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Thesis Statement and Annotated Bibliography Assignment
Sam Sparks
Helm School of Government, Liberty University
PADM 712: Organizational Leadership and Behavior in Public Administration
Dr. Michael Collins
September 5, 2025
Thesis
Time-tested and well-proven ethics principles have guided the interactions of public
sector leaders and their internal and external stakeholders since the inception of the
administrative sector in this nation. Unfortunately, numerous authority figures have become so
enthralled with the idea of separating religion and government that they no longer perceive value
in the ethical principles the nation once held dear. Let there be no doubt, stakeholders not only
value ethical behavior but also demand that their public sector leaders exhibit the values and
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behaviors that they have grown accustomed to. The time is right for ethics to return to the
forefront of public sector organizations.
References
Aydin, N. (2014). Pareto efficiency in individualistic vs. altruistic society. Humanomics, 30(4),
304-324. https://doi.org/10.1108/H-01-2013-0004
The importance of this article lies in its discussion of Pareto optimality, also known as
Pareto decision-making. This author contends that Pareto decision-making is rational,
ethical, and values-free. To satisfy the Pareto criterion, a decision must make at least one
person or group better off without making any person or group worse off. This source
could add value to the rational actor / rational decision-making component of the paper,
provided that it does not contradict the principles of biblical leadership. It is also possible
that this author has a flawed perception of Pareto decision-making. Should that be the
case, it will not be incorporated into the final paper.
Fischer, K. (2010). A biblical-covenantal perspective on organizational behavior & leadership.
Faculty Publications and Presentations, 523, 42-51.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/gov_fac_pubs/523/
Fischer is an author and academic who is highly knowledgeable regarding the principles
of ethical leadership. He serves as a professor of public administration at Liberty
University. Fischer is a professing Christian. As such, this author expects his work to
reflect Christian views and principles. Strengths of the article include the author’s vast
array of knowledge, his trustworthiness, and the article’s applicability to the Christian
leadership component of this research paper. The primary weakness of this article relates
to its age. While the article may be biased to some extent, the potential for bias had no
bearing on the decision to reference it in this paper.
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King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/
(Original work published 1769)
The Bible is a roadmap for ethical behavior. It is inherently true, and the principles it
espouses have stood the test of time. While some may challenge its teachings as too
conservative, the Bible is neither conservative nor liberal in its teachings. The views of
those who disagree with this contention have likely been impacted by the societies in
which they live.
The Bible’s value in writing this assignment is so immense that its teachings must be
consulted. Originally written hundreds of years ago, it is by far the oldest of the sources
included in this paper. The Bible is still regarded as the ultimate source of authority.
Lahmar, H., Chaouki, F., & Rodhain, F. (2025). Spiritual leadership in public management:
Insights from Moroccan public sector leaders. Journal of Human Values.
https://doi.org/10.1177/09716858251358455
The purpose of the article was to discuss spiritual leadership. While spiritual leadership
does not necessarily equate to Christian leadership, the values Lahmar et al. associated
with it —vision, hope, faith, and love —do. The authors contended that the purposes of
spiritual leadership include creating and promoting a shared vision, aligning values, and
motivating individuals to achieve this shared vision. It is worth noting that the authors
devoted a separate section of the article to the incorporation of religion in leadership. This
author did not consider the views the authors shared in that section because their
comments were not solely associated with Christianity or Christian leadership.
Lee, C., Yeh, W., Yu, Z., & Lin, X. (2023). The relationships between leader emotional
intelligence, transformational leadership, transactional leadership, and job performance:
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A mediator model of trust. Heliyon, 9(8), 1-20.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18007
Lee et al (2023) offered an interesting perspective regarding how the emotional
intelligence of subordinates, transformational, and transactional leaders not only affects
their actions and interactions but also their responses to others. Lee et al. touched on the
similarities between the two leadership approaches. Van Wart contended that a significant
overlap exists between the two methods but chose not to elaborate on the comment.
The decision to include this article is based on numerous factors. First, its authors are not
U.S. citizens, and they do not reside on the continent of North America. As such, their
thoughts on ethics and leadership are universal. Second, the article is relatively current.
Third, the expectation is that leaders will act with integrity. It was based on political
ideology.
King, S. M. (2007). Religion, spirituality, and the workplace: Challenges for public
administration, Public Administration Review, 67(1), 103-114.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00700.x
The author of this article discussed religion in the workplace and contended that leaders’
actions, decision-making, and behaviors are impacted by their religious views. This
author was particularly fond of his definition of religion. He defined the term as a set of
values, doctrines, and principles that provide an ethical and moral guide for one’s actions,
behavior, and decision-making. The article is unique in another respect, as King devotes a
section to discussing religious freedom in the workplace. He referenced numerous court
cases in which the religious liberties of workers were challenged. Such a discussion could
improve the value of this paper, provided that it fits into the paper’s scope.
Malone, P. S. (2021). Renewing our focus on ethical decision making: Committing to a journey
of ethical discernment in our thinking and behavior. Public Management, 103(3), 16-19.
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https://www.proquest.com/docview/2518779526?OpenUrlRefId=info:xri/sid:summon&a
ccountid=12085&sourcetype=Trade%20Journals
Malone’s purpose in writing this article was twofold. The first was to discuss the link
between ethics, or the lack of ethics, and public perception. He associated a lack of ethics
with a significant decline in public trust. He contrasted the lack of trust in public servants
at the national level with high levels of trust at the local level. He attributed the disparity
to a perceived lack of ethics at the national level. The second was to develop ethical
guidelines to facilitate rational (ethical) decision-making. The decision to cite this source
was based on the rational actor / rational decision-making component of the assignment.
As such, any potential biases the author may hold were not considered.
Manning, P. (2017). Faith, Leadership, and Public Life: Leadership Lessons from Moses to
Jesus. Castle Quay Books.
Manning is the author of one of the texts that students taking the course were required to
purchase. Manning offers an interesting perspective. He is unabashedly conservative
despite having been born and raised in Canada. He is also unapologetically Christian, and
it appears that both his conservatism and his faith are the primary drivers of his views,
interactions, and decision-making.
The decision to reference this source was based on the notion that the text adds an
external perspective and its overall value. Manning is not a resident of the United States,
and he is not regarded as an academic. He is a career public servant who did things the
right way. The age of the text was not sufficient to outweigh its contributory value.
Ramjit, D. (2021). Stemoh leadership: A multicultural Christian approach to contemporary
leadership. International Journal of Responsible Leadership and Ethical Decision-
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Making, 3(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/IJRLEDM.2021070102
Ramjit is an author and academic who is knowledgeable in political science and
administrative theory. Her article offers an in-depth analysis of a Christian leadership
approach that was not mentioned in other sources. Additionally, Ramjit’s thoughtful
analysis of undesirable ethical traits was superb. As such, she discussed and expounded
upon numerous traits that Van Wart did not mention.
The factors driving the decision to include this text include its age, its applicability to a
required component of the assignment, and the author’s assessment of how the various
undesirable traits she discussed contrast with Christian ideas and principles. Ramjit’s
affiliations and leanings were difficult to decipher. As such, they were not considered.
Van Wart, M. (2015). Leadership in Public Service Theory and Practice. Routledge.
Van Wart is the author of one of the two texts that were required for this course. He is an
author and academic who is well-versed in administrative theory. He currently works in
academia. His ideologies, biases, and leanings had no bearing on the decision to
incorporate his work in the scope of this paper. As such, they were not investigated.
The decision to reference the source was based on the notion that Van Wart established
the tone regarding how ethics is viewed in this course. The contributory value of the text
is slightly impacted by its age. The desire is to consult sources written within the last five
years.
Véronique, R., & Vandenberghe, C. (2021). Laissez-faire leadership and affective commitment:
The roles of leader-member exchange and subordinate relational self-concept. Journal of
Business and Psychology, 36(4), 533-551. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-020-09700-9
The authors discuss the detrimental effects of the laissez-faire leadership approach in this
article, one of which was that the leader-employee relationship often suffers irreparable
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harm when leaders take a hands-off approach. While these contentions were not specific
to public organizations, the insight its authors provide allows for the principles that form
the basis of a hands-off approach to be directly compared and contrasted with the
principles of Christian leadership. Laissez-faire approaches contradict the principles of
Christian leadership. As such, no matter how well-intentioned, hands-off approaches are
among the least desirable. The decision to cite this text was based on its link to the least
desirable trait component of this paper.
Vogel, R., Vogel, D., & Reuber, A. (2023). Finding a mission in bureaucracies: How authentic
leadership and red tape interact. Public Administration, 101(4), 1503–1525.
https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12895
All the authors of Vogel et al. are academics. Their research is unique in a few respects.
First, it establishes the idea that the attitudes and behaviors of an organization’s leaders
drive not only its organizational purpose but also the perceptions employees form
regarding its performance. As such, their research ties leadership effectiveness to
organizational purpose. Second, they contended that the article offers valuable insights
into the beneficial effects of authentic leadership in public sector organizations.
The article's strengths include its age and the fact that it introduces a perspective from yet
another nation. Concerning its weaknesses, it is worth noting that the conclusions Vogel
et al drew were based on survey responses, which tend to be biased. The large sample
size (n = 1013) may, however, help minimize the potential for biased results.
