Heather Getha-Taylor

Identifying Collaborative Competencies

Increasingly, federal organizations must work together with other organizations to jointly produce public value. Thus, it is important for public employees to develop critical collaborative skills. The National Academy of Public Administration affirmed this by calling for a focus on collaborative competencies, but the question remained: What are collaborative competencies? Many skills are theoretically connected to collaboration, but these links have not been tested empirically. Following the methodology developed by McClelland and furthered by Spencer and Spencer, this article presents the results of a collaborative competency study. This investigation involved the use of matched criterion samples (superior versus average collaborators) from the federal government. Individuals in the criterion samples were interviewed using the behavioral event interview design to identify differentiating competencies and create a competency model for future validation.

Leadership in the Public Sector Models and Assumptions for Leadership Development in the Federal Government

To fill the need for leaders and change agents throughout all levels of federal agencies, public sector human resource managers are now called on to develop innovative leadership development programs. Developing leaders for the 21st century requires attention to workforce trends as well as flexibility and creativity. Federal government leadership development programs need to address special leadership concerns of public agency managers, including creative thinking, collaboration, cross-organizational team building, and leading for results. This research provides overviews of federal leadership development programs and includes average and exemplary models. Lessons learned from this research offer a new set of leadership development assumptions for the public sector. Data were gathered from document analysis, preliminary network interviews, and in-depth personal interviews with program designers and participants.

Cross-Sector Understanding and Trust

Trust is a foundational element for effective collaboration. Since lack of understanding and trust can hamper effectiveness, building trust is a priority and a challenge for public managers partnering across organizational and sectoral boundaries. Interviews with cross-sector collaborators indicate that the challenge is based in part on inadequate cross-sector understanding. Studying successful cross-sector partnerships can thus inform scholarship and practice. This article applies existing trust frameworks to qualitative partnership data. Findings reveal that trust is exhibited in different ways, depending on the type of partnership. While scholarship calls for integrated treatments of trust, this research suggests that collaborative trust may be interpreted differently across sectors and partnerships.

Competency Model Design and Assessment: Findings and Future Directions

Competency models offer potential for defining effective and/or superior performance and then aligning curriculum and other learning opportunities with individual development goals. However, barriers exist that prevent optimal use of competency models, including difficulty identifying competencies and assessing development appropriately. This paper presents insights based on the design and implementation of a competency model for MPA students at the University of Kansas. Goals of this multiyear effort include (a) helping students assess their development as they progress through the MPA program, (b) linking competencies to curriculum and experiential learning opportunities, and (c) assessing progress using multiple evaluations over time. This paper considers associated challenges, including competency identification, assessment, and the need to capture emerging competencies.

Considering the Effects of Time on Leadership Development A Local Government Training Evaluation

As local governments across the United States adapt to economic shifts, workforce reshaping, and continued demand for services, training to confront these challenges has become more important. However, training resources are limited, investment in these programs is not always prioritized, and evaluating outcomes is difficult. This study analyzes data from a local government leadership development program to examine training impacts over time. It focuses on leadership skills and the ways in which individual’s self-assessments change over time. The findings indicate that although leadership training is an important factor in the development of both conceptual and interpersonal leadership skills, the long-term effects of training on these two types of skills vary significantly. Understanding the training effect decay associated with leadership skills development can help human resource managers and public organizations strategically plan, evaluate, and invest in these training activities to better prepare their workforce to meet future challenges.

Public service motivation and willingness to collaborate: An examination in the context of homeland security

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to examine public service motivation (PSM) and the connection with collaborative attitudes among a sample of homeland security actors representing the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Design/methodology/approach - – This study examines relationships between measures of PSM and collaboration using original survey data and hierarchical multiple regression. Findings - – Findings reveal strong positive relationships between PSM measures and attitudes toward collaboration at the individual and organizational level. Research limitations/implications - – Survey results are cross-sectional and are from respondents participating in a single states homeland security summit. Practical implications - – It is expected that results can be used to enhance collaboration at the individual and organizational levels. At the organizational level, results can be used for matching individuals with collaborative opportunities. At the individual level, results can be used for enhanced self-reflection and effectiveness purposes. Originality/value - – This study provides insights on the relationship between PSM measures and collaborative attitudes. The research contributes to the body of scholarly work connecting PSM and correlates of interest.

The Problem with Automated Ethics

According to the Association for Safe International Road Travel, nearly 1.3 million people die worldwide each year as a result of traffic accidents. Given the tragic prevalence of these events, it is unusual for any one incident to attract widespread attention. Yet, on May 7, 2016, one accident did just that. Joshua Brown was killed when his Tesla Model S plowed into a tractor-trailer in Florida while traveling at 65 miles per hour. At the time of the accident, Brown was using the car’s Autopilot feature, which did not activate the braking system because it did not detect the vehicle crossing Brown’s path against the background of a bright sky. Reports on Brown’s fatal crash called into question both the safety and the wisdom of self-driving cars, including the decision-making processes that must be programmed into these autonomous vehicles. While Tesla defends the safety of its Autopilot feature, other car manufacturers are testing the waters of autonomous vehicles with some hesitation. Reports indicate that Audi and GM, for example, are approaching this new era of automobile technology in incremental ways to address a variety of connected human and technical issues. One of the most difficult issues is related to the ethical aspects of autonomous car design. Specifically, car manufacturers must decide the rules for guiding the car when lives are at stake. In these situations, the car makes life-or-death choices, notably whether passengers or pedestrians are prioritized. The writer George Dvorsky aptly noted that we have entered an age when Foot’s classic “Trolley problem” is no longer just a thought exercise in choosing between two evils. A 2016 Science study by Bonnefon, Shariff, and Rahwan found that survey participants approved of autonomous vehicles that are programmed to sacrifice passengers in order to save others, but at the same time, they would not want to ride in such vehicles. This finding reveals the contrast between the utilitarian ethic (“save the most lives”) ethic and the survival instinct (“but me first”). This study is a reminder that while there may be value in machines that are programmed to prioritize the greater good, our own human condition affects emerging technologies. Transportation is not the only arena where this impact is seen. Rather, as the world

Are Competencies Universal or Situational? A State-Level Investigation of Collaborative Competencies

Pioneering work on competencies provided evidence that traits, motives, and self-concepts predict success in a particular job context. Research furthered this line of investigation by identifying competencies that apply across jobs. Together, these competency studies introduced a question that endures today: “Are competencies situational or universal?” This research examines this question in the context of collaborative competencies. Given the contemporary emphasis on working effectively across boundaries, this state-level investigation identifies differentiating competencies and behavioral indicators that both support and expand existing federal-level research findings on collaborative competencies. This study’s answer to the enduring question is yes: There are universal collaborative competency dimensions and context matters in terms of application and interpretation.

Policy Parallels Applying Lessons From CSRA Chief Architect Alan K. Campbell to Contemporary Personnel Reform Efforts

The 1978 Civil Service Reform Act may be considered President Carters most impressive domestic political victory. This victory can be linked to the efforts of many, but specifically to Alan K. (Scotty) Campbell, who served as the chief architect of the legislation and began implementing the act as first director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Thirty years later, personnel reform is again a presidential priority. As part of the 2002 Homeland Security Act, the Bush administration introduced provisions to enhance flexibility and performance, yet the contemporary reforms met considerable resistance. In an effort to compare and contrast these two reform efforts, this article draws upon historical evidence to examine how Campbell effectively engaged diverse stakeholders in the policy design process, why he championed performance-based pay, and how as a political appointee, he guided lasting change on the federal level.

Collaborating in the Absence of Trust? What Collaborative Governance Theory and Practice Can Learn From the Literatures of Conflict Resolution, Psychology, and Law:

Trust is often touted as both an element of success and an outcome of interest in collaboration research, usually without defining the term or acknowledging the possibility of collaborating when trust is diminished or absent. This article broadens our theoretical understanding of the concept of trust, and the ability to collaborate in the absence of trust, by looking at it through the lenses of conflict resolution, psychology, and law. The disciplines examined in this article emphasize diverse approaches to examining trust on the interpersonal, interorganizational, and regime levels. While agreeing that trust is an asset, these disciplines also offer practical strategies for collaborating when trust is diminished or absent. Drawing on the theory and literature of conflict resolution, psychology, and law, we offer the following definition of collaborative trust: Collaborative trust is an individual perception that is the product of one’s assessments, experiences, and dispositions, in which one believes, and is willing to act on, the words, actions, and decisions of others. This can include a reliance on principles, rules, norms, and decision-making procedures that articulate collective expectations.