Nichols Applied Management

NICHOLS Applied Management
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Innovation Perspective Column

Over a two-year period, Nichols Applied Management prepared a regular column on municipal innovation for the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association's Urban Perspective newsletter.

A number of those articles -- all of which relate to the municipal sector -- are "reprinted" here for review.

Service Models
A brief review of some alternative ways municipalities can choose to provide services to local residents.

Contracting-Out
A discussion on the contracting-out of municipal services.

Innovation and Business Planning
An examination of sources relating to municipal innovation and a dicsussion of the role business planning can have as an impetus to change.

Innovation Perspective
A discussion on the need for municipalities to re-examine and redefine their approaches for financing local facilities and infrastructure.

Infrastructure Financing Policies
A discussion on how municipalities can benefit from the increased use of volunteers in providing local services.

Reserves Policies
A discussion over the need for municipalities to review their reserves policies.

Role of Performance Measurements and Benchmarks
Describing the role that performance measurement and benchmarking can take in improving municipal organizational effectiveness and efficiency.

Implementation of Performance Measurements and Benchmarks
As a follow-on to "Role of Performance Measurements and Benchmarks", the writer provides a few "how to's" that may guide municipalities toward the successful implementation of a performance measurement program.

Municipal Councils and Innovation
A discussion on the importance municipal councils have in encouraging municipal innovation.

Municipal Change and Informed Decision Making
A review of some challenges to implementing municipal change and a discussion on a number of aids to informed decision-making.

Municipal Lessons from New York
Some findings drawn from a recent municipal review in New York City that may be relevant here.

Approaches to Organizational Improvement
A comparison of the advantages and disadvantages from two different approaches to municipal organizational improvement: the incremental approach to making change and the "big bang" restructuring approach.

Innovation and Municipal Infrastructure
A discussion of the social, economic, and fiscal importance of municipal infrastructure and arguements for more attention to this relatively neglected area of local responsibility.

Strategic Budgeting
A review of some problems with conventional municipal budgeting and discussing the movement toward strategic budgeting.

Public-private Partnerships
A discussion on the growing use of public-private partnerships in the municipal sector.

Gainsharing to Reward Employees
A discussion on the use of gainsharing to reward municipal employees for cost reduction and services improvement.

Mechanisms for Funding Capital Requirements
A discussion of the municipal infrastructure gap and a review of some available mechanisms for funding new capital requirements.

Municipal Elections and Continuity
An arguement that the upcoming municipal election process should not be used as an excuse to delay action on pressing municipal issues.

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