6343 Case Study - A NEW MANAGER AT USA HOSPITAL SUPPLY
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CSLookingOutforNumberOneattheEPA_Editedforuseasanexample1.docx
EPA
2
Looking Out for Number One at the EPA
University of Incarnate Word
Presented by: Student
LOOKING OUT FOR NUMBER ONE AT THE EPA 2
Case Study: Looking Out for Number One at the EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a federal government entity. Its mission is “to protect people and the environment from significant health risks, sponsor and conduct research, and develop and enforce environmental regulations” (Environmental Protection Agency, 2023). The Administrator of the EPA is nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. President Trump nominated Scott Pruitt of Oklahoma to be the EPA Administrator and he was later confirmed by the House and Senate. Comment by Deborra Finlan: EXCELLENT!!
Scott Pruitt graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law, went into private law, and later served as Oklahoma’s Attorney General prior to his appointment as the Administrator of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency, 2018). Pruitt’s education and experience should have been an indication of having high morals and standards while serving as a member of the President’s cabinet, as was assumed by the confirmation from the Senate. Conversely, he rose to a top leadership position in the U. S. government, then fell into the traps of bureaucratic evils.
A Desire for Power and Unscrupulous Acts
During the inaugural address to his new employees, Pruitt appeared to possess a clear vision for the organization. Throughout the speech, he highlighted the mission and general principles that were essential to the agency and the importance of process and adherence to procedures while avoiding abuses. The pinnacle of the speech was when Pruitt declared, “We need to be open, transparent, and objective in rulemaking and follow the letter of the law as we do so” (C-Span, 14:05). He ostensibly intended on leading with high ethical and moral standards as stated in his message to the employees, however, his desire for power and privilege led to his misplaced and broken loyalties. Comment by Deborra Finlan: NICE!! Perfect citation also! Good job!
Pruitt’s personal aspirations drove him to participate in the act of moral inversion by justifying the misuse of public funds for what he decided was the betterment of the department (Johnson, 2021, p. 27). He projected his insecurities and paranoia by spending millions of dollars to upgrade his personal security to a twenty-four-hour detail and had a secure phone booth added to his office in the prospect of keeping reporters from knowing the misdeeds of his actions. Pruitt made numerous unofficial trips, paid with taxpayer dollars, to his home state of Oklahoma in pursuit of personal endeavors (Leber, 2018, p. 23). He spent an exorbitant amount of money on office supplies that most would agree were in the category of lavish and excessive. He continuously abused the privilege of his position at the expense of the agency and the American people (Johnson, 2021, p. 27).
Obligations of Government Leaders
Comment by Deborra Finlan: I like this!! And then you go on to explain the quote as it pertains to the case study! VERY GOOD!!
“Public leaders have a more acute role of responsibility and trust than those in any other sector because they have the power and authority to affect the lives and livelihoods of all citizens” (Jurkiewicz, 2016, p. 235). Pruitt took the authority given to him by the President to pursue his personal interests. Although no one knows the true intent of Pruitt’s behaviors, his actions were inconsistent with the mission of the EPA (Mitchell, 1999, p. 27).
Pruitt’s misplaced loyalties to the EPA were evident as he served the office. Instead of continuing to pursue the mission of protecting the environment and the American people, he chose to adhere to the President’s promise to dismantle the agency (Leber, 2018, p. 22). Pruitt reduced prior efforts to enforce policies against pollution and banning pesticides. His environmental policy shifts clearly opposed scientists’ climate change and global warming research. As a result, Pruitt’s impact on the agency caused many long-time EPA employees to resign, causing irreversible damage to the agency (Leber, 2018, p. 22). Comment by Deborra Finlan: A fact supported by citation… YES!!
Pruitt chose to fulfill his own ambitions and needs instead of fulfilling the roles and duties of the EPA. He abused his legitimate power derived from his position to gain access to excessive office expenditures, unauthorized trips, and personal luxuries, as well as accepting perks considered unethical by federal government standards. His aspirations had a corrosive effect on his government obligations.
Government Officials Must Serve the Interests of Taxpayers
Government officials have a responsibility to fulfill the mission of the agency in which they serve to benefit the American people. Presidential Appointees are required to take an oath to support the Constitution and its laws. Scott Pruitt took office to serve his own needs instead of the interests of the taxpayers (Mitchell, 1999).
Ethics committees were formed to ensure that government leaders adhere to established protocol and policies in an effort to guarantee (or pursue) the American public's interests, ensure that officials in office do not abuse their positions of power, and carry out the mission of their agency. However, if government leaders act adversely, then the committee members must investigate discrepancies and when conclusions of misuse, fraud, or unethical behaviors are found to be true, hold the offender accountable for those actions.
Although Scott Pruitt committed many corrupt acts and misappropriated taxpayer dollars, he did not suffer any consequences for his actions, other than perhaps public humiliation during his testimony at a Congressional hearing. Pruitt deflected his activities to others and failed to take responsibility for his unethical decisions (Johnson, 2021, p. 27). In believing the fallacy that he did nothing wrong after his resignation he went on to seek an elected office in his home state. Although that was a failure, he is still allowed to continue his pursuit to be elected to a higher office.
Leaders Worthy of Loyalty
Loyal followers are essential to a successful organization. The loyalists contribute to the organization’s mission by working hard, being engaged, and exuding positivity. Leaders need to earn the respect and admiration of their followers by exhibiting characteristics of strength, integrity, self-awareness, and gratitude. The ability of a leader to build trust among their followers will motivate them to do great things for the organization in which they serve. Comment by Deborra Finlan: VERY NICE!!
Instead of building trust, Scott Pruitt quickly became a catalyst for diminishing the EPA’s mission and its people. The career employees’ and scientists’ lifelong work was destroyed in a matter of months. Pruitt’s actions precipitated resistance and defiance among agency members. The morale of agency personnel was destroyed and many resigned, while others voiced opposition to his immoral behaviors and unethical practices (Antadze, 2019). Even his closest advisors and members from Oklahoma that joined him at the EPA refused to defend him for his unethical acts (Johnson, 2021, p. 27). Pruitt’s egregious acts were a betrayal of the trust and loyalty of those closest to him. Comment by Deborra Finlan: Superb vocabulary to summarize this section! Clap Clap!
Conclusion
Pruitt used the office at the EPA as a steppingstone for his political aspirations. His goal was not for the betterment of the environment and the people, but to gain access to higher positions. He played into the hands of the President, supporting the deregulation of existing EPA policies. Pruitt’s solidarity with the President was solely to be in the Chief’s good graces to achieve those ambitions (Johnson, 2021, p. 27).
During Pruitt’s tenure, he misused his office and position for personal gain. Pruitt failed the American people in several ethical challenges ranging from abuse of power, hoarding privileges, misplacing loyalties, and failure to assume responsibility. Those failures cost the taxpayers millions of dollars as well as contributed to the lack of the American people’s trust in the U. S. government. Harvard professor Barbara Kellerman believes that it is necessary to examine the dark sides of leadership to foster and promote good leadership (Johnson, 2021, p. 2). Scott Pruitt’s unethical practices and immoral behaviors are an example of poor leadership and can be used as an examination for the future. Comment by Deborra Finlan: EXCELLENT nugget of information!
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In seeking the ethical foundational decision used to access Scott Pruitt’s behavior, I focused on the pragmatic method. By using pragmatism, I systematically and thoroughly used a multi-factor approach to review the details of his actions. Through this approach, it became evident that Pruitt not only failed the American people, but he also failed himself.
References Comment by Deborra Finlan: The words in red should be lower case. This is a great reference list for a case study! Kudos!
C-Span. (2017, February 21). Administrator Scott Pruitt remarks to the EPA employees [Video]. https://www.c-span.org/video/?424362-1/administrator-scott-pruitt-remarks-epa-employees
Antadze, N. (2019). The role of leadership in depleting institutional ethos: The case of Scott Pruitt and the Environmental Protection Agency. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 9(2), 187-195.
Johnson, C. E. (2021). Meeting the ethical challenges of leadership (7th ed.). Sage Publications.
Jurkiewicz, C. (2016). Flint, Michigan. Public integrity, 18(3), 233-236. https://doi.org/10.1080/10999922.2016.1152760
Leber, R. (2018). Toxic avenger. Mother Jones, 43(2), 22–31.
Mitchell, C. E. (1999). Violating the public trust: The ethical and moral obligations of government officials. Public Personnel Management, 28(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.1177/009102609902800103.
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2018, July 10). Administrator Scott Pruitt.
https://www.epa.gov/archieve/epa/aboutepa/administrator-scott-pruitt.html.
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2023, May 11). Our mission and what we do.
https://www.epa.gov.
