidence and facts. Besides the explanation for the key concepts, such as emergency, development management, post-foundational management, emergence, and future perspective, is provided in a well-grounded and detailed manner.
In general, the article will be of great significance and relevance to the sphere of public administrations because it provides readers with a number of important theoretical approaches aimed at improving public infrastructure. What is more important is that consideration of local context can give a better picture of how management theories contribute to the improvement of administration policies.
Reference List
Mowles, C. (2010). Post-Foundational Development Management – Power, Politics and Complexity. Public Development and Administration. 30(2), pp. 149-158.