Describe need and process theories of motivation. If you are a public manager in the City of Tucson, which motivation theory

Discussion 2: Due July 17

Describe need and process theories of motivation. If you are a public manager in the City of Tucson, which motivation theory (e.g., Maslow’s hierarchy, Alderfer’s ERG, McGregor’s Theory X and Y, Self-determination theory, etc.) would you like to adopt and apply to motivate your employees and why? 

Discussion 3: Due July 24

Describe the similarities and dissimilarities of transformational and transactional leadership styles. Which leadership style do you think is likely to work better in public organizations and why?

Discussion 4: Due July 31

The development of formal rules and procedures is an important aspect of structural analysis. Over time, some organizations develop burdensome rules and procedures, referred to as red tape. However, as mentioned in the lectures, red tape elicits different perceptions from different people. Herbert Kaufman, a noted public administration scholar, went so far as to claim, “one person’s red tape is another person’s cherished procedural safeguard.” Given what you know about the public sector, its values, and the role of public employees in society, do you believe the public sector has a red tape problem? Provide examples to help support your opinion.

Discussion 5: Due August 6

In the face of enormous external challenges that affect every part of your organization, many public and non-profit organizations have finite resources to navigate challenging circumstances. Some scholars would argue that organizations need to focus on the protection of the technical core. In contrast, other scholars would argue that organizations need to focus on adaptation to the new organizational environment. Given what you know about public organizations and external challenges, if you are a leader of one of these organizations, what kinds of strategies do you prefer to implement to cope with external challenges? Provide examples to help support your opinion.

Discussion 6: Due August 11

In theory, collaborative governance is designed to provide all relevant parties with equitable processes and outcomes. However, in reality, there are power imbalance and strategic uncertainty among participating organizations. Effective collaborative governance is hard to be achieved and is even more challenging to be sustained. Do you believe that the collaborative governance approach is still more effective than the market approach or hierarchical approach? Provide examples to help support your opinion.

Discussion 7: Due August 18

Module 7 describes why participation and ethics are important in public management. This module will explain different ways to engage the public in the work of government. In addition, students will analyze ethical dilemmas faced by public administrators.