Team-Building in the Local Jurisdiction: Two Case Studies

Giegold, William C.; Dunsing, Richard J.

doi:10.2307/975412

Cited by 10 publications

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“…One such conceptualization is known as the complementarity view, which maintains that the relationship between elected officials and public administrators can best be represented as a continuum ranging from politics on one end to management on the other end, with policy and administration standing in the middle. The complementarity view acknowledges the differences between elected officials and public administrators, stemming mainly from their distinct perspectives, values, and formal positions; yet what distinguishes the complementarity view from the traditional dichotomy is a strong emphasis on the sharing of responsibilities, ongoing interaction, and reciprocal influences between elected officials and public administrators in the policy‐making process (Giegold 1978; Nalbandian 1994; Svara 2001).…”

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confidence: 99%

The Complementarity View: Exploring a Continuum in Political—Administrative Relations

Demir

2009

Public Administration Review

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Th e politics-administration dichotomy has drawn criticism from contemporary public administration scholars largely because of its lack of descriptive accuracy and particular normative inclinations. In their search for an alternative model to the dichotomy, some scholars developed what is widely known today as complementarity. Although this emerging view received an enthusiastic welcome from many scholars and practitioners, more research has yet to be done to address its conceptual and empirical shortcomings. Using survey data collected from a nationwide sample of city managers, this study explores empirical foundations of the complementarity view of the politics-administration relationship. Specifi cally, the author fi rst identifi es a politics-management continuum based on a review of public administration literature on the complementarity view and then analyzes survey data to see whether the relationship between elected offi cials and public administrators is characterized by complementarity. Th e results of the analysis generally support the complementarity view, in that the responses of city managers mostly parallel the idea of a continuum in elected offi cial-public administrator relationships, a continuum that moves from politics on one end to management on the other end, with various policy and administration activities in the middle. Th is paper aims to make a conceptual and empirical contribution to an important question in public administration.

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confidence: 99%

The Complementarity View: Exploring a Continuum in Political—Administrative Relations

Demir

2009

Public Administration Review

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“…He is therefore more likely to have a broad, immediate impact throughout the community (or get himself fired for his efforts). Recent attempts to apply organization development strategies in local communities offer the hope of an improved repertoire for local managers who seek to develop cooperative relationships with political elites (e.g., Giegold and Dunsing, 1978;Lansky et al, 1978). But OD is a neutral technology insofar as substantive policy goals are concerned, and carries no promise of improved receptivity in local systems of political values.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Administrative Resurgence and Policy Innovation

Rainey

Kline

1979

Administration & Society

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In the continuing controversy over the appropriate role and institutional settings for professional urban management, a renewed emphasis on political initiative is appear-ing—manifested in more activist conceptions of the role of the urban manager, in calls for "convergence" of planning and administration, and in rejection of federal aid programs as a "weakening" influence. This article argues that receptivity in the political environment is the primary determinant of effectiveness for the professionally oriented local manager. To illustrate this point, the interaction of administrators and political leaders is examined in small units of local government, where the scope and diversity of political interests and institutional structures are limited and the functions of professional administration are necessarily consolidated and thrown into close proximity with elected leadership. A series of miniature case histories are presented, concerning general administrative resurgence in local governments in Kentucky during the period of implementation of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. The case histories suggest that the receptivity of local political leaders to policy innovations and the availability of managerial elites who are both technically competent and politically effective are the basic prerequisites for major thrusts toward general local development. Institutional arrangements and federal funding programs act as catalysts to trigger or encourage changes already forthcoming.

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“…A number of scholars examined various challenges that elected officials face in the goal-setting process, largely attributable to the increasingly complex and dynamic political environment as well as limited resources available to elected officials. These authors draw attention to the shifting boundaries between elected officials and public administrators and emphasize new values to define the practice of public administration (Giegold & Dunsing, 1978;White, 1982;Nalbandian, 1990;Nalbandian, 1994;Svara, 1999;Demir, 2009). So, professionalism is no longer considered a force that should keep administrators from getting involved in goal setting for the sake of neutrality, but a value that comports well with collaborative decision-making, which is considered a dictate of our challenging times.…”

Section: Goal Setting: Professionalism Responsiveness and Representmentioning

confidence: 98%

Professionalism, Responsiveness, and Representation: What do They Mean for City Managers?

Demir

2011

International Journal of Public Administration

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public administrators are expected to be responsive to their elected superiors. As representatives of the community, they are expected to voice the concerns and demands of citizens. Professionalism, responsiveness, and representation all are considered fundamental values that must be reflected in administrative decisions and actions. Despite the importance of these three values for public administration, insufficient empirical research has been done to examine what these values mean for public administrators. That is, the critical question that remains unanswered is: "What activities of public administrators are associated with these three values?" Based on a nationwide survey of city managers, this article identifies critical activities in which public administrators get involved, then reduces these activities into factors (dimensions), and finally examines the correlation of these factors with attitudes of city managers towards professionalism, responsiveness, and representation. The findings of this research help make these three values more concrete by associating them with major policy and political activities of city managers.

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Team-Building in the Local Jurisdiction: Two Case Studies

Cited by 10 publications

References 0 publications

The Complementarity View: Exploring a Continuum in Political—Administrative Relations

The Complementarity View: Exploring a Continuum in Political—Administrative Relations

Administrative Resurgence and Policy Innovation

Professionalism, Responsiveness, and Representation: What do They Mean for City Managers?

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