Week 8 – Signature Assignment: Incorporate Strategic Management to Improve a Public Organization

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Week 8

PUB-7021 v1: Strategic Management in the Public Sector (…

Structure, Culture, and Control

Strategy implementation involves determining the specific actions, behaviors, and

conditions necessary for smooth strategy-supportive operation, and then following

through to accomplish goals and deliver results. The process should include: 1) designing

the organization’s structure and climate to match its strategy; 2) hiring and training

managers with the right background, skills, and attributes that match the demands of the

strategy; 3) developing effective policies, and 4) allocating resources.

After the terrorist attacks in 2001 in the U.S., the U.S. reassessed its preparedness to deal

with terrorist attacks on its home soil. It was discovered that the 22 different departments

and agencies responsible for homeland security were unable to sufficiently coordinate a

homeland security strategy. Led by a team of professionals and politicians, the White

House Office of Homeland Security coordinated the government’s efforts and developed

a homeland security strategy. Over 18 months, a new cabinet-level agency was designed

and created. The U.S. government created the Department of Homeland Security to

better equip the government to confront the range of threats it now faces. Then President

Bush proposed an initial budget of $37.5 billion and an employee base of 169,000 FTEs

(full-time equivalents) (Department of Homeland Security, 2002).

In an organization as large as the United States government, strategy formulation happens

at the department and agency level, with strategy implementation happening at the

program level. For example, the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Federal

Acquisition Service (FAS) embarked on a project to overhaul its purchasing system. GSA

wanted to develop a system that modernized the purchasing process for all departments

and agencies. “GSA’s mission to provide efficiency and savings to our federal partners

requires FAS to deploy multiple, integrated business applications and IT systems. We are

moving to reduce the number of applications and platforms used by FAS, by updating and

removing duplicative systems and driving new efficiencies into how we conduct business

with our customer agencies,” said Tom Sharpe, FAS Commissioner (General Services

Administration, 2017).

The work that was completed was highly transformative, supporting the efforts of FAS to

launch the Common Acquisition Platform (CAP) and transform into The Government

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Books and Resources for this Week

Höglund, L., Holmgren Caicedo, M.,

Mårtensson, M., & Svärdsten, F. (2018).

Strategic management in the public

sector: How tools enable... Link

Höglund, L., & Svärdsten, F. (2018).

Strategy work in the public sector—A

balancing act of competing discourses.

Scandinavian Journal of Management... Link

Acquisition Marketplace. GSA engaged its employees and industry partners to develop a

system to take advantage of the advances in cloud-based technology. Of course, an

examination of existing procurement regulations was needed along with approval from

the legislative branch for the initiative (General Services Administration, 2017).

Be sure to review this week's resources carefully. You are expected to apply the

information from these resources when you prepare your assignments.

References:

Department of Homeland Security. (2002, June). The department of homeland security.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

General Services Administration. (2017, August 31). GSA awards cameo task orders to

transform FAS business systems and applications [Press release]. U.S. General Services

Administration.

75 % 3 of 4 topics complete

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Johnsen, Å. (2016). Strategic planning

and management in local government

in Norway: Status after three decades.

Scandinavian Political Studies... Link

Week 8 – Signature Assignment: Incorporate Strategic

Management to Improve a Public Organization Assignment

Due February 27 at 11:59 PM

Envision this scenario:

You have been appointed as the city manager of a medium-sized city that you have

helped guide to its present success. Your staff is collaborative; all levels of the

organization are functional; and, in general, key aspects of the government are stable.

Many of the organizational changes you have recently championed as deputy city

manager appear to be having a positive effect on morale and operational results.

Knowing that present success may only be an indicator of future success, you may have

recalled reading that the time to change is when things are going well. Now, you may be

troubled by this thought because you have learned that when faced with adverse

conditions, organizations tend to revert to the way they used to operate because it is

familiar and people tend to be comfortable with previous efforts and results.

Assignment Criteria:

Prepare a comprehensive paper that assesses the current state of the organization and

opportunities to implement strategic management. Your paper should be written as if you

were presenting it as a case study for publication. Be sure to include an analysis of

opportunities for change, and then develop a plan for leading the organization to its

future state. Feel free to include visual aids such as helpful images, charts, or graphics to

support your proposal.

Remember, you are not alone; you have the resources of the organization and the

literature to assist you. Remember, all eyes are on you. It is your time to lead. Be bold and

creative.

Length: 12-15 pages, not including title or reference pages.

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References: Include a minimum of 7 scholarly resources.

Your assignment should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts

presented in the course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to this

topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Be sure

to adhere to Northcentral University's Academic Integrity Policy.

Upload your document, and then click the Submit to Dropbox button.