Getting Started
The mere act of listening to lectures and sound advice about leading an organization does little for anyone’s leadership skills. Furthermore, accumulated leadership wisdom cannot effectively be passed on by lectures and assigned readings alone. As a part of the learning process, it is important for you to be able to see the concepts you are learning about play out in the “real world.”
A case sets forth in a factual manner the events and organizational circumstances surrounding a particular situation. It puts you at the scene of the action and familiarizes you with the relevant circumstances. The essence of the student’s role in case analysis is to diagnose and size up the situation described in the case.
Each case has unique aspects. Cases provide would-be leaders with a valuable way to practice wrestling with the actual problems of actual leaders. Because cases provide you with detailed information about conditions and problems of different organizations, your task of analyzing situation after situation has the twin benefit of boosting your analytical skills and exposing you to the ways organizations and leaders actually do things.
The purpose of this assignment is to provide an opportunity to connect the concepts discussed in the course with real-life ethical and leadership challenges occurring in today’s public-sector organizations.
Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:
Explain the high expectations for conduct by public servants.
Identify the challenges of making administrative behavior accountable.
Evaluate public-sector management practices.
Resources
Textbook: Introducing Public Administration
Article: The Possibility of Administrative Ethics
Article: What Right Do Public Managers Have to Lead?
File: Academic Writing Visual.pdf
Website: USOGE Ethics Training Tools
Instructions
Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
Read Chapter 10 in the textbook Introducing Public Administration.
Read the Dennis Thompson article “The Possibility of Administrative Ethics.”
Read the Robert D. Behn article “What Right Do Public Managers Have to Lead?”
Read 14 General Principles found on the USOGE Ethics Training Tools website.
Conduct independent research to identify a situation that unfolded in a U.S. government (federal, state, or local) office within the last two years where ethical choices were at the heart of the issue. Ideas can be generated from newspaper articles, government magazines, public-sector reports, or other public-sector publications.
Cases that occurred where you worked or where you have been involved at some level are not allowed. In other words, the case should be new to you.
The case you choose should be supported by at least three different reliable and objective sources that document how the story unfolded. Reference these three sources in your essay with in-text APA citations and include them on the references page as well. (Wikipedia and similar Internet websites are not acceptable.)
Compose a clearly written essay that details your chosen case of a public affairs leader (appointed or elected) whose ethical decision(s) influenced his or her organization or society at large. Include a title page with your name, and all of the required information needed on the title page using the rules of APA, and use the following subheadings to organize your paper.
Introduction
Background: Identify the actor(s) and the context for the case. Provide any history of the situation and/or of the public sector organization as appropriate for the reader to fully understand and appreciate the environment and context of your chosen case.
Leadership Link: Describe the leadership or lack of leadership that played a part in this situation.
Ethical Choices: What benefits or negative repercussions were realized or felt?
Lessons Learned: How does this case speak to the assigned readings from this week? What did you learn from this case? Include at least two lessons learned.
Conclusion. Ensure that your conclusion and recommendation(s) are logical and reasonable. You combine research and analysis to form new insights.
References
Be sure to use APA formatted intext citations for the Thompson article, “The Possibility of Administrative Ethics,” and the Behn article, “What Right Do Public Managers Have to Lead?” as well as other course readings as appropriate throughout the assignment.
Follow all practices of academic writing as presented in the Academic Writing Visual.pdf file including, but not limited to, writing objectively (avoiding bias and personal opinion), avoiding contractions, and avoiding all forms of first person.
The finished essay must consist of 1000 to 1500 words (including intext citations).
