PART ONE: THE NATURE OF IRONY -- Introducing the Ironic Perspective -- Endemic Ambiguities -- The Preconditions Of Irony -- The Ambiguities of Policy Implementation -- PART TWO: IRONY AND MANAGERIALISM -- From Management to Managerialism -- A Solution in Search of a Problem -- PART THREE: THE RHETORIC OF MANAGERIALISM AND LEADERSHIP -- The Myth of Transformation -- Transmissional Leadership for Political Transformation -- PART FOUR: THE IRONIC RESPONSE AND THE FUTURE OF MANAGERIALISM -- Patterns of Ironic Response -- The Ironic Orientation and Professional Practice -- Temperate Leadership and Management -- Living With Irony