MPA Capstone Learning and Professional Development Portfolio

MPA Capstone Learning and Professional Development Portfolio
Piece of Evidence Cover Sheet
Name: Samuel T. Weekley
Title/Label of Evidence: Effective Leadership Report: City of Kelsey Simulation
Type of Evidence:
o Course assignment for (identify class): LDR 532, University of Phoenix,
Scharlene Ahmed
o Internship artifact for (identify internship):
_____________________________________
o Written reflection produced for the portfolio
o Other (explain):
__________________________________________________________________
__
Competency/capacity addressed: 2a: Collect and analyze policy data using different
methodologies
Self Assessment
Score: 3
Criteria you have met: Can undertake an independent piece of policy analysis,
successfully rendering new insights and applicable findings for policy makers.
Instructor Assessment
Score: ___________
Check list:
o Written assessment follows completed rubric
o Evidence is located after written assessment or may be found under another
tab/page of the portfolio (add location):
_________________________________________
o Additional supporting evidence included
This piece was written as a course required assignment for LDR 532, Leadership in
the Public Sector designed to be a whitepaper used to describe an economic situation (in
the simulated City of Kelsey) that my team and I would report on later that semester. The
objective was to outline a specific project that the simulated city residents were outraged,
and expressing concern for because of poor policy communication. Our goal was to
analyze the policy designed to facilitate this project, a infrastructure improvement
project, and to the economic, and demographic needs being addressed by the policy, and
ultimately by the project. As an added element, we were expected to describe
communication and leadership theories that may be used, as well as recommend best
practices for future Mayoral communication with the stakeholder base. Our final
recommendation was to keep the newly implemented increase in sales tax for the
simulated city to not only help pay for the project, but to sustain Kelsey’s quality of life.
Effective Leadership Report
Sam Weekley
University of Phoenix – LDR/532
Professor: Scharlene Ahmed
Date: July 4th, 2011
Effective Leadership Report
As the population in Kelsey continues to rise, the need for more efficient public
works facilities increases. The City of Kelsey Mayor and city council have proposed a
water sustainability plan to accommodate the immediate, and future needs of Kelsey
citizens. A capital improvement project to upgrade the city’s water main system, and
construct a new water treatment plant within a 15-year boundary has been proposed by
the Mayor, and city council. This project will create challenges for Kelsey’s Mayor, such
as job creation, and improving the current governmental culture. Kelsey’s Mayor must
effectively employ appropriate leadership theories that will ultimately enable efficiency
on behalf of city leaders to accomplish this project in a timely manner.
Challenges and Job Creation
The implementation of a capital project to improve upon Kelsey’s water main
system, and to construct a more efficient water treatment plant with additional
underground piping throughout the city will weigh heavily on the development services
departments of The City of Kelsey.
The 2005 budget for Kelsey’s development services program called for $6.4
million, which would be allocated from Kelsey’s general operating fund (UOPX 2011).
In that same year the city’s capital projects fund, set aside for construction projects, such
as the proposed piping upgrade and new water treatment plant, was allocated $6.7 million
for the purpose of community development (UOPX 2011). Considering these statistics,
Kelsey’s consistent population growth, and a proposed sales tax increase from the current
“1.1 percent,” there should be a sufficient amount of capital available to continue to fund
this project over a 15-year period (U of P 2011).
However, it will be essential to consider maximized efficiency to ensure
completion within the 15-year boundary. New construction, and facility maintenance
jobs must be created. The city’s community development department currently employs
23 full-time employees. To complete the project within the 15-year boundary, the city
must create 50+ reliable, long-term construction jobs to facilitate this project (UOPX
2011). The benefit is to the city’s economy, as new construction jobs fractionally
decrease the city’s staggering 9.1% unemployment rate. These new jobs will also come
at a price of an additional $760,240 per year, if estimated on the current minimum wage
scale.
Upon completion of the new water treatment plant, there will be an immediate
need for three to five new water treatment specialists to aid in facility operations and
maintenance. These new specialist jobs cannot be measured on the current minimum
wage scale because of the nature of their responsibilities, and will inevitably cost
development services, specifically the public works department 3 to 5 dollars more per
hour, which will be accounted for in the upcoming public works budget for the next fiscal
year.
The Mayor of Kelsey should also consider hiring outside contractors from the
city’s water supplier, Northwest Valley to increase the efficiency rate. These contractors
would assist the city in assessing the project in the most environmentally conscience way
possible.
Kelsey Governmental Structure
A strong organizational culture is valuable for building a community around
organizational values. Organizational culture is a set of shared values, norms, traditions,
rituals and beliefs, which determine how its employees behave and accomplish
organizational goals. The proposed capital project is an example of Kelsey’s government
culture in action, directly responding to community needs, and taking a proactive
approach to addressing those needs. These actions are consistent with the actions taken to
implement past capital projects.
The water sustainability project is an initiative Kelsey must undertake to maintain
water services for its constantly increasing population. The goal is to sustain a quality,
plentiful water supply with a plan that is economically, and environmentally friendly. The
City Council, Mayor and Manager must identify the factors that are critical to the success
of the plan to ensure the project is completed. The policies and actions of the
government activate the principles of its mission and shapes government culture by
providing residents with services and facilities that not only meets their needs but that
would typically only be found in larger populated areas. To sustain consistency with past
capital projects, Kelsey’s government must seek citizen input and maintain citizen abreast
of the project’s progress.
Leadership Theories
Kelsey’s Mayor has the responsibility of influencing, and establishing public
policy, which improves the quality of life for Kelsey citizens. Supporting improvement
initiatives, like the Kelsey water main project, through the utilization of practical
leadership methods is an important element for Kelsey’s city council, and Mayor to
consider when structuring the policy to implement this capital project. Goal setting and
expectancy theories are the most appropriate leadership methods to apply to ensure that
Kelsey’s Mayor maintains the proper amount of influence throughout this initiative.
Goal setting theory is the practice of establishing specific, difficult, and high
value goals that are obtainable through cooperation of leaders and the employees in the
government. Expectancy theory is the achievement of positive outcomes through
employees who sufficiently achieve or exceed their expectations. Qualitative research is
the ideal method to gather informative facts relating to citizen concerns over cleaner
drinking water. Difficult goals introduce challenges that will foster, and enhance performance
measures using planning, directing, evaluating, acceptance of change, and searching for
effective and more efficient performance measurement results. Leaders must withhold
commitment to their organizational goals, providing progress reports, and feedback so
that the Mayor and City Council can factor in their input for recommended practices that
may improve the efficiency, and effectiveness as well as reducing the overall cost of the
initiative.
Mayoral Responsibilities As the head-administrator for The City of Kelsey, one imperative responsibility
for the Mayor to consider is the encouragement of a culture that supports employee
empowerment. “Empowerment consists of 15 factors, including top management attitude,
opportunities for learning application, organizational support for innovation, and
autonomy” (Gupta, 2007).
“Top management attitude is the perception that individual employees have of
management philosophies and practices, which are able to positively or negatively affect
the empowerment of these employees” (Gupta, 2007). Kelsey’s Mayor must lead by
demonstrating a desire to empower city employees, allowing leaders from numerous
departments to make conscious, and informed decisions during the planning process.
“Opportunities for learning application consist of continuous post-training
including control measures to ensure and promote employee’s performances” (Gupta,
2007). Supporting this principle inevitably improves employee performance, and
demonstrates the city’s desire to improve. Allowing employees to take advantage of
training seminars, or college courses ultimately increases the employee’s overall success
rate, and as a result employees feel comfortable knowing that their future is secure within
the organization, which ultimately empowers them to take a bigger stake in the agency.
“Organizational support for innovation calls for employees to formulate new ideas
and take chances by experimentation, which is geared for improving employee’s
confidence and commitment” (Gupta, 2007). With the changing economic, social, and
cultural environment that influence the workplace it is important that managers, and
subordinates are capable of adapting the processes used to maximize the ability to meet
strategic goals, which is effectively demonstrated when a manager allows their
subordinates the ability to make suggestions about improving their department, and
organization.
Autonomy is the most important of the factors of empowerment that the mayor
and managers must demonstrate to their employees, as it gives employees the ability to
create and implement decisions on how best to perform a job task” (Gupta, 2007). An
employee’s ability to make decisions allows them more adaptability, and efficiency when
conducting his or her responsibilities. It also encourages employees to think outside of
their “box” to create solutions that will ultimately aid the organization.
Conclusions
This project presents Kelsey’s Mayor, city council, and city employees with a
plethora of challenges that must be overcome to effectively, and efficiently accommodate
the needs of the citizens of The City of Kelsey. However, the proposed increase in sales
tax has the potential to alleviate over-whelming responsibility from the shoulders of this
project’s stakeholder power-base, which is the development services department for The
City of Kelsey. It allows city government to hire new long-term employees, and with the
implementation of a proactive governmental culture for city workers, these employees
will not only have job security, but possibilities for advancement. For all of its
challenges, this project presents an opportunity for internal growth within Kelsey’s city
government, and the capability to look to the future in developing their community.
References
Gupta, K.S. (2007) Empowerment: A Comparative Study; ICFAI Journal of
Organizational Behavior, retrieved from UOPX Library
Rainey, H. G. (2009). Understanding and managing public organizations (4th ed.). San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
University of Phoenix Material, City of Kelsey Community Assessment: City of Kelsey
(2011) by Apollo Group Inc Retrieved July 2011