PADM 5011
Sample Answers
Take-home part of the Midterm
Fall, 2015
1.
Early scholars in the field of public administration believed that there was a separation
(dichotomy) between public administration and politics, such that an effective public administration had
no reason to become involved in politics. In other words, elected politicians created the policies to be
implemented and administration was only the work of implementation of the policies. The case about
the miners serves to illustrate the fallacy of this perspective and to refute the idea that administrators
should not “become political.” Mr. Scanlan was excellent in the administrative tasks of filing reports and
writing letters. He was very through and proficient as an administrator under the scope of
administration defined by those who believed in there being a dichotomy between administration and
politics. He did everything correctly in terms of “administration,” narrowly defined. But he was
ineffectual and the miners died in part because he failed to be more effectively politically. He was
essentially a “puppet” of Governor Green and the owners of the mine. If Scanlan had become more
political he might have been more effective and the lives of the miners might possibly have been saved.
Administration is full of politics. The roles of high-level public administrators rightfully expend into the
realm of politics.
Another example of a situation that would demonstrate the failure of administrators to be
involved in politics could be if the high-level administrators at NASA failed to define and promote the
mission of the agency in the political sphere. The very survival of an agency may depend upon the ability
of its leaders to effectively promote the agency among politicians and the public.
2.
Patronage is a way of selecting government employees based upon who provided money or
other kinds of support to recently-elected politicians. The old phrase is, ‘to the victor goes the spoils.”
The “spoils” refers to government jobs. Prior to the passage of the Pendleton Act in 1883 this was the
common way that people “earned” government jobs. This way of doing things assured political
accountability because once employed, people did what they were told to do by the politicians, for fear
of losing their jobs in the national government.
The essence of the Pendleton Act was to create a civil service (or merit) system whereby people
were selected for employment based on their credentials rather than based on their connections. While
this was intended to improve the professionalism of those who worked for the government, it undercut
the political accountability of the employees who could no longer be easily dismissed by politicians. Our
system of government needs both qualified government employees and political accountability. Without
competent employees, government agencies cannot be effective. If there is an absence of political
accountability, then election results would not much matter.
3.
Max Weber was a German sociologist who described the common attributes of the form of
organization known as bureaucracy. Three of the major attributes he identified were hierarchy, rules,
and impersonalization.
Hierarchy refers to a system of working relationships based on patterns of authority. In a
bureaucratic organization almost every employee has a superior and one or more subordinates. This
form of organization serves to define accountability and to facilitate control. Hierarchy defines how
decisions are made.
Rules and processes define how work is done in bureaucratic organizations. Bureaucratic
organizations run like machines.
Employees in bureaucratic organizations fill roles. In other words, people relate to one another
in impersonal ways defined by roles rather than by unique personalities. This impersonalization also
extends to clients. In other words, cases are not seen in terms of individual people but in terms of
categories of people, as defined by the rules.
4.
William Robertson was Head of the Streets Department in Los Angeles. Two of his personal
strengths were his passion for his work and his social skills. He was really excited about the work of the
streets department. His passion was evident in that he taught others about the maintenance of streets
and even became known positively as, “professor pothole.” Robertson has a special ability to interact
with citizens and with his employees. He earned the trust and respect of citizens and employees by
engaging with them.
There was an alignment between Mr. Robertson’s strengths and the position as head of the
Streets Department. He knew in his heart that the work of the streets department was important. His
background in the military and his ability to drive trucks helped prepare him for the culture (ecology) of
the streets department. He was happy because he found his right place. He was effective because he
was happy in his right place.
5.
General intelligence refers to one’s overall cognitive intelligence. It is generally a reflection of
one’s education and ability to learn. Emotional intelligence refers to one’s awareness of his or her own
feelings and the ability to “weather” emotional storms that may involve fear, anger, and frustration.
Social intelligence involves “attunement” to others. It includes the ability to anticipate the actions of
others and to work with others.
In terms of general intelligence, both Scanlan and Robertson were apparently intelligent.
Although Robertson did not have a lot of formal education, it clearly valued learning. Scanlan was
especially proficient in writing.
In terms of emotional intelligence, both appear to have had the ability to tap down their
feelings, but not necessarily in constructive ways. As a sniper in Viet Nam, Robertson had to have had
the ability to act in spite of his emotions. In context, this was necessary. Scanlan was apparently a caring
person, but seemed to constrain his emotions in ways that prevented him from being an effective
administrator. Perhaps he can be “forgiven” for this given the times in which he lived. But, in my
opinion, emotional maturity is not always evident as am ability to hold in what one is feeling. The
“heart” aspects of administration as perhaps as important as the “head” aspects.
In terms of social intelligence, it is very evident that Robertson had the ability to work with
angry citizens. We don’t have a lot of information about his social abilities in other contexts. But as a
successful department head, he almost certainly had to have the ability to attend formal dinners as well
as to work with his men on the streets. We don’t have much evidence regarding Scanlan’s social skills.