Steven Kelman

Albert J. Weatherhead III and Richard W. Weatherhead Professor of Public Management
Kennedy School
Office Address
Littauer-314
Mailing Address
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Mailbox 22
79 JFK Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Contact
Phone: 617-496-6302
Fax: 617-496-5747
Email: steve_kelman@Harvard.Edu
Assistant
Greg Dorchak (617-496-8304)
Steven Kelman

Profile

Steve Kelman is the Weatherhead Professor of Public Management at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard College, with a Ph.D. in government from Harvard University, he is the author of many books and articles on the policymaking process and on improving the management of government organizations. His new book, Unleashing Change: A Study of Organizational Change in Government, was published in June 2005 by the Brookings Instutition Press. His other books include a study on how to improve the government computer procurement process, entitled Procurement and Public Management: The Fear of Discretion and the Quality of Government Performance (AEI Press, 1990), and Making Public Policy: A Hopeful View of American Government (Basic Books, 1987). In l996 he was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. In 2001, he received the Herbert Roback Memorial Award, the highest achievement award of the National Contract Management Association. In 2003 he was elected as a Director of The Procurement Roundtable. He currently serves as editor of the International Public Management Journal.

From 1993 through 1997, Dr. Kelman served as Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy in the Office of Management and Budget. During his tenure as Administrator, he played a lead role in the Administrations reinventing government effort. He led Administration efforts in support of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 and the Federal Acquisition Reform Act of 1995.

Courses

Spring

  • STM-101 The Strategic Management of Public Organizations

Media Expertise

Steven Kelman welcomes media inquiries on the following subjects:

Additional experts may be found by clicking on each subject listed. You may contact faculty directly or if you need assistance contact the Communications Office at 617-495-1115.

Research

Research for a complete list of faculty citations from 2001 - present, please visit the Harvard Kennedy School Research Report Online.

Selected Publication Citations:

  • Academic Journals
    • Kelman, Steven. "Improving Service Delivery Performance in the United Kingdom: Organization Theory Perspectives on Central Intervention Strategies." Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis 8.4 (December 2006): 393-419.
    • Kelman, Steven. "Downsizing, Competition, and Organizational Change In Government: Is Necessity the Mother of Invention?" Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 25.4 (Fall 2006).
  • Book Chapters
    • Kelman, Steven. "Public Management and Organization Studies." The Academy of Management Annals: Volume 1. Ed. James P. Walsh and Arthur P. Brief. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2007.
    • Kelman, Steven. "The 'Kennedy School School' of Research on Innovation in Government." Innovations in Government: Research, Recognition, and Replication. Ed. Sandford F. Borins. Brookings Institution Press, 2008.
  • Magazine and Newspaper Articles
    • Kelman, Steven. "The Not-So-Obvious Lesson." Federal Computer Week (April 14, 2008).
    • Kelman, Steven. "Keeping an Eye on the Prize." Federal Computer Week (March 3, 2008).
    • Kelman, Steven. "Learning from the Brits." Federal Computer Week (January 21, 2008).
    • Kelman, Steven. "Three Secrets to Productivity." Federal Computer Week (January 7, 2008).
    • Kelman, Steven. "Inconvenient Truths." Federal Computer Week (October 29, 2007).
    • Kelman, Steven. "The Art of Negotiation." Federal Computer Week (October 15, 2007).
    • Kelman, Steven. "The Hiring Season Is Here." Federal Computer Week (October 8, 2007).
    • Kelman, Steven. "Washington's Fear Industry." Federal Computer Week (September 17, 2007).
    • Kelman, Steven. "Shocking the Culture." Federal Computer Week (August 13, 2007).
    • Kelman, Steven. "History Matters: Revitalizing Past Performance Could Create a Better-Functioning Procurement System." Federal Computer Week (July 30, 2007).
    • Kelman, Steven. "Creating Value and Trust." Federal Computer Week (July 16, 2007).
    • Kelman, Steven. "Let the Data Talk." Federal Computer Week (July 9, 2007).
    • Kelman, Steven. "Buying Commercial." Federal Computer Week (June 11, 2007).
    • Kelman, Steven. "It's All in the Requirements." Federal Computer Week (May 28, 2007).
    • Kelman, Steven. "A Public Service Incentive." Federal Computer Week (May 21, 2007).
    • Kelman, Steven. "Focus on the Mission." Federal Computer Week (April 30, 2007).
    • Kelman, Steven. "The Return of the Protest." Federal Computer Week (April 2, 2007).
    • Kelman, Steven. "The Need for a New Way." Federal Computer Week (March 12, 2007).
    • Kelman, Steven. "The Need for a New Way." Federal Computer Week (March 12, 2007).
    • Kelman, Steven. "Can We Keep the Kids?" Federal Computer Week (February 26, 2007).
    • Kelman, Steven. "A Novel Idea: Read." Federal Computer Week (February 12, 2007).
    • Kelman, Steven. "A Missed Opportunity." Federal Computer Week (January 22, 2007).
  • Op-Eds
    • Kelman, Steven. "The IG Ideology." Washington Post, April 4, 2007.
  • Research Papers/Reports
    • Kelman, Steven, and John N. Friedman. "Performance Improvement and Performance Dysfunction: An Empirical Examination of Impacts of the Emergency Room Wait-Time Target in the English National Health Service." KSG Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP07-034, August 2007.
    • Friedman, John N., and Steven Kelman. "Effort as Investment: Analyzing the Response to Incentives." KSG Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP07-024, May 2007.
  • Reviews
    • Kelman, Steven. Review of The Oxford Handbook of Public Management, Ed. Ewan Ferlie, Laurence E. Lynn, Jr., and Christopher Pollitt. Academy of Management Review, 31.4 October 2006: 1094-1098.
    • Kelman, Steven. "9/11 and the Challenges of Public Management." Review Essay on The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Administrative Science Quarterly, 51.1 March 2006: 129-142.
    • Kelman, Steven. "Smart Negotiating." Review of Negotiation Genius: How to Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Brilliant Results at the Bargaining Table and Beyond, by Deepak Malhotra and Max Bazerman. Federal Computer Week, December 3, 2007.