Abstract:
The cases in this collection, taken from the Kennedy School's Senior Executive Fellows Program for federal public managers, are based on the experiences of public sector managers, and designed for would--be or active practitioners focused on political management. Assembled and written by Dan H. Fenn, Jr., these eleven cases illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of the "Madisonian system." They are written from a managerial perspective, and ask of the participant: "What would I do if I had this problem?" The issues are common ones: How do I deal with an aggressive reporter in a highly controversial political environment? How do I maintain a stance of objectivity when my data is going to affect the outcome of a political struggle? How do I balance the extraordinary talent of an employee against their bizarre personal behavior? Do I really want an entrepreneurial subordinate who upsets my agency and, if so, how do I manage them? How do I decide an issue in the face of highly emotional and conflicting interest groups? How do I deal with a boss who is embarked on what I think is a highly destructive course of action? When do I tell Congress the truth about a failing program that has far-reaching economic and political impacts? The collection includes five stories about boss-subordinate relationships; two involving interest groups; three that deal with the press, the executive, and Congress; and one that encompasses all of the above: Spilling the Beans in Owaho (1745.0), The Problem of Tom (1746.0), A Go-Getter in DOD (1747.0), The Case of the Disgruntled Employee (334.0, 334.1), A Letter to Professor Dutch Leonard (1748.0), Trapped in a Dysfunctional Family (1749.0), Confrontation in Utah (1750.0), The Ad Hoc Conference and Sammy Sockeye (1751.0), The White House Carves the Turkey (1752.0), The Truth, The Whole Truth...or a Reasonable Facsimile (1753.0), Closing the Weather Service Office in Lake City (1754.0).
Learning Objective:
These eleven cases illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of the "Madisonian system." They are written from a managerial perspective, and ask of the participant: "What would I do if I had this problem?" Notes on Classroom Use (1755.2) is also available for this case collection--it is available to faculty and must be accessed separately through the Review Copies Service.
