JSGS 808: ETHICAL LEADERSHIP AND DEMOCRACY IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE

Transcription

1 JSGS 808: ETHICAL LEADERSHIP AND DEMOCRACY IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE UNIVERSITY OF REGINA CAMPUS INSTRUCTOR: Ken Rasmussen PHONE: OFFICE HOURS: Available upon request. OFFICE LOCATION: Research Drive TERM: WINTER 2016 ROOM: February 2 nd 5:30-8:30 Feb 16,17, 18, 19 9:00-4:00 DATE AND TIME: March 11 th 5 th, 9:00-12:00 UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN CAMPUS CALENDAR DESCRIPTION There is growing attention being given to executive leadership, applied ethics and efforts to create and sustain trust within and through the profession of public administration. This course descriptively and critically examines these three key concepts in relation to the professional public servant and the environments of public sector decision and policy making. COURSE CONTENT AND APPROACH This course explores the leadership and ethical dimensions of administrative behaviour in the context of public service and particularly public sector organizations. The goal of the course is to provide students of the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School with an opportunity to reflect on a range of leadership theories and practices, to help them develop leadership skills while reflecting on the ethical dimensions of leadership within public administration together with features of trust, governance and executive administration. Effective leadership by public servants requires adaptive leadership, high levels of personal and organizational integrity and vigilant stewardship of various aspects of public trust including the handling of resources. Leadership is an aspect of public management, but is not the same thing as public management and remains a distinctive skill that all successful public servants need to master as they gain more responsibility in their careers. 1

2 Leadership studies and popular media lead us to believe society is experiencing a crisis in leadership. In this course, we ll tackle that question. To do so we ll begin with the basic questions of what is leadership, and move on to how do leaders lead and why do followers follow. Along the way, we ll address the so what question- what impact do these relationships have upon organizational performance particularly in public settings. How much does leadership really matter in terms of overall organizational performance? Leadership is the study of relationships, and as we all know relationships are difficult to learn from textbooks alone. We will therefore be complementing our academic study of leadership with some glimpses of leader/follower relationships as depicted in the arts and humanities. Finally it is important to remember that executive decisions in the public sector often require balancing issues of ethics, law, politics, organizational dynamics, and human relations. Skill in navigating these turbulent waters comes with experience, but there is also much to learn from current management theory and leadership studies. This course draws on public management literature, case studies, to build the student s competency in ethical leadership. The context is executive management of provincial and federal government, but the lessons learned have broad application to all levels of government as well as public service non-profit organizations. LEARNING OBJECTIVES This course will provide students with an understanding of selected theories of leadership in the public sector as well as the unique challenges of exercising leadership at any level with the public service. During the course students are expected to: Demonstrate critical and analytical thought about issues central to public service leadership; Describe the major ways various academic disciplines have tried to understand public service leadership; Communicate meaningful research and knowledge about leadership; Differentiate the multiple types and styles of leadership necessary for democratic societies; Address the philosophical, ethical and constitutional issues associated with the exercise of leadership of appointed officials; Understand the role of ideas and institutions in shaping leaders and their approaches to leadership Understand when leadership matters Describe leadership behaviors. Understand the biases that emerge in the perceptions of leadership. Recognize that leadership and management are distinct but complementary and both are necessary for organizational success Become aware of ways in which leadership can be developed and nurtured within organizations Increase knowledge of leadership techniques and theories; 2

3 Increase awareness of personal/professional effectiveness relative to working in groups; Increase ability to see the collaborative nature of leadership; Apply new knowledge and skills to make decisions in work on the campus and in the community; and Develop a plan for personal improvement relative to leadership skills STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: Have a clear sense of the purpose of leadership, the ethical dimensions of leadership, and the relationship between leaders and followers in a democratic society. Be able to use multiple leadership concepts to understand leadership situations and enhance your effectiveness in the leadership process as a leader and a follower. Understand the impact of individual differences and different situations on the practice of leadership. Understand your current strengths and weaknesses as a leader and as a follower, and develop your own personal approach to the practice of leadership. Enhance your ability to participate in and to lead a small group with an interdependent task. Enhance your ability to think critically, to analyze complex and diverse concepts, and to use your reasoning, judgment and imagination to create new possibilities in leadership situations. Be able to communicate your ideas clearly and persuasively orally and in writing JSGS CORE COMPETENCIES Management, Governance, and Leadership: Ability to inspire support for a vision or course of action and successfully direct the teams, processes, and changes required to accomplish it. Communication and Social Skills: Ability to communicate effectively and build enduring, trust-based interpersonal, professional relationships. Systems Thinking and Creative Analysis: Ability to identify key issues and problems, analyze them systematically, and reach sound, innovative conclusions. Public Policy and Community Engagement: Ability to understand how organizational and public policies are formulated, their impact on public policy and management and how to influence their development. Continuous Evaluation and Improvement: Commitment to on-going evaluation for continuous organizational and personal improvement. Policy Knowledge: Ability to analyze and contribute content to at least one applied policy field. 3

4 READINGS All readings can be found in the e-library of either University. EVALUATION The weight of the various components of the course is as follows: ASSIGNMENTS Briefing Note x 2 = 20% (Due on Feb 16th and 18th) Article Reviews and In Class Discussion = 10% Abstract for Group Project = 10% (Due on Feb 17 th ) Leadership Development Group Project = 40% (Presentation on March 11 th ) Personal Leadership Assessment and Reflections on Leadership = 20% (Due on March 11 th ) Briefing Notes: will be based on issues associated with a leadership or ethical problems that a deputy minister will need advice on and options for action. They will be handed out in class and to be returned the following class. Article Review and Discussion: Each student or group of students will be required to pick an article from the syllabus on leadership and do a review of 1200 words which will then be part of the discussion for that day. The presentation should be no more than 10 minutes and the discussion will last 15 minutes. Leadership Development Group Exercise: The Instructor will assign students into groups of three or four and have each group develop and present a plan on how you would establish a leadership development program for a particularly group in the public service. Thus you will develop a program for developing emerging leaders, or Aboriginal leaders, or women leaders, or senior executive development of this close to the top such as associate deputy ministers. Groups will need to have a one page abstract that they can present to the class on February 18th and it will be subject to critique. The proposal will need to be presented on the last class on March 11 th. Personal Leadership Assessment Throughout the semester, we will encounter numerous frameworks that help us to understand leadership and ourselves as leaders. Your final assignment (1500 Word) will be to describe yourself as a leader, drawing upon the leadership concepts that we ve described in class. In describing yourself as a leader, describe the organizational context(s) in which you 4

5 lead, your assumptions about the nature of that organization, and your definition of leadership. In defining leadership, describe your criteria for successful leadership and the limitations of using particular frameworks to describe yourself as a leader. Finally, reflect upon how your conceptions of leadership have changed during class and how those changing perceptions might influence your leadership in the future. COURSE OUTLINE Thematic sections Organizations and Leadership Sessions 1-5 Sub-topics Introduction to leadership in the public service Personal and popular views of leadership Historical and scholarly views of leadership Developing a framework for analyzing leadership Leadership and Trust in the Public Service Sessions 6-9 Leading change Impacts of leadership Trust and leadership Teams Leadership and democracy Ethics and Professionalism Sessions Ethics in management Whistle-blowing, conflicts of interest Trust and values THEME ONE: Organization and Leadership Session 1 February 2 nd :30-8:30 Introduction to of Public Service Leadership Robert Behn What Right Do Public Managers Have to Lead? Public Administration Review 58 (May-June, 1998), Van Wart, Montgomery, Lessons From Leadership Theory and the Contemporary Challenges of Leaders. Public Administration Review, 73, 4:

6 Van Wart, M., Public-sector leadership theory: an assessment. Public Administration Review 63, 2: Van Wart, Montgomery, Administration Leadership Theory, A Reassessment After 10 Years. Public Administration, 91, 3: Session 2: Feb 16th 9:00-11:30 What do we mean when we say leadership? Read a substantial popular book about leadership! Choose, locate, and read one leadership book intended for a general audience. Come prepared to identify what practices constitute leadership: Kouzes, James M. and Barry Z. Posner, The Leadership Challenge, 4 th edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Collins, Jim, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don t. HarperCollins. Drucker, Peter, Peter Drucker on the Profession of Management. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press. Daft, Richard L., The Executive and the Elephant: A Leader s Guide to Building Inner Excellence. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Anderson, Dean, and Linda Ackerman Anderson, Beyond Change Management: How to Achieve Breakthrough Results through Conscious Change Leadership, 2 nd ed. San Francisco: Pfeiffer. (Or choose another book: as a guideline, 200 pages or more and published by a major publisher.) Session 3 Feb 16 th PM 1:30: 4:45 Leadership: Conceptual Perspectives and Competing Models Van Slyke, David, and Robert Alexander Public Service Leadership: Opportunities for Clarity and Coherence The American Review of Public Administration Gertha, Healther, Maja Husar Holmes, Willow S. Jacobsonà, Ricardo S. Morseà, Jessica E. Sowa Focusing the Public Leadership Lens: Research Propositions and Questions in the Minnowbrook Tradition Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory

7 Terry, Larry, Leadership in the Administrative State: The Concept of Administrative Conservatorship. Administration and Society 21/4 (February): Section Two: Leadership and Trust in Public Sector Organizations Session 4: Feb 17 th AM 9:00-11:30 Leading Change in public sector organizations Denhardt, Janet V. and Kelly B Campbell, The Role of Democratic Values in Transformational Leadership Administration and Society, 2006; 38, Rivka Grundstein-Amado Bilateral Transformational Leadership : An Approach for Fostering Ethical Conduct in Public Service Organizations Administration & Society : 247 Donald P. Moynihan, Sanjay K. Pandey, Bradley E. Wright Setting the Table: How Transformational Leadership Fosters Performance Information Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory May, 2011 Wright, Bradly, and Sanjay K Pandey, Transformational Leadership in the Public Sector: Does Structure Matter? Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 20: Session 5: Feb 17 th 2015, PM 1:30-4:45 Leadership: Alternatives Leadership Styles William L. Gardner Claudia C. Cogliser, Kelly M. Davis, Matthew P. Dickens Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda The Leadership Quarterly 22, 6 December 2011, Mansour Javidan and David A. Waldman, Exploring Charismatic Leadership in the Public Sector: Measurement and Consequences Public Administration Review, Vol. 63, No. 2 (Mar. - Apr., 2003), pp Julien. M., et al Stories from the circle: leadership lessons from Aboriginal leaders. Leadership Quarterly 21(1): Adler, N.J Global women political leaders: an invisible history, an increasingly important future. Leadership Quarterly 7(1): Ladkin, D The Enchantment of the Charismatic Leader Leadership 2(2):

8 Session 6 Feb 18th th, AM 9:00-11:30 Democracy and Public Management Gary Wamsley et, al A Legitimate Role for Bureaucracy in Democratic Governance in Larry Hill ed. The State of Public Bureaucracy ( New York M.E. Sharpe, 1992), John P. Burke and Robert E. Cleary Reconciling Public Administration and Democracy: The Role of the Responsible Administrator Public Administration Review 49 (Mar-Apr, 1989), Kenneth J. Meier, Bureaucracy and Democracy: The Case for More Bureaucracy and Less Democracy Public Administration Review 57, No 3 (May-June, 1997), Gary M. Woller Toward the Reconciliation of the Bureaucratic and Democratic Ethos Administration and Society 30/1 (March 1998) Linda DeLeon and Peter De Leon, The Democratic Ethos and Public Management. Administration and Society, 34,/2, Session 8: Feb 19 th 1:30: 4:45 Public Service and Citizenship Hart, David K., The Virtuous Citizen, the Honorable Bureaucrat and Public Administration. Public Administration Review Vol 44, March: Cooper, Terry, Citizenship and Professionalism in Public Administration. Public Administration Review 44, March: Chandler, Ralph, The Public Administrator as Representative Citizen: A new Role for a New Century. Public Administration Review 44, March: Alkadry, Mohamad G., Deliberative Discourse Between Citizens and Administrators: If citizens Talk, Will Administrators Listen? Administration and Society 35, 2 (May): Section Three: Ethics and Public Management Session 10 Feb 19 th 9:00: 11:45 Dennis F. Thompson, The Possibility of Administrative Ethics Public Administration Review 8

9 45 (Sept-Oct, 1985), Robert P. Gross, A Distinct Public Administration Ethic Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, (1996) 4: Richard Chapman, Problems of Ethics in Public Sector Management Public Money and Management (January- March, 1998). Session 11: Feb 19 th 1:30: 4:45 The Ethics of Whistle Blowing and Conflict of Interest H.R. Laframboise (1991) "Vile wretches and public heroes: the ethics of whistleblowing in government," Canadian Public Administration, 34:1 (Spring), Phillip Jos, et al, In Praise of Difficult People: A Portrait of the Committed Whistleblower Public Administration Review vol 49 (Nov-Dec, 1989), J. Patrick Dobel, The Ethics of Resigning Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 18/2 (1999) A. P Tant, Leaks and the nature of British Government The Political Quarterly, 66/2 (1995) Kenneth Kernaghan, Integrating Values into Public Service: The Values Statement as Centerpiece Public Administration review, Nov/Dec Montgomery Van Wart, The Sources of Ethical Decision Making for Individuals in the Public Sector, Public Administration Review (November December 1999). Session March 11 th 2015 Class Presentations of leadership development proposals. 9

10 ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND CONDUCT Understanding and following the principles of academic integrity and conduct as laid out in the University of Saskatchewan s Guidelines for Academic Conduct is vital to your success in graduate school (as attached; and available at Ensuring that your work is your own and reflects both your own ideas and those of others incorporated in your work is important: ensuring that you acknowledge the ideas, words, and phrases of others that you use is a vital part of the scholarly endeavour. If you have any questions at all about academic integrity in general or about specific issues, contact any faculty member and we can discuss your questions. EXPECTATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS This is a condensed class and requires students to actively work on their own and to think about leadership intensely, and in particular your own experiences with leadership, in observing it and in situations in which you had to act in a leadership role. What did you learn, what do we know about leadership tacitly and implicitly and how does that compare with the vast and ever expanding literature on leadership. How does the public service go about developing and ensuring leadership is present. 10