The Public Value Business School: A Theoretical Elaboration of Moore's Implementation Triangle

In response to reducing budgets and rising demands, Moore (1995) prescribes that public managers should develop strategies to deliver public value by using his ‘implementation triangle’ framework to analyse their... [ view full abstract ]

In response to reducing budgets and rising demands, Moore (1995) prescribes that public managers should develop strategies to deliver public value by using his ‘implementation triangle’ framework to analyse their organizations’ purpose, authorising environment, and capacity. This paper employs Vaughan’s (1992) method of ‘theoretically elaborating’ (refining, specifying, updating) general theory (Moore’s implementation triangle) to offer the first blueprint for a public value business school strategy.

This theoretical elaboration is presented in four main parts. After introducing Moore’s strategic management approach, the context of strategic management in business schools is outlined. The main part of this paper elaborates for the business school context, the three components of Moore’s strategic triangle, and his four forms of entrepreneurial work. First, the philosophical work of conceptualising the public value of business schools is specified from Brewer’s (2013) manifesto for a new public social science. Second, the political task of mapping actors and relationships within the authoring environment of business schools refines the public management scholarship of Bryson et al. (2017). Third, a managerial and technical analysis of business schools’ operational capacity is updated from Losada et al.’s (2011) business school value chain model. The paper concludes with a critical appraisal of the prospects for the development of public value strategies among business schools.