Assignment 4

Public Administration

Dr. Angela Parham

Darrin Clanton

PAD 515: Leadership and Conflict Resolution

May 24, 2019

Question 1

Scenario 1

In response to situation 1 where I am faced with the challenge of managing all the three agencies, that is, Social Services, Fire and Emergency Management and Human Services agencies, I will have to come up with solutions that will bring the various complaints we are having to a halt. First of all, I will work out a way in which all the agencies can listen to their clients to understand their complaints so that they can provide the necessary support to them whenever they want. All the workers in the various agencies will be required to maintain high-level tolerance to the clients, and any attempt to disapprove them will make them answerable to the managing board. For instance, we will have to come up with channels where the clients can submit their complaints about the various agencies and have an honest and courteous committee that will resolve such complaints in the best way possible.

Another strategy that I will implement is making sure that all the agencies within the Department of Health have adequate equipment as well as a better working environment to serve our clients. For instance, agencies such as the Social Services and Human Services agencies will be equipped with the essential services that they require to serve the social and human needs of our clients. In this agencies, I will ensure that they have modern technology such as computers and other electronic equipment that will ease their work while making sure that the processes are fast and of high quality to meet our client's needs. In case they may be complaining about poor working condition, I will press for a means so that the national government can sort them out and this will help them gain the necessary spirit to serve our clients well and with dignity. An agency like the Fire and Emergency Management will also be equipped with tools of work that ensure they are always ready in case of any fire emergencies. The staff in this agency will also have to be taught on the need for them to always attend to emergencies with the haste it requires because of the catastrophic effects fire has on property and human life. The staff members that do not comply with this regulation will have severe actions taken against them to serve as an example for the rest of the workers in the department. This will impart discipline in the whole department, and hence every worker will work diligently to avoid being punished.

Scenario 2

As the Chief of Staff, I will categorically start with the assumption that the elected department directors might not have fully understood their role in the school board as far as the goals and objectives of the school are concerned. As a result, I will have to start by having formal training where all the department directors will be trained thoroughly on what is required of them. The training sessions will be conducted by well-chosen former directors that have been successful in the past so that they will teach the new directors on what to do to be successful. For instance, they will be trained on how well to relate to the various departments they work with such as Department of Redevelopment and Housing, State Department of Education and the State Department of Housing and Urban Development in the effort to make sure they get vital information that leads to reformation of new policy issues that will impact their leadership.

Another assumption that I will make is that the department directors might not be having good relationships with the Department of Juvenile Relations and this is the reason why it has been difficult for them to provide the acquire the essential student data to the secondary school principals for them to improve student retention and increase the rates of graduation for this students. As a result, I will have to come up with ways that the directors should work with the various resourceful departments for them to acquire the necessary information that is required for them to do their work effectively. I will also find ways to facilitate their multiple researches towards improving secondary school education by providing finances and any other necessary support they will need.

Question 2

To address the problems in the above scenarios, I will have to change some policies and practices. To start with, I will get rid of any bureaucratic policies and practices that make service delivery in the School Board as well as the Department of Health to be slow and ineffective. For instance, in the Department of Health, they may be having a policy where a protocol has to be followed even when very basic services are concerned. I believe that such bureaucratic procedures do not have a place in such a big organisation and hence I will push for its immediate changing. In the same department, I will also push for ways through which clients' complaints are attended to with the seriousness they demand. For example, where the policy is not well-defined to show what is required of the various workers concerning client complains, I will come up with ways through which this is reached to make sure that the workers know exactly what is required of them and hence making them responsible for any client's complaints that will not be addressed adequately and to completion. Concerning the School Board, I will change policies and regulations to ensure that the department directors can have a conducive working environment that will enable them to work effectively to realise the goals of the School Board. For instance, I will channel for means through which the department directors should work hand in hand with the various departments collaboratively to make sure that they do what is required of them diligently.

One leadership theory that I will recommend for the two scenarios above is the situational leadership theory. According to this theory, leaders tend to choose the best course of action based on the situation they are in to make the best decisions that will impact the organisation they are leading positively (Rahmat et al., 2019). I believe that this is the best theory that I will recommend in my new position as it requires one to be adaptive and flexible to the situations they face in their daily lives to provide flexible decisions that will propel the company in the right path. For instance, in the first scenario where the company is receiving many client complaints, as a leader, I will be forced to find ways to fully understand the situation from the client view so that I can address the challenges they are facing.

The two public leader styles that I think will be most beneficial for the School Board in addressing the issue at hand are transformational and democratic leadership styles. Transformational leadership focuses on methods to improve the overall organisation through means such as changing procedures, policies and bad culture within the organisation so that great things are achieved using the new set of qualities (Farahnak et al., 2019). I believe that this will be essential in the School Board in that it will lead to the changing of the various relations that it has with the external federal departments. On the other hand, democratic leadership style revolves around a participative leadership in which all the stakeholders are involved in critical decisions that affect the organisation. I believe that this style will also be essential for the school board in an attempt to bring all its stakeholders on board concerning the critical aspects affecting them.

Question 3

Leadership from the department of public health, the school board and other departments have an impact on the leadership of the City manager. How other leaders in the city influence the leadership of the city manager can either be negative or positive.

In a situation where leadership from the department of public health, the school board and other government have poor leadership, the leadership of the city manager will be impacted negatively (Rapoport et al., 2019). Leaders in charge of various departments in the city are meant to ensure that all city operations are carried out properly. They act on behalf of the city manager. For instance, the leadership of the department of public health is supposed to ensure that all activities regarding public health are executed appropriately. If the public health activities are not performed properly, then the city manager is accused of poor leadership. The same applies to leaders of other departments in the city.

It is the responsibility of the city manager to ensure that good leader are selected to lead various departments in the city. The city manager cannot carry out government operation alone, and therefore leaders are needed to run city departments. Leaders of these departments must select staff members who assist them in their operations. In cases where the leaders choose unqualified staff members, government operations are executed inappropriately. Therefore, the city manager must have policies that ensure that departmental leaders select quality personnel to help in the execution of government operations. The fact that the public does not receive quality government services implies that the city manager is not leading the city right and thus has a negative impact on his or her reputation as a leader.

The leadership of various department in the city can also have a positive impact on the city manager. This can only occur if the leadership of these departments is appropriate. Proper administration involves leaders with necessary leadership qualities. One of the qualities is communication. A good leader can communicate properly with the city manager and subordinate staff who help in the execution of government operations. A departmental leader who can communicate properly can impact the leadership of the city manager positively. A good should leader should also have team development skills. Executing tasks in a department require teamwork. A leader who can promote cooperation in various units in the department can enhance the efficiency at which tasks are accomplished. Government operations are carried out by city departments on behalf of the city manager. Team development is an excellent way to ensure that the activities are carried out successfully.

An important aspect of city leadership that can impact the leadership of the city manager is the selection of leaders to head various departments. A sound plan for selecting executive for various departments will change the leadership of the city manager positively. When the city manager selects good leaders to oversee city departments, then government operations will be carried out effectively. This is because good departmental leaders will also select good staff members for their departments.

Question 4

As the Chief of Staff for my local government, I will implement several strategies to ensure that the provincial government moves forward. One of the strategies is the creation of a good employee selection plan. Currently, the local government is facing challenges due to incompetency among some of its employees. This can be blamed on the poor employee selection strategy. A good employee selection strategy will ensure that quality employees are selected to work in various units of city departments. A vigorous selection process to evaluate all shortlisted candidates and determine whether they can help the local government in achieving its objectives. The selection will also be applied in the choosing of departmental leaders. Proper leadership is needed for the proper running of various city departments. This is because good leaders will ensure that qualified personnel are selected.

Another strategy is employee training. I will establish an employee training program to equip employees with more skills. Even though a sound employee plan will ensure that quality employees are selected, a training program is necessary to enhance their skills. The two types of training, that is, on-the-job training and off-job training will be used to train employees. On-the-job training is a form of exercise that that is done at the workplace. The employees learn new skills while performing day-to-day tasks (Vasanthi & Basariya, 2019). It helps employees learn how various government operations are carried. It is essential as it gives the employees the chance to learn how to handle challenges at the workplace.

The off-the-job training method is done away from the workplace for a given period. The main aim of using this method is to provide a stress-free environment for effective training. This form of exercise will encourage innovation among employees which will, in turn, help the local government in moving forward. Executive coaching will also be done for leaders of various city departments. Seminars will be, and professionals from multiple leadership organisation will be called to provide leadership training to city departmental leaders. With the proper preparation of all employees, government operations will be carried out efficiently. The training program will consist of an innovation platform that will encourage employees to come up with innovative ideas that will be used to enhance the operations of the local government.

A good employee plan will be established to ensure that all employees are compensated appropriately. Employee compensation is essential as it motivates employees to work towards achieving organisational goals. It is also an excellent way to retain employees. The compensation plan will play as an employee motivation strategy. Employees who perform well will be rewarded to encourage other employees to improve their performance. Use of modern technology can also help in enhancing operations in the local government. Advanced technology will facilitate data management which is essential for decision making. It will also improve the processing speed of some government tasks. Modern technology will also facilitate automation which reduces the number of employees required to accomplish a particular task. This will save on expenditure, and therefore the local government will have funds to improve its services.

References

Farahnak, L. R., Ehrhart, M. G., Torres, E. M., & Aarons, G. A. (2019). The Influence of Transformational Leadership and Leader Attitudes on Subordinate Attitudes and Implementation Success. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 1548051818824529.

Rahmat, R., Ramly, M., Mallongi, S., & Kalla, R. (2019). The Leadership Style Effect on Job Satisfaction and The Performance. Asia Pacific Journal of Management and Education, 2(1).

Rapoport, E., Acuto, M., & Grcheva, L. (2019). Leading Cities: A Global Review of City Leadership. UCL Press.

Vasanthi, S., & Basariya, S. R. (2019). ON THE JOB TRAINING IMPLEMENTATION AND ITS BENEFITS.