Reference no: EM132172219

In a minimum of 150 words please answer in detail if you agree or disagree with the conclusion drawn about the summary below on (i) what Egon Guba felt on going to war in Iraq and also the conclusion drawn about (ii) Relationship between public performance and public leadership

Chapter 7 Terms

Privatization—the transferring of governmental services to the private sector resulting in no public sector or governmental involvement

Performance reporting—reports made to the public addressing the current progress of an organization’s performance which ensures transparency and a good relationship with citizens

Input indicators—the financial and personnel resources available within a government agency or program (number of labor hours and a department budget)

Output indicators—expresses the work produced or services provided by the organization which helps determine the quality of the work

Contracting out—the transferring of governmental services to a private sector organizations while still maintaining the oversight of government

Chapter 10 Terms

Feedback—verbal and nonverbal messages which tells how the receiver interpreted the message from the sender; determines whether the message was effectively communicated

Noise—a human communication barrier which results in the misunderstanding or misinterpretation of a verbal or nonverbal message (lack of listening, sound level, poor semantics, lack of feedback)

Reward power—the power to provide rewards (pay, promotions, or rewards) to employees for their achievements or actions

Punishment power—the power to reprimand employees for their actions or failures through firing, ridiculing or disciplining

Trait theory—the idea that true leaders are born with the natural skills and characteristics to lead

Relationship between public performance and public leadership:

There is certainly a relationship between public sector performance and public sector leadership. The performance of an organization can depend on the effectiveness of its leadership. Holzer and Schwester (2016) state that performance goals help motivate employees to work. Another type of motivation that can be exhibited by a leader is reward power (p. 305). Leaders have the power to reward employees for their actions through increased pay, promotions or bonuses.

Planning, organizing, directing, co-ordinating, controlling and implementing are six functions which must be achieved by organizational leaders (Holzer & Schwester, 2016, p. 286). Planning, organizing, directing, co-ordinating all involve a leader determining the steps and responsibilities that must be taken to accomplish a designated goal. This is similar to steps one through three for measuring organizational performance—identifying a problem, designing a purpose statement and classifying program inputs, outcomes, and efficiency indicators (p. 202). The final two functions of organizational leaders, controlling and implementing, coincide with steps four and five of measuring public performance which are setting performance targets are monitoring performance (p. 202).

Lastly, communication is both important for leadership as well as public performance. If leaders do not communicate effectively to employees, public performance could ultimately show failure.

Egon Guba's depictions of public policy in the context of the Case study 7

Perhaps the most relatable conclusion drawn from Egon Guba (1985) states, “The policymaker who persists in balancing off empirical information with political and other value considerations is labeled irrational” (p. 15). In the case study, it is clear that President George W. Bush and his administration made the decision to go to war because of their own political values. They failed to listen to professional military officers and advisors who strongly argued against going to war with Iraq. Guba’s statement depicts the political actions taken in the Bush administration. Throughout Guba’s journal article, he states the result of policy is simply determined by one’s own values and judgments. President Bush appointed Richard Perle to Chair of the Defense Policy Board. Perle was one of the neoconservatives who wrote a letter to Clinton demanding the removal of Saddam Hussein by U.S. forces. His neconservative vision was to ultimately use all military force to invade and take out Saddam. Meanwhile, Richard Haas the Director of Policy and Planning did not believe the U.S. should go to war with Iraq. This is the difference in political policy values by individuals which differs between Bush’s appointed individuals and those not appointed.