Introduction

Leading public agencies tend to encounter varied challenges in the day to day operations. The challenges are usually dynamic given that they are caused by different aspects. However, these are challenges that can be solved using different mechanisms. For there to be a lasting solution to a given challenge, it is important for the relevant stakeholders to clearly define and understand the challenge at hand.

Part 1- What is the Primary Challenge for Leading Public Agencies:

Among the primary challenges that leading public agencies encounter includes dealing with numerous stakeholders and availability of limited resources. The agencies have the responsibility to keep employees, election officers, citizens, and the media among others all happy at the same time. This becomes a challenge since the stakeholders have different interests.  The budgets involved are also limited and this makes it even more difficult to meet the needs of these stakeholders. The agencies are obligated to prioritize on areas that they deem to be more important. At some point it even becomes a challenge for the agencies to maintain commitment at all times of public service to the citizens of the community rather than be concerned with one’s agency and the benefits for one’s agency.

‘People’s interests’ always come first for any public agency and that is because public agencies have to be committed to this public service ethos.   It is most important for the public agency to use their budgets to advance the interests of citizens and advance their interests.   Of course, the stakeholders within the government and business community may not agree with these decisions and policies that serve the citizens first and advance the people’s interests ahead of everyone else’s interests.

The public agencies’ personnel have to all be committed to this priority of serving the citizens rather than these powerful groups. For example, assume powerful government leaders align with powerful business groups to develop a valued piece of real estate for free enterprise to advance the business interests and economic interests of the local area.   However, the vast majority of the citizens desire this piece of property to be developed into a community recreation area with ball fields, basketball courts, and parks for the younger people.   This means that the public agency is responsible for weighing the interests of all stakeholders like public officials, public worker, and citizens of community, and deciding what direction to pursue, and therefore these citizens have to be given priority interest and their considerations have to be valued by the public agency.

Part 2- What Solutions Do You Suggest

Among my suggestions is that leading public agencies have to be firm, clear, and transparent about their mission, functions, and vision as public agencies.  This will help to deal with the challenge of serving different stakeholders.  The agencies are designed to serve the public interests, and that means the community interests, the people’s interests, including all diverse population groups as fairly and equitably as possible.   It is plain unethical and bad public policy for public agencies to be always beholden to the strongest, wealthiest, and most powerful interest groups in a community.   And that usually means the business groups who wield tremendous advantages and powers compared to the regular people.   These business groups are organized, well financed, and have legal expertise.   They know how to navigate the public sector challenges and obstacles, and know how to greatly influence public agencies, when appropriate and necessary, to achieve their priorities and objectives.

There is also a need of being conscious with the leadership styles that are being adopted in the agency. For example, the leaders should always use a style that helps to motivate employees. This will ensure that employees develop a sense of commitment when it comes to execution of public needs. Motivated employees will be able to deal with any challenges that might occur along the way since they are driven. How a solution is implemented in itself determines the level of success that will be actualized.

Part 3- How Can New Public Service According to Denhardt help Formulate Appropriate Leadership Strategies

Denhardt and Denhardt frame this New Public Service framework as a way to help develop more appropriate leadership strategies for public agencies and public organizations.   It calls for a move away from the market-based approaches as well as the traditional bureaucratic approaches.   The New Public Service framework emphasizes: (1) that public agencies and public administrators are all about helping citizens understand their important function and role in shaping public agendas and public policies, (2) that instead of pushing agendas and policies on citizens, public agencies must motivate citizens to participate in shaping them, (3) that public agencies should engage in educating citizens to learn how to participate in public sector decision making, (4) that public agencies must motivate citizens to emphasize democratic processes, democratic actions, and democratic values, (5) that public agencies must take into account the law, community, values, and citizen interests, (6) that public agencies promote fairness and equity in serving the larger public, and (7) that public agencies should not behave as if public money is their own.

In this context, public administrators and public agencies become partners and collaborators with citizens rather than authorities.   In turn, the citizens become more civic minded and more aware of how to participate in these public sector activities and policymaking to help shape agendas that respond to their collective needs. For example, in the example of this imaginary dispute for a piece of valued real estate becoming a community recreational area rather than a private business park, this New Public Service framework would have citizens participating in this debate process, having them air out their views and concerns, and having the business groups and government leaders wanting the business park understand the importance of this need for a community recreational area.  In this context, the stakeholders are debating openly and in detail their views, opinions, and values to each other directly.   It builds trust, respect, and transparency among the interest groups, stakeholders, and citizens of any given community.

Conclusion

It is apparent that the major challenge that public agencies face is maintaining commitment towards the public in light of other relevant stakeholders like business groups. As a result, public agencies have to be clear and transparent with their missions and functions towards the public to eliminate the eminent challenges.

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