How Does the Public Sector Work? Essay -- Public Management

If you don't understand how the public sector is supposed to work, how can you ensure that it is working? An easy definition of public administration is, â€Å"the implementation of government policies† (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2010), or, â€Å"the implementation of public policy† (Infoplease.com, 1997). While policies and procedures seem to be continuously up for debate, it should be noted that, an informed public are the only sure-fire way to ensure that the public sector stays on track with meeting the needs of its constituents. People, as a whole, tend to appreciate good leaders. â€Å"It is the task of a leader to connect people with purpose† (Blunt, 2007). Why does this help us in the public sector? To paraphrase J.D. Straussman, leaders must have a vision, â€Å"establish direction† with regards to that vision, â€Å"align people by creating an environment of cooperation†, and â€Å"motivate and inspire members of the organization† (Straussman, pg. 4). Generally, public sector's have not yet embraced the positive aspects of what leadership skills can bring to their organizations. One wonders, what is so wrong with vision or inspiring and motivating people? Motivating employees should be one of most important aspects of leadership in the public sector. Motivated employees often show higher productivity levels than others. Often confused with leadership is the role of management in an organization. First tier management skills are highly coveted within the public sector. These skills are planning, organizing, directing and controlling (Reh, 2009) and are mostly built in to any and all management models in the public sector itself. Second tier management skills build on the leadership skills mentioned above, such as, motivation, training ... ...illsPyramid.htm Becketts, K. (2010). Four major functions of public administration: an overview. Retrieved from https://elearning.riosalado.edu/content/pad/pad101/pad101_INTER_0000_v5/PDFs/L2_Content.pdf American Society of Public Administration, . (2006). Code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.aspanet.org/scriptcontent/index_codeofethics.cfm Bai, M. (2010, December 16). Is ‘triangulation’ just another word for the politics of the possible?. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/17/us/politics/17bai.html?partner=rss&emc=rss Goble, K. (2010, December 17). Top state issues for 2011 revealed. Retrieved from http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2010/Dec10/121310/121710-05.shtml Americans for Fair Taxation, . (2010). Frequently asked questions - answers. Retrieved from http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_faq_answers How Does the Public Sector Work? Essay -- Public Management If you don't understand how the public sector is supposed to work, how can you ensure that it is working? An easy definition of public administration is, â€Å"the implementation of government policies† (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2010), or, â€Å"the implementation of public policy† (Infoplease.com, 1997). While policies and procedures seem to be continuously up for debate, it should be noted that, an informed public are the only sure-fire way to ensure that the public sector stays on track with meeting the needs of its constituents. People, as a whole, tend to appreciate good leaders. â€Å"It is the task of a leader to connect people with purpose† (Blunt, 2007). Why does this help us in the public sector? To paraphrase J.D. Straussman, leaders must have a vision, â€Å"establish direction† with regards to that vision, â€Å"align people by creating an environment of cooperation†, and â€Å"motivate and inspire members of the organization† (Straussman, pg. 4). Generally, public sector's have not yet embraced the positive aspects of what leadership skills can bring to their organizations. One wonders, what is so wrong with vision or inspiring and motivating people? Motivating employees should be one of most important aspects of leadership in the public sector. Motivated employees often show higher productivity levels than others. Often confused with leadership is the role of management in an organization. First tier management skills are highly coveted within the public sector. These skills are planning, organizing, directing and controlling (Reh, 2009) and are mostly built in to any and all management models in the public sector itself. Second tier management skills build on the leadership skills mentioned above, such as, motivation, training ... ...illsPyramid.htm Becketts, K. (2010). Four major functions of public administration: an overview. Retrieved from https://elearning.riosalado.edu/content/pad/pad101/pad101_INTER_0000_v5/PDFs/L2_Content.pdf American Society of Public Administration, . (2006). Code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.aspanet.org/scriptcontent/index_codeofethics.cfm Bai, M. (2010, December 16). Is ‘triangulation’ just another word for the politics of the possible?. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/17/us/politics/17bai.html?partner=rss&emc=rss Goble, K. (2010, December 17). Top state issues for 2011 revealed. Retrieved from http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2010/Dec10/121310/121710-05.shtml Americans for Fair Taxation, . (2010). Frequently asked questions - answers. Retrieved from http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_faq_answers