Undertaking the MPA program has been beneficial as it has helped to change my perspectives regarding public administration. Prior to this program, I had finite knowledge in the area as my undergraduate degree concentrated in Economic administration. As a result, the thoughts that I had regarding public administration were conceived from the experience that I had while interacting with different public agencies. My experience was negative since I characterized public administration with economic inefficiency, lack of customer satisfaction, corruption, redundancy, and poor leadership among other things. However, indulging in the MPA program has helped in changing the perspectives that I harbor towards public administration.

Reflecting on my MPA experience, I get to understand that I had limited understanding when it comes to public administration and public service.  Along the way, I have realized how I had limited experience with regards to this field. When I thought of public administration, the only thing that came to mind was the government. However, I was not sure what exactly about the government was prevalent in this scope. My understanding of the MPA program itself has changed. Now I understand that with the right MPA program (like the one I have encountered),  one is likely to develop competencies in areas like budgeting, decision making, leadership, financial management, strategic management, process improvement, personnel administration, legislative analysis, information systems and political advocacy among others.

Through the program, I have identified three vital areas in public administration; leadership, sustainability and education. When it comes to sustainability, I have been able to learn that a country ought to have a sustainable government with the ability to adapt to relevant government changes. The program has supplied me with the knowledge to understand that traditional governments are no longer effective in the current environment. Through the MPA program, I have learned a sustainable government requires relevant stakeholders to address issues of flexibility in government systems and intergovernmental relations. Addressing the issues will help in ensuring that there is effectiveness when it comes to public service.

I did not have sufficient understanding of intergovernmental relations or how it would be applied effectively before undertaking the MPA program. Now I understand that the need for intergovernmental relations is even growing with the increased privatization and establishment of networks in the provision of government services. There is the need of having public leaders with a specific skill set such as the ability to conceptualize network systems and the integration of the network across different agencies while applying intergovernmental relations. It is also through the MPA program that I have learned that a sustainable government is characterized by the flexibility of systems. The systems devised should not have unnecessary restraints and should also accommodate the increasingly complex and changing society.  It is important for the employees involved to understand the importance of being public value-oriented rather than being program-oriented in the process of trying to achieve public service objectives.

When it comes to leadership, I had my own opinions before venturing into the MPA program. This was based on past experiences where I had encountered controlling managers as a result of top-down management practices. I only viewed leadership as a way of describing a glorified manager. However, the program has helped me to develop new ideologies regarding leadership. Now I have the understanding that effective leadership in public administration requires passion to execute the tasks allocated effectively. A good leader should always yearn to earn the trust of the public as this makes their work easier. When the public trusts you, it becomes easy to execute the allocated duties since they are not skeptical of the actions being undertaken. It is also important for leaders to promote transparency, social equity and making ethical decisions likely to be responsive to citizens and not political constituents. It is also important to enhance delegation while in leadership to help empower junior employees and spearhead their growth in one way or another. There are those principles that public service leaders are expected to uphold at all times. These principles ensure that the leaders are headed in the desired direction at all times.  The principles seem universal as those applicable in one country are similar to the ones being used in another country. This is an indication of the universality of public administration.

My perception of leadership styles has also changed after undertaking the MPA program. I used to think that there is the existence of a superior leadership style compared to the others. This perception has changed as I have learned new insights that I was not privy of. I have learned that there is no superior leadership style, and it is all dependent on the circumstances of that period. A particular style might be effective in a certain situation while at the same time it is ineffective in a different situation. As a result, leaders should not have a rigid mindset on the style they intend to use. It is appropriate to assess the situation at hand before deciding on the style to adopt. This is regardless of whether they favor the most suitable style for that particular circumstance or not.

With regards to education, I have always valued the prospects of education as I see it as an integral tool in career advancement. While undertaking the MPA program, I have been able to understand that political leaders and public administrators can prioritize education and ensure it is adequately funded in all relevant areas. It is important for public administrators to learn the art of compromise when dealing with such public issues to help achieve the greater good. I have also had the ability to learn the importance of education in the workplace towards the employees. This comes in terms of training and development to help them serve the public in the best way possible. The process involved helps to facilitate the communication of goals and objectives hence linking policy making to policy implementation. When employees are knowledgeable, the work environment becomes positive due to the relevant competence hence more productive. Using more knowledgeable employees means that the public is likely to get a better service from the relevant agencies.

I used to believe that graduate school was more about endless theory that is not related to practical application before I enrolled in the MPA program. My mindset has changed on this issue as I near to complete my program due to the valuable skill set that I have immersed. Now I see education as an integral element for the vitality of any nation. Education makes it easy to understand processes and have ideas of how to advance them further. That is why there are merit systems while recruiting for the public service to ensure that employees with the desirable knowledge have been recruited.

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