‘Phil Haynes’ excellent book demonstrates, once again, how far complexity thinking has come, how much it has to offer those working with public policy and management and how to go beyond the rigid limitations of New Public Management and the targeting/auditing culture.’ - Robert Geyer, Professor, Lancaster University, UK‘This book is both conceptually stimulating and highly practical, combining a deep analysis of the complex and dynamic public service environment with an incisive examination of what this means for managing strategy, performance, information and people. An essential read.’ - Ellen Roberts, Director of Online Studies in Public Policy and Management, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of York, UK‘Haynes' first edition of this enormously useful book, useful because it takes social science beyond the academy and into application, was a major contribution both to complexity thinking and to public managerial practice. This second edition is even better. It is not only sound and well written – it also engages with the morality and ethics of management practices in relation to complex systems. Haynes not only helps us to think through managing the complex, he shows us a way out of the mess that crude market rationales have made of public service provision. Read it! And for those who can Act on it!’ - David Byrne, Professor of Applied Social Sciences, Durham University, UK