Excellence in Administrative Leadership: an Examination of Six US Federal Execucrats

  • Norma M. Riccucci
Chapter
Part of the Transforming Government book series (TRGO)

Abstract

The literatures of public administration and organizational studies abound with theories of, and approaches to leadership and management. From the early writings of Chester Barnard (1938) to the presentday treatises of such scholars as Denhardt (1993), Lynn (1987; 1984), Cayer (1989), Bryson and Crosby (1992), and Faerman et al. (1990), students of public administration and administrative behaviour have been stocked with ‘methods of effective leadership’, ‘ingredients for managerial success’, and the like. The array of leadership theories reflects, in part, the fundamental disagreements about the precise meaning of leadership (Cayer, 1989; Gortner, Mahler and Nicholson, 1987). Despite the lack of an orthodox approach to studying leadership, several contemporary scholars of organizations have advanced frameworks for the study of leadership that coalesce the common components of leadership theories, thus providing a synthesized foundation for examining effective leadership in public institutions. One such theorist is Denhardt (1993), who, through in-depth discussions with public managers in Australia, Canada, Great Britain and the United States, proffers five characteristics of effective leadership: (1) a commitment to values; (2) serving the public; (3) empowerment and shared leadership; (4) pragmatic incrementalism; and (5) a dedication to public service.

Keywords

Personal Interview Leadership Behaviour Effective Leadership Shared Leadership Small Business Administration 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Barnard, Chester I. (1938) The Functions of the Executive (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press).Google Scholar
  2. Bryson, John M. and Barbara C. Crosby (1992) Leadership for the Common Good: Tackling Public Problems in a Shared-Power World (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.).Google Scholar
  3. Cayer, N. Joseph (1989) ‘Qualities of Successful Program Managers’. In Robert E. Cleary and Nicholas Henry (eds), Managing Public Programs (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass).Google Scholar
  4. Cooper, Terry L. and N. Dale Wright (eds) (1992) Exemplary Public Administrators (San Francisco: Jossey Bass).Google Scholar
  5. Curran, Dr. James. Personal interview, 8 Feb. 1994.Google Scholar
  6. Denhardt, Robert B. (1993) The Pursuit of Significance: Strategies for Managerial Success in Public Organizations (Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Publishing).Google Scholar
  7. Doig, Jameson W. and Erwin C. Hargrove (eds) (1987) Leadership and Innovation: a Biographical Perspective on Entrepreneurs in Government (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press).Google Scholar
  8. Doniger, David. Personal interview, 22 July 1992.Google Scholar
  9. Faerman, Sue R., Robert E. Quinn, Michael P. Thompson and Michael R. McGrath (1990) A Framework for Excellence (Albany, NY: Governor’s Office of Employee Relations).Google Scholar
  10. Fay, Kevin. Personal interview, 24 July 1992.Google Scholar
  11. Gortner, Harold F., Julianne Mahler and Jeanne Bell Nicholson (1987) Organization Theory: a Public Perspective (Chicago: the Dorsey Press).Google Scholar
  12. Grad, Dr Rae K. Personal interview, 24 Sep. 1992.Google Scholar
  13. Gray, Ed. Personal interview, 10 March 1993.Google Scholar
  14. Hargrove, Erwin C. and John C. Glidewell (eds) (1990) Impossible fobs in Public Management (Lawrence, Kan.: University Press of Kansas).Google Scholar
  15. Hassan, Rashida. Personal interview, 23 Feb. 1994.Google Scholar
  16. Hughes, Dr Mary. Personal interview, 9 June 1993.Google Scholar
  17. Hurd, Dave. Personal interview, 21 Sept. 1992.Google Scholar
  18. Jones, Debbie (SBA’s Special Agent in Charge, Los Angeles, California). Personal interview, 1 July 1993.Google Scholar
  19. Katz, Ruth. Personal interview, 19 April 1993.Google Scholar
  20. Koop, Dr C. Everett. Personal interview, 22 April 1993.Google Scholar
  21. Lewis, Eugene. (1980) Public Entrepreneurship (Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press).Google Scholar
  22. Lynn, Laurence E., Jr (1987) Managing Public Policy (Boston: Little, Brown and Company).Google Scholar
  23. Lynn, Laurence E., Jr (1984) ‘The Reagan Administration and the Penitent Bureaucracy’. In Lester M. Salamon and Michael S. Lund (eds), The Reagan Presidency and the Governing of America (Washington, DC: the Urban Institute Press).Google Scholar
  24. Marchetta, Steven (former Special Agent, SBA). Personal interview, 22 Sept. 1992.Google Scholar
  25. McPherson, Dr Merle. Personal interview, 10 June 1993.Google Scholar
  26. Riccucci, Norma M. (1995) Unsung Heroes: Federal Execucrats Making a Difference (Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press).Google Scholar
  27. Shultz, Secretary George P. Personal interview, 24 Nov. 1993.Google Scholar
  28. Weiss, Marina. Personal interview, 20 April 1993.Google Scholar
  29. Will, Madeleine. Personal interview, 22 April 1993.Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited 2000

Authors and Affiliations

  • Norma M. Riccucci
    • 1
    • 2
  1. 1.Rockefeller College of the UniversityAlbanyUSA
  2. 2.State University of New YorkUSA

Personalised recommendations