How Does the Public Sector Work?

1698 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Meaning of politics- administration dichotomy in public administration

If you don't understand how the public sector is supposed to work, how can you ensure that it is working? An easy definition of public administration is, “the implementation of government policies” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2010), or, “the implementation of public policy” (Infoplease.com, 1997). While policies and procedures seem to be continuously up for debate, it should be noted that, an informed public are the only sure-fire way to ensure that the public sector stays on track with meeting the needs of its constituents.

People, as a whole, tend to appreciate good leaders. “It is the task of a leader to connect people with purpose” (Blunt, 2007). Why does this help us in the public sector? To paraphrase J.D. Straussman, leaders must have a vision, “establish direction” with regards to that vision, “align people by creating an environment of cooperation”, and “motivate and inspire members of the organization” (Straussman, pg. 4). Generally, public sector's have not yet embraced the positive aspects of what leadership skills can bring to their organizations. One wonders, what is so wrong with vision or inspiring and motivating people? Motivating employees should be one of most important aspects of leadership in the public sector. Motivated employees often show higher productivity levels than others.

Often confused with leadership is the role of management in an organization. First tier management skills are highly coveted within the public sector. These skills are planning, organizing, directing and controlling (Reh, 2009) and are mostly built in to any and all management models in the public sector itself. Second tier management skills build on the leadership skills mentioned above, such as, motivation, training ...

... middle of paper ...

...illsPyramid.htm

Becketts, K. (2010). Four major functions of public administration: an overview. Retrieved from https://elearning.riosalado.edu/content/pad/pad101/pad101_INTER_0000_v5/PDFs/L2_Content.pdf

American Society of Public Administration, . (2006). Code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.aspanet.org/scriptcontent/index_codeofethics.cfm

Bai, M. (2010, December 16). Is ‘triangulation’ just another word for the politics of the possible?. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/17/us/politics/17bai.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Goble, K. (2010, December 17). Top state issues for 2011 revealed. Retrieved from http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2010/Dec10/121310/121710-05.shtml

Americans for Fair Taxation, . (2010). Frequently asked questions - answers. Retrieved from http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_faq_answers

Show More
Related

  • Caught Between The Dog And The Fireplug Summary

    1374 Words  | 3 Pages

    This is better explained by the public servant knowing why he is doing the job and who it is benefiting, socially, and how he is impacting and making a change for the better in their own mind, personal. In the first two “chapters” of Caught between the Dog and the Fireplug, or How to

    Read More

  • Principles of Leadership Communication in Pearce's Leading Out Loud

    566 Words  | 2 Pages

    The most valuable commodity of any great organization is the quality of good people. Almost everyone has good intentions but leaders acknowledge what needs to be done and has the ability to inspire others to respond. Nonetheless the author conveys the differences between leadership of past generation versus this generation. As society loses confidence in leadership techniques of the past, it begins to look for management wit...

    Read More

  • Leadership Interview

    2044 Words  | 5 Pages

    To inspire and influence others, a leader must possess many skills and abilities. As motivational speaker Peter Northouse, states, “a leader should be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant” (Northouse, 2013) Moving an entire group of individuals toward a singular goal is a considerable undertaking. Without effective communication skills and a clear vision of what needs to be accomplished, one will feel like they are trying to herd cats rather than leading.

    Read More

  • Characteristics Of A Leader Is An Effective Leader

    1993 Words  | 4 Pages

    To become a truly effective leader, one must encapsulate the various behaviors related to the aforementioned course learnings in his/her persona and demonstrate such behaviors daily. This course has allowed me to identify four behaviors that all leaders must portray to be effective. The first of which is that a leader must be inspirational. To do so, a leader must set the appropriate vision and direction for the organization and provide a path to achieving defined goals. Additionally, a leader must induce the proper levels of motivation so that each employee has sufficient incentive to work towards the organization’s goals. As discussed in the class, motivation can be accomplished by factors such as rewarding hard work and providing the correct opportunities to employees. While these are motivating in that employees desire to be fairly compensated and to be doing work they deem valuable, inspiration comes more from organizational culture. A leader will be inspirational by setting a tone that appreciates each employee’s contribution, no matter how small in scale it is. Further, employees are inspired when they work collaboratively in a group setting and can capitalize on individual strengths to drive organizational goals.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Bureaucracy In Public Administration

    1163 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the context of the features and changes above in public administration over the past century, several scholars have expressed differing views about bureaucracy and the efficacy of public administration and its evolving forms. McSwite argues that public administration undermines the effective and competent operations of a vibrant and highly desirable social context, featuring the unhindered operations of a market that fosters and maintains economic efficiency and its broad range of benefits. In other words, McSwite argues that public administration impedes, by slowing, reversing, and denying, desirable trends and systems in the society that a market system assures abundantly without the input of government agencies (McSwite, 2015). The author

    Read More

  • The Four Pillars of Public Administration

    1050 Words  | 3 Pages

    Public Administration involves the development, implementation and management of policies for the attainment of set goals and objectives that will be to the benefit of the general public. Since Public Administration involves taking decisions that affect the use of public resources there is often the question of how to utilize public resources for maximum public good. The National Association of Public Administration has identified four pillars of public administration: economy, efficiency, effectiveness and social equity. These pillars are equally important in the practice of public administration and to its success. This paper seeks to explain the role of each of the pillars in the practice of public administration.

    Read More

  • Traditional Model to New Public Management

    1498 Words  | 3 Pages

    This essay discusses the radical transformation of the principles and foundations of public administration from traditional to New Public Management. Firstly the essay will attempt to define the key terms of traditional public administration and the doctrine of New Public Management. Rabin J. (2003) explains that New Public Management embodies “a process in public administration that uses information and experiences obtained in business management and other disciplines to improve efficiency, usefulness and general operation of public services in contemporary bureaucracies.“Traditional Public Administration progresses from governmental contributions, with services perceived by the bureaucracy.

    Read More

  • The Definition Of Public Administration

    1588 Words  | 4 Pages

    Public administration is something that the general public does not think about. In fact, many do not even probably know what it is. But what the public does not know is administration effects there every day lives. Karl Marx described administration when he said “Administration is determined action taken in pursuit of a conscious purpose. It is the systematic ordering of affairs and the calculated use of resources aimed at making those happen which one wants to happen.”("What is Public Administration? - Meaning and its Definition") But how does public administration apply to our country and what did our leaders say about it?

    Read More

  • The Difference Between Leadership And Followership

    1450 Words  | 3 Pages

    Leadership and followership are two concepts that cannot be independent of each other. The former refers to an influence among leaders and their team members who are interested in bringing real changes that are vested in their mutual purpose. Whether the interest is in government, business, education, or any other entity that brings human beings into some form of organization, there the is a need for individuals who can efficiently manage agencies to achieve their objectives. However, leadership exists in an era in which there is the need for regulated and improved institutions that are willing to be led. It is possible for a leader to cause problems single-handedly, but it is almost always never possible for them to make progress on their

    Read More

  • How Leaders Inspire and Influence Others

    896 Words  | 2 Pages

    To inspire and influence others, a leader must have many skills and abilities. As motivational speaker Jim Rohn, states, “ the challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.” (2010) Moving an entire group of individuals toward a singular goal is a considerable undertaking. Without effective communication skills and a clear vision of what needs to be accomplished, one will feel like they are trying to herd cats rather than leading.

    Read More

  • The Evolution of Public Administration in American Society

    1384 Words  | 3 Pages

    Public administration as a field of study and as a practice has continually evolved with American society. The United States has survived and thrived through major cultural shifts, varying degrees of economic climates, and both civil and world wars. Through out all these changes in our country, one thing has always remained the same, the fact that we are an ever evolving and always changing nation. Theories and forms of practice of public administration have also evolved parallel with the history of the United States. There have been numerous events in American history have lead to changes in society and the practice of public administration has both led and followed in the adaptation process of such monumental changes.

    Read More

  • Future Leadership: The Future Leaders Of The Future

    1613 Words  | 4 Pages

    Leaders of the future will be faced with many challenges. As the world changes, we must adapt the ways in which we face these challenges, and in turn grow as leaders. A leader is not merely someone which commands a group or organization. A good leader exhibits the ability to take an average team of individuals and achieve greatness. Leadership is not supervision or leading. It is the ability to inspire or influence others towards the end goal. As Barendsen and Gardner stated (2006), “the best leaders are individuals who, in their work, exhibit three distinct meanings of good: (1) an excellent technical and professional quality and competence, (2) an ethical orientation, and (3) a completely engaged sense of fulfillment and meaningfulness” (p. 266). Good leaders must utilize all of these traits in order to meet the challenges of the future. A few emerging challenges that future

    Read More

  • What Are The Limitations Of Public Policy

    1240 Words  | 3 Pages

    Public policy can be defined as “What ever governments choose to do or not do” (Dye, 2008, p 2). In the context of this essay, public policies are a set of actors by the government in order to reach out to the masses. The ministries and departments are mandated to deliver specific mandates in the form of public goods and services.

    Read More

  • A Case Study of an Italian Restaurant in Peter Northouse's Leadership: Theory and Practice

    724 Words  | 2 Pages

    The skills approach to leadership focuses on what a leader can accomplish. Katz (as cited in Northouse, 2013) identified two skills for lower level managers. The skills are is technical and interpersonal proficiency demonstrating the ability to work with things and people. Katz included a third skill, conceptual, but stated its relevance to high level managers. Petkevičiūtė and Giedraitis (2013) concur with Katz that first level managers 1) run day to day operations which need less conceptual skills and 2) technical and human skills are critical for business success. Thus, conceptual skills are not part of the discussion on skills. The skills most applicable to the managers’ position will be discussed.

    Read More

  • Dichotomy between Politics and Public Administration

    1353 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ot function properly. Politics and administration should be seen as very interconnected. It is worth reiterating just as the structure of governments has changed over the years, the structure and role of public administration have also changes dramatically. Furthermore, it is important to state that public administration has grown from its traditional role of merely implementing policies adopted by the “political” branches of government to playing very significant role in the formation of public policies. This is definitely more evident in regards to professional expertise bureaucratic officials provide during problem identification, agenda setting, policy formulation, and evaluation that shape the content of public policy today. Overall, the idea that Wilson has proposed gives an accurate idea of what the relationship should be between politics and administration.

    Read More

More about How Does the Public Sector Work?

Open Document