The communication of an organizational change vision is a key to the success of organizational transformation. Theorists have prescribed models of how to make change vision communication successful but these models have no empirical data to support them. The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of change agents in communicating a change vision that compels employees to accept a perception of reality (mental model) that aligned with the change agents' vision. A case study of the merger of two metropolitan agencies was conducted to examine the relationship between the communication of a change vision and its effect on organizational change. The primary change agent and several organizational members affected by the transformation were interviewed. Primary and secondary organizational documents concerning the merger were collected. Mental models from organizational members were compared for similarity to the change agent's vision. Written and oral materials communicating the change vision were analyzed using Automap text analysis software as a measure of effectiveness and to determine which type of communication was most effective. Findings suggest that the change agent's vision was poorly defined and communicated yet the transformation succeeded because organizational members created their own compensating change vision. Social change implications of this study may include challenging unproductive methods of organizational change that have wasted resources and led to organizational misalignment. A better understanding of the communication of change visions will lead to cost savings and more effective and efficient change efforts that benefit managers, employees and the customers of public agency services.

Research literature identifies ethical leadership, a leadership grounded in ethical norms and practice, as a critical vehicle for achieving organizational goals and fostering good governance. However, little research on leadership has focused on the public sector, leaving a gap in the literature. Leadership in governance is a concern in local government in Nigeria; in spite of the 1976 reforms, the country still lacks good governance and corresponding socioeconomic development. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore an ethical leadership model, and determine how such a model could inspire and sustain good governance in Nigerian local government administration. Ethical theories of utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics comprised the theoretical frameworks for this study. Research questions focused on the ways in which Nigerian local council officials attempted to foster and sustain good governance via ethical leadership. Face-to-face interviews with open-ended questions were conducted with 25 civil service employees purposefully selected from a local government. Data were analyzed by identifying themes utilizing constant comparison; these themes included honesty, concern for people, citizen participation, accountability, transparency, and rule of law. Results indicated a preference for an ethical leadership style, with the potential to harness resources to develop Nigeria's socioeconomic situation and improve the quality of governance. The implications for positive social change lie in informing public officials of the value and attributes of an ethical leadership style as well as training institutional leaders on this model. As ethical leadership is fostered in public administration, socioeconomic and human development may follow.

Based on the Government Performance and Results Act, the United States Air Force is transforming its business through e-government, the adoption of information technology enabled enterprise business systems. The problem this research addressed was the lack of theory on implementation success of enterprise business systems, especially when users perceive that organizational mission and the value of the systems differ from the enterprise vision and goals. The purpose of the study was to conceptualize the acceptance of enterprise business systems by internal users. The research was based on theories about the influence and interaction of drivers of technology adoption and user acceptance. The critical research questions involved exploring the internal users' perceptions of the value of the systems, what users need, and how those perceptions align with the vision and goals of their organization and the enterprise business systems. Grounded theory was used to construct a theory of the value and acceptance of the enterprise systems from the users' perspectives and experiences. Data were collected from twelve study participants using open-ended and semi-structured interview questions. The data were analyzed using an iterative comparative process to derive commonalities and differences among user value. The findings demonstrated that when internal users value an enterprise business system, shared understanding of the vision the system will be effective and efficient and will meet organizational goals. These findings can be used to improve the alignment of the Air Force systems' value for the user and the enterprise, increase the transparency in IT transformations, and enhance the effectiveness of enterprise system change initiatives, thus resulting in overall reduced business costs.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2009. / "Graduate Program in Public Administration." Includes bibliographical references (p. 197-208).

Tenure can affect administrative continuity and proper governance in cities that employ the council-manager form of government, as most public policy proposals originate with the city manager. Literature regarding low tenure in medium and large communities is relatively well explored; however, little is known about the relationship between length of service and leadership style among small municipalities. Using Hersey and Blanchard's theory of situational leadership as a theoretical framework and the Leadership Behavioral Analysis IIRTM Self (LBAIIRTM Self) as an instrument, this study looked at managers' leadership flexibility and effectiveness and whether selection of an appropriate leadership approach impacts length of service in the city manager role. An additional questionnaire was used to determine gender, educational level, the racial homogeneity of the community served, and tenure. A random sample of 350 city managers of small municipalities were surveyed by mail and 25 percent of the surveys were returned (n = 90). Data were analyzed using Pearson product moment correlations and t-tests. Findings indicate that there are no statistically significant relationships between any of these variables, including tenure, and a manager's leadership flexibility and effectiveness, suggesting that leadership ability and tenure are not related. These findings are not consistent with the academic literature regarding public leadership. This study contributes to social change by providing city managers and other municipal leaders with more nuanced information about tenure and leadership and can be used by city managers and city councils in making policy decisions, including decisions about appointment to the city manager position.

The study's objective is to examine the implementation of the Upward Mobility Program (UM) in the Atlanta Regional Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and other selected federal agencies. It is the writer's view that the spirit of the program is an admirable one since it attempts to qualitatively improve the skills and elevate lower GS grade employees to higher grades. In its analysis of the implementation of UM the study discovers important gaps between the promise and performance of the program. Management's commitment to the program varies from agency to agency. Employees participation in the program is low, largely because of insufficient knowledge about the program and general inactivity in some agencies. OPM, where the writer was interned, exhibited ineffective implementation and therefore few employees actually benefit from UM. Knowledge about OPM's ineffective Upward Mobility Program was obtained through participant observation and interviewing relevant employees. Information on the other agencies discussed in the study was obtained from secondary data.

The objective of this thesis is to present a rational plan of procedures designed to facilitate operation at the Fulton County Juvenile Court in the event of civil unrest, causing an influx of juveniles. Additionally, discussions have been presented to illustrate the need for this type of plan at the Fulton County Juvenile Court. During civil disorder, the Fulton County Juvenile Court increases the probability of reducing its effectiveness and efficiency without a plan which directs court personnel regarding who will do what, when, where, and for how long. In processing juveniles in a manner which underscores the seriousness of act they commit, legislated time-limits must also be observed lest the rights of juveniles be abridged. As the Wayne County Juvenile Court of Detroit, Michigan experienced with its plan during civil unrest, the following were invaluable: (1) a prior determination of what or who will declare an emergency, and, (2) outlined communication, detention, intake, judicial, security, and general procedures. This plan for the Fulton County Juvenile Court has the same inclusions. The primary sources of information included The Anatomy of a Riot by James H. Lincoln, Task Force studies on civil disorders and observations of juvenile court procedures by the writer. Other data was gathered from interviews and a juvenile court plan of Los Angeles, California.

This paper gives an analysis of the causes of the high level of vacancies in the various housing projects of the Atlanta Housing Authority. Problems related to overall management, repairs, maintenance and leasing process are seen as factors contributing to the vacancies. Recommendations are offered to correct the problems. Included among the recommendations is a complete revamping of the process by which prospective tenants ascend to eligibility for choosing or rejecting available units.

The primary intent of this degree paper is to analyze the fiscal impact of nonresidential development on annexed territory in the City of East Point, Georgia. The analysis projects the direct, current, public costs and revenues associated with nonresidential development on one hundred fifty (150) acres of annexed land. The analysis considers the current costs and revenues of the development as if it were completed and operating today. The Proportional Valuation Method (PVM), developed by Robert W. Burchell and David Listokin (1980) was used to conduct the analysis. PVM is an average costing approach used to project the impact of nonresidential development on local costs and revenues. The method assigns costs attributable to the share of the real property value that nonresidential use adds to a city's real property tax base. The method employs a two step process to assign a share of municipal costs to the new development. First, a share of the city's total operating expenditures is given to all local nonresidential uses. Second, a portion of these nonresidential costs is allocated to the incoming nonresidential facility. The purpose of this study is to determine the costs and revenues associated with the development of an office industrial park complex on 150 acres of nonresidential land acquired by the City of East Point, Georgia. This study is significant because of the fact that the analysis provides useful information which the officials of the City of East Point can use to determine whether the annexation will impact positively on the revenue base of the city. The findings indicate that there is the possibility that the city's goal of increasing its revenue base can be realized. The estimated costs that the city will incur from the development totaled $365,775 while estimated revenues to be generated totaled $12,381,452.36. A net surplus of $12,015,677.36 will therefore come to the city as a result of this acquisition.

The purpose of this study is to isolate some of the major managerial problems prevalent in the City of Muskegon Heights, Michigan, to elaborate on some of the contributing factors leading to these problems, and to make some recommendations on the fiscal future of this city in view of these problems. No effort is made to deal with the political situation of the City. The writer recognizes that the political problems are indeed serious and that they do impact on the managerial problems. However, the identification and magnification of the political problems require an independent effort altogether. It is virtually impossible to identify and illuminate of magnify each managerial problem as it effects service delivery. But the major ones are discussed to a considerable extent thus allowing the reader a broad view of this city's municipal operation.