Israels Administrative Culture

The "Israeli History, Politics and Society" series comprises multidisciplinary studies that range from elections and the Yom Kippur war to the search for a true Israeli identity and the various initiatives to foment or prevent the peace process. This volume brings together a set of articles that try to estimate the direction of developments in Israeli public administration: whether ministries will remain under the ambit of the Weberian model, follow the New Public Management model, or move towards a mix of the two. Each essay focuses on a specific factor which may inhibit reforms, such as the weakness of mechanisms for policy control, monitoring and evaluation; lack of co-ordination between the different ministries; lack of effective accountability mechanisms; an administrative culture that is characterized by frequent infringements of moral integrity; a high level of politicization; and a Supreme Court which plays a paramount role by routinely intervening in the practices of public administration as well as in the business of other governmental and non-governmental institutions. Each article probes how these distinctive features of Israeli public administration reflect underlying traits of the nation's history, culture and geography, and gauges the extent to which formal structures provide an indication of how policy-making and programme implementation really operate.

As government management in Israel is gradually replaced by private sector management, it is becoming apparent that the collective-oriented mission of government cannot be fulfilled by the private sector or by the non-profit organizations of civil society. This book provides an analysis of the machinery of government in Israel, highlighting the inadequacy of the private sector as an alternative and how public management will need to cope with the new challenges and pressures of the 21st century. Providing hitherto unpublished data and analysis in English for the first time, this book gives a comprehensive analysis of the issue of public and private-sector management. The author examines the tasks of the civil service; the legal foundation of the public management machinery; and the profile of civil servants, and looks at the unwieldy budget process; the prevalence (and absence) of regulation; and external and internal mechanisms of oversight. This analysis is balanced by a detailed exposition of Israel's political-administrative culture with its excessive centralization, secrecy, turf protection, and legacy of improvisation, and their effect on policymaking and administration. This comprehensive and detailed examination of public management in Israel will be of great interest both to students and scholars of business and management, government and politics, and to policymakers in the region.

These essays examine changes in Israel's political, social and economic institutions, and describe how Israeli culture and institutions are resisting convergence. They are in four categories: political institutions and organizations; political economy; ethnicity and religion; and public policy.

Have you ever wondered what really makes Israeli culture tick? Israelism is a journey into the intricacies of Israeli national organizational culture. This culture created a miracle in the desert but also refuses to shed its childhood diseases, adding new illnesses as it matures. Israelism puts Israel on the operating table and, using professional, organizational psychology growth tools, shows how the decisions that shaped the organization called the "State of Israel" were reached. And what is it about that "charming" prickly exterior? This organization prioritizes intuition over strategy, sanctifies generals while sneering at academics, and holds empathy to be a sign of weakness and rudeness a sign of strength. The downside of this type of culture is presented along with insights into what makes organizational culture so relevant to the entrepreneurial scene. Israelis: It's time to think, re-evaluate, and reflect on our goals! Israelism exhorts the nation and its leaders, managers, and citizens to return to the only place where we have not gone for many years: back to the drawing board! It challenges us to think about our goals as a society and to learn about the managerial tools that can help fix what needs fixing as we move forward. Scroll up now to get your copy of Israelism!

This is the first comprehensive examination of the evolution of executive governance in Israel. The book describes and analyzes the political and bureaucratic structures and processes that led to the predominance of the executive in policymaking and governance. It also analyzes recent political and administrative reforms and their consequences on the Knesset, political parties, governing coalitions and non-elected public authorities.

This is a book about the use of personal influence, protektzia, in Israel. All over the world, in both democratic and socialist societies, there exists some degree of recognition of the rights of citizens to complain about unjust treatment in organizational encounters. While the goals and actual functioning of complaint-handling devices may vary, bureaucratic role relations are ideally governed by the principles of universalism, specificity, and affective neutrality. In fact, patterns of actual behavior frequently differ dramatically from this model, giving rise to practices from bribery and embezzlement to nepotism, patronage, and what is referred to in the United States as "pulling strings." In Israel, protektzia is widespread. This book is a major contribution to the systematic sociological study of this phenomenon. Drawing on the literature on the functioning of public administration around the world, Danet develops a theory about the conditions under which deviations from universalistic norms occur, distinguishing four patterns of organizational culture. The theory is then tested in a case study of bureaucratic encounters in Israel. Danet's fascinating study brings new insights to the debate regarding the cultural contradictions that continue to confront the still-emerging Israeli society. The conclusions and classifications of her theory prove invaluable as well to all those interested iorganizational culture, comparative public administration, and dispute-processing in general.

Israeli Business Culture elaborates on the various Israeli cultural characteristics. It provides tips for improving communication skills while doing business with Israelis. It also explains how we Israelis became a society in which our dress and behavior are informal, and our manner of speaking has almost no filters between thought and the spoken word. It explores why we are an entrepreneurial society of ambitious people who take risks on the road to success. Furthermore, we have a tendency to improvise and think outside the box, and more. Author Osnat Lautman, an Israeli organizational consultant and expert in cross-cultural communication, uses the letters in the word "Israeli" as a model to elaborate on the major characteristics of Israeli business culture: I Informal S Straightforward R Risk-taking A Ambitious E Entrepreneurial L Loud I Improvisational Everyone wants to understand and trust their business colleagues and associates. For those working with Israelis, gaining knowledge of the origins and characteristics of their business culture will enhance communication, which is the cornerstone of profitable business in our diverse, global economy. From this enjoyable book, based on extensive academic research and practical experience alike, you will learn how to recognize these characteristics when doing business with Israelis. You will gain tools for successful intercultural business communication and find clear, helpful recommendations on working together to achieve business success.

Bulding Effective Busness Relationship with Osraelis.