High Performance Agencies
High Performance Agencies is about the skills and approaches that can lead best, park, recreation, and tourism organizations to reach their full potential, grow, thrive, and in the process make their communities better places. At their best, these organizations can change the world for the better. They can be powerful forces for community revitalization, environmental and historical education, fitness, connectedness with nature, and much more. But this great potential can only be realized by strong, effective organizations.
Because of the technological, demographical, economical, and political changes in society, the old ways of organizational management need to be retooled for the more dynamic environment.
Beyond higher education experience, the author has had leadership roles in government, nonprofit, and private sectors. He has served on the governance boards of six organizations and helped found two statewide associations.
This book was written to be used both as a university text for management and administration of park, recreation, and tourism organizations and as a guide for practitioners in the field.
Section I: Introduction: What is the Entrepreneurial Approach?
Chapter 1: Being a Viking Agency
Valhalla by Michael McCarty
A Crisis of Knowledge by Tom Lovell
Secrets of Farmers and Vikings by Randall P. Ferris
Chapter 2: Organizational Structure
Chapter 3: Mission and Momentum
Chapter 4: Strategic Planning
Section II: The Enterprise Approach
Chapter 5: Innovation
Chapter 6: Pricing
Chapter 7: Marketing
Chapter 8: Partnering
Section III: Human Resources
Chapter 9: Individual Differences
Chapter 10: Hiring the Best
Chapter 11: Keeping and Training the Best
Chapter 12: Performance-Based Review and Compensation
Chapter 13: Disciplinary Action
Section IV: Financial Resources
Chapter 14: Budgeting
Chapter 15: Land Acquisition
Chapter 16: Governance
Section V: Creating a Brighter Future
Chapter 17: Positioning
Chapter 18: Vision for the Future
Chapter 19: Leadership