Public Administration

Question

Please read two samples and instruction. Then use all sources I uploaded. The Q1-sources are used to answer the question 1. And the Q2-sources are used to answer the question2.

Answer

112861849 Public Administration 

8pg, 13 sources, essay, public administration, masters, APA

1. Write an essay on how and why management in the public sector is different from management in the private sector. How is it the same? (1250 words max)
2. Read the case “Improving Decision Making and Patron Service in the King County Library System (A)”. Write an essay diagnosing the problems and offering solutions. Provide references from class material to support your analysis. (1,250 words max)

1. Write an essay on how and why management in the public sector is different from management in the private sector. How is it the same? (1250 words max)

Similarities

There are a number of similarities between management in the public sector and in the private sector. In both the public and private sectors, management involves planning, organizing, directing, staffing, reporting, coordinating, and budgeting with a view to achieving results. Managers in both private sectors must establish objectives and priorities for their respective organizations as well as devise operational plans to facilitate the achievement of these objectives.

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There is also a similarity in terms of the management of internal components, mainly through organizing and staffing. Managers in both private and public sectors must establish structures and procedures for coordinating activities and taking action. They must also engage in staffing by trying to ensure that the right persons are selected to handle various key jobs. In both public and private sectors, internal components are also managed by directing personnel primarily through a personnel management system. Within this system, focus is on the skills and knowledge of various members of the organization. Through the personnel management system, both private and public organizations go about the task of building human capital by recruiting, selecting, socializing, training, rewarding, and punishing employees. These activities play a critical role in the organizations’ efforts to achieve their states objective as well as respond appropriately to management’s specific directions. The same case applies to the task of controlling performance, whereby management information systems are being used in both public and private sectors. These management systems play a critical role in operations relating to capital and operating budgets, reports, accounts, product evaluation, and performance appraisals. Thus, they assist management in decision making as well as the task of measuring progress towards goals.

Management in public sector is also similar to management in the private sector in terms of the way external constituencies are managed. For example, in both public and private organizations, most general managers are required to deal with managers of other unities within larger organizational frameworks above, below, or laterally with the objective of achieving the objective of their respective units.

There is also a similarity in terms of the way managers of private and public organizations deal with independent organizations such as levels of government, private enterprises, and interest groups. These entities have a significant impact on the operations in both public and private sectors. The same case applies in regards to the ways in which both private and public organizations deal with the public as well as the press. The press can shape public opinion in respect of both private and public organizations. Similarly, the need to maintain a positive image in the eyes of the public is crucial in both the public and private sectors.

Differences

                Despite the similarities between management in public and private sectors, there are certain ways in which identical functions take on a different meaning in the context of the two settings. One difference is that managers of public organizations tend to operate on short time horizons that are dictated by the political calendar. In contrast, private managers operate on a longer time perspective that is dictated by organization building, technological developments, and market dynamics. On the other hand, government managers tend to operate on a relatively shorter tenure while private managers can stay in the same position within a longer tenure.

                In the case of government managers, there is no consensus regarding standards for measuring performance. In contrast, the performance of private managers is traditionally appraised based on financial return and market share. Managers of private companies expect to be judged by profitability. Thus, they also judge their subordinates based on profitability as well. There is consensus in the business world regarding the definition of profit as the legitimate bottom line for all private companies. Whereas chief executives of private are expected to bring high huge financial returns for their companies, heads of government institutions are required to meet unique public expectations mainly in terms of fairness, accountability, honesty, and responsiveness. At the same time, conflict tends to occur between the civil service and political appointees in public management. In private management, there is a considerably greater latitude in the way subordinates are managed even when aspects of collective bargaining are put into consideration.

                There is also a significant difference between public and private management in terms of equity and efficiency. In public management, a lot of emphasis is on the need to provide equity for a wide range of constituencies. In contrast, private business management places greater emphasis on competitive performance and efficiency. The need for equity in public management arises primarily due to the high level of public scrutiny to which they are subjected. Conversely, private businesses are to a large extent governed by internal processes that are more or less hidden from public review. One way in which public review is undertaken is through the media. Most of the activities of government managers attract widespread media attention while many private management decisions go unreported in the media. In private management, there is an element of exceptionality in terms of the issues than a company’s chief executive can highlight in the media. In public management, there is nothing exceptional about the issues a top government official, for example the president, can talk about in the media. The president must routinely address the media, is always accompanied by a retinue of political reporters and commentators. There is always an element of mutual dependence between top government officials and media reporters.

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                Public managers operate under immense pressure from both internal and external groups, hence the need to mediate decisions for purposes of survival. This is largely because functions of government managers are constitutionally allocated to competing institutions, namely the executive, the courts, and Congress. The constitution allocates competing goals in order to preclude abuse of power and not to promote efficiency. Government managers must reconcile the views of many superiors whose views sometimes tend to be contradictory before giving orders to subordinates. The constraints that are often imposed by these processes tend to constrain the freedom by public managers to act. This is contrary to the situation in the private sector, whose managers are typically answerable to only higher authority. Consequently, private managers face a lower risk of contradiction once they give orders to subordinates.

                The bottom line for government managers tends to be unclear. The opposite is true in private management practice, where the bottom line is always clear. In this regard, the most success private managers are those who maximize profits, secure a large market share, and are able to guarantee the company’s survival. For this reason, managers of private companies tend to exert greater organizational control than government managers. They are typically given a free hand to shift structures, set organizational goals, select the personnel of their choice, monitor results, and make business with various stakeholders.

                Public management practice is characterized by an element of coerciveness. Government departments are typically involved in activities that are unavoidable in nature, such as healthcare, education, corrections, welfare, homeland security, and defense. These services are mandatory in any country, and hence financing and consumption of these services is not an optional undertaking for citizens. The resulting unique coercive powers and unique sanctions make government managers operate within an implementation framework that is radically different from that of private managers.

• Read the case “Improving Decision Making and Patron Service in the King County Library System (A)”. Write an essay diagnosing the problems and offering solutions. Provide references from class material to support your analysis. (1,250 words max)

Diagnosis of problems

The director of King County Library System (KCLS), Bill Ptacek, faced the problem of dealing with branch managers who felt disempowered while at the same alleviating the difficulties and tension surrounding the operations of the Director’s Administrative Council (DAC). A major challenge for the KCLS director was to ensure that these dual components of the library system’s operational problems were appropriately resolved.

-absence of a formal way of address the library system’s organizational culture

-personnel’s complaints that the Service Center’s management decisions affected patrons and line staff negatively

-interdepartmental competition within the senior management team at the Service Center.

-complaints about being overworked by senior management team at the Service Center.

-it took a long time for repair work on a microfiche machine to be authorized.

-administration introduced new, complicated programs that branch officials found difficult to implement

–major problem three years after the implementation of a long-range plan: the library system’s internal operations and organization.

-changes in the management practices and organizational culture required for desired goals to be achieved.

-the organizational hierarchy: the traditional structure of hierarchical authority has led to a negative organizational culture of interdepartmental competition.

-assistant director Barbara Tolliver was overwhelmed by the multiplicity of service delivery issues to be addressed. The main problem was that the forum created for that purpose was too large to address the issues effectively. It was not necessary for issues affecting specific branches to be brought up for discussion by the whole forum.

-there was a lack of immediate resolution due to the large number of participants in decision making.

Solutions

-a new forum for middle-level managers should be introduced at the King County Library System (KCLS).

-institutional barriers to the efficiency of the library system should be removed. Removing these barriers will create an environment where clarity can be provided in regards to the video loan period.

-A system of communication between branch staff and senior management should be introduced. This is because the feedback of branch staff is critical for the success of all KCLS programs. Branch personnel can easily become embarrassed while trying to explain a policy they do not agree with.

-senior management should promote finesse in the implementation of all policies within the KCLS.

-the traditional library function relating to the mode of purchasing books should be reinstated.

-proper communication is needed prior to the implementation of new technological innovations within the public library system.

-the perception that the Service Center is engaging in thoughtless neglect must be confronted head-on by promoting line-level input on all service operations.

-branch managers should be accorded greater influence in getting things done within their jurisdictions.

-Monday morning meetings of the DAC should be made more formal.

-team building targeting managers should be introduced in order to promote interaction and communication among them.

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