As a future public administrator, you will want to familiarize yourself with what constitutes excellence in public and nonprofit sector leadership. In this Final Project, you write a profile of a leader who may or may not embody these characteristics of excellence. To do so, select an individual who is especially interesting to you and use what you have explored in this course as a foundation. You may select any contemporary leader of a public (e.g., government), or nonprofit organization (including your own organization) as long as it is someone for whom there is sufficient information to provide an effective analysis of successful management and leadership in public and nonprofit organizations. The leader you interview can function at any management level of the organization, from supervisor to president of the board of trustees.
The analysis should include, but is not limited to, an in-depth examination of the leader, including the following sections: Section I: Introduction (3–5 pages) the introduction will include the context within which the leader works: • A description of the leader’s organization (e.g., the organization’s mission, main stakeholders, constituents, similar organizations). Note: Do not use the actual name of the organization or identifying details. • A description of the setting (e.g., geographical, cultural, socioeconomic) and why it is relevant to the operation of the organization • Any other information about the organization or related background that you think is important to understanding the organization and the leader Section II: Body (9–10 pages) • Write a brief profile of the leader you selected. Describe the leader’s contributions to the organization(s) o Stakeholders (e.g., “followers,” employees, other leaders, community members) o Overall community of Society, if applicable • Provide an example of a situation in which the interviewee demonstrated his or her management abilities. Then provide an example of a situation in which the interviewee demonstrated his or her leadership abilities. Finally, provide an example of where the interviewee believes he or she could have demonstrated management or leadership abilities more successfully, and why. • Provide an example of management strategies the leader used to address an organizational problem (e.g., communicating across the organization, dealing with budget crisis or shortfalls, working with community stakeholders, dealing with team conflicts) • Explain specific behaviors the leader engaged in that were appropriate and that contributed to his or her success. • Use leadership theory (ies) to explain why the behaviors described led to success. • Describe the leader’s style, and provide examples that support your assertion. • Summarize what you believe to be the leader’s strengths and weaknesses as a leader. • Identify and describe a potential or actual ethical or legal issue the leader or to a situation in which the leader was engaged. (Please be sure to ensure the confidentiality of your interview by leaving out identifying details.)
Conclusion: (3 pages) • Provide recommendations to improve the leader’s effectiveness within a public or nonprofit organization.
• Describe a plan of action that tells specifically how you would implement your recommendations. Explain how your plan of action is o Efficient o Feasible o Ethical References should include at least eight scholarly references from academic and professional journals (other than those provided in the Learning Resources), organizational literature, and interviews with key organizational actors and experts. Use the format as outlined in the 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
Tips for conducting the interview:
• Before the interview, try to empty your mind of all preconceptions and factors that could color your observation of the other’s experience. Do not create fixed agendas or pre-determined hypotheses. Plan the open-ended questions you will use. Expect some ambiguity. • Suspend judgment; try not to comment or inject your opinions. Do not be afraid of silence. It may be a time for the person you are talking with to gather thoughts and reflect. Allow the person you are interviewing to “tell his or her story,” and explain how he or she became associated with the organization, past successes, past failures, and future challenges. • Try to create a relaxed atmosphere. Observe body language. The Final Project will be evaluated using the Final Project Rubric located in the Course Information area. Be sure that the Final Project is written using APA format. Information on scholarly writing may be found in the APA manual and at the Walden Writing Center website.
