Download PAD5006-001 Wallis

P.AD. 5006/7006 ∆ Spring 2008
LEADERSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
Tuesdays 4-6:45 / Plaza Building M204
Professor Wallis
(303) 315-2829; [email protected]
Office hours: Mondays & Thursdays 11:30-1, Tuesdays 2-4 / other times by appointment
Ethics in public administration typically is taught without direct reference to
leadership theory. Similarly, courses in leadership focus on the tasks and characteristics
of leaders, but often ignore the ethical framework within which leadership is practiced.
Combining leadership and ethics requires that we evaluate the actions of leaders in terms
of whether they serve a larger public purpose and, more broadly, how their actions
comport with the values of their followers and of society.
From this perspective, we will consider questions about means versus ends. If a
leader’s actions are devious but the ends achieved are noble, should the leader be
condemned or praised? Similarly, if the personal life of a leader is disreputable, should
the acts of that leader be held suspect or should public actions be judged independent of
private behavior? What is the role of a leader when neither means nor ends are clear?
In this course we will examine the idea of leadership broadly so as to include elected
leaders as well as managers who are appointed or rise up through the ranks. We will also
consider the leader-follower relationship, specifically in terms of the question of whether
there are circumstances in which a “follower” must disobey the leader in order to satisfy
a larger social obligation.
Course Readings
There are three assigned textbooks for this course. Each of these books employs case
method. If you are not familiar with teaching through the case method, please be aware
that you need to read cases carefully and be prepared to assume the role of any one of the
principal characters in the case.
1. Leadership Without Easy Answers, Ronald Heifetz
2. How Good People Make Tough Choices, Rushworth Kidder
3. Shackleton’sWay, Morrell & Chapell
There will also be a few case studies that you can download from the Xanedu website.
Instructions for downloading are found at the end of this syllabus.
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Grading
Ethical challenges do not admit to easy answers, so the material of this course should
produce lively debate. Your active participation in class is both required and essential.
As part of your participation, I encourage you to bring in newspaper and magazine
clippings that raise issues of ethics and leadership. Ten percent of your grade will be
based on participation.
In addition to class participation, you will be required to complete a research project
which is worth 40 percent of your grade. A separate handout describes this assignment.
There is a midterm exam worth 20 percent and a final examination worth 30 percent of
your grade.
Participation
Research project
Midterm
Final
10
40
20
30
Class will begin on time! If you are more than twenty minutes late you are considered
absent. More than two absences are grounds for a reduced course grade. More than four
absences are grounds for a failing grade. If you must be out for work or a genuine
personal emergency please let me know in writing, preferably in advance.
Finally, identify at least one other person in class who you can call if you have been
absent and need lecture notes. If you are having trouble following the lectures, please feel
free to tape them so that you can replay them as needed.
Syllabus
This course is organized in three parts. In the first part we examine the book
Shackleton’s Way to get an understanding of leader/follower relations and a sense of the
role that emotional intelligence plays in leadership. In part two we focus of the process of
ethical reasoning and developed in How Good People Make Tough Choices. We look
specifically at situations where there is a right vs. right conflict. The last part of the
course looks at the role of adaptive leadership, guided by the book Leadership Without
Easy Answers.
NOTE: ASSIGNMENTS ARE LISTED UNDER THE DATE DUE.
Part One: Leading at the Edge
1. Jan. 22. Course Introduction: Concepts of Leadership
Film excerpts from Patton and Gandhi will be used to explore different ideas of
leadership. We will focus on the theory of adaptive leadership.
2. Jan. 29. The Nature of Leadership I: Shackleton’s Way
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As you read this first half of Shackleton’s Way, consider Shackleton’s leadership
capabilities. Where did they come from: was he born with them or did he develop
them? How did his own earlier experience as a crew member on other expeditions
shape the way he approached creating teams and getting the best from each individual
on his own expeditions?
Assignment
 Shackleton’s Way, -- chapters 1-4
 “Emotional Intelligence of Leaders” by Daniel Goleman (Xanedu)
3. Feb. 5. The Nature of Leadership II: Shackleton’s Way
As you read this second half of Shackleton’s Way, focus on Shackleton’s role in
developing effective teams. Also consider how he addressed conflict, especially the
mutiny by McNeish.
Assignment
 Shackleton’s Way, chapters 5-8.
 “The Emotional Intelligence of Groups,” by Druskat, et al. (Xanedu)
 Complete the Thomas-Kilman conflict scale (handed out in class)

E-mail your research topic. If you are doing a comparative book review, then
send me a list of all books and indicate the critical incident that you intend to
focus on. If you are doing a personal case study, submit a 1-2 paragraph
description of the situation.
Part Two: Ethics
3. Feb. 12. Right vs. Wrong Situations
Lying in office: when is something a lie? What are our expectations for honesty in a
leader? Why should we be concerned about the honesty and accountability of people
in public positions? Is the accountability of those in public office different than those
in the private sector? How do we try to assure accountability in the use of public
authority?
Assignment
 Kidder, chapters 1 - 5. Chapter one summarizes the entire book. You can skim
chapters 2 and 3; read chapters 4 and 5 carefully.
4. Feb. 19. The Machine: Political Leadership & Accountability
Political Machines. For many decades major US cities were run by political machine.
Many regard these machines as very corrupt, but they are also viewed as very
effective. Which perception is correct? How could they be both? We will also be
looking at a clip from the documentary “The Last Boss” as an example of a
transactional leader.
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Reform Politics. The reform tradition arose to counteract the political corruption of
the machines. We examine some of the key elements of reform and their limitations.
Assignment
 Heifetz Chaper 1-2
 Discussion case--“Reforming Prague City Hall.” (Xanedu)
5. Feb. 26. Right vs. Right Situations: Developing a framework for moral reasoning
What is the difference of making ethical decisions when the choice is “right vs.
wrong” or “right vs. right”? What do you do when values conflict? How do you deal
with this problem when it is embedded in a policy discourse?
In class we will be looking at clips from Insomnia, A Man for All Seasons and Gandhi
Assignment
 Kidder, chapters 6-8
6. Mar. 4. When Personal Values and the Responsibilities of Office Conflict.
How does Califano balance his own personal beliefs with the requirements of the
abortion policy he is charged with administering? How do his principal advisors
suggest that he resolve the conflict? What resolution principles do they appear to be
employing?
When official responsibilities conflict: the Steve Judy Case. What is Steve Judy’s
dilemma? How do his principal advisors suggest that he solve it? What resolution
principles do they appear to be employing?
Assignment
 Joseph Califano and the abortion policy decision (class handout)
 Discussion Case--Mayor Steve Judy of Coeur d’Alene (Xanedu case)
Mar. 11. In-class midterm
Part Three: Adaptive Leadership
7. Mar. 18. Nature of Adaptive Work
What is the nature of adaptive work, and under what situations (problem types) is it
appropriate to employ the skills of adaptive leadership?
We will examine these questions by focusing on the ASARCO case. In this case,
EPA director Ruckelshaus involves the public in determining what level of risk is
acceptable. What are the strengths and weakness of such involvement? How does he
try to take into account competing interests?
In class we will be looking at
film clips from Twelve Angry Men.
Assignment
 Heifetz, chapters 3-5
 Discussion case- Managing Environmental Risk: the ASARCO Case. (Xanedu)
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March 25- Spring Break
8. Apr. 1. Innovation and Teamwork in bridging the adaptive gap
Adaptive work often involves the leader engaging the creative thinking of the
followers. In this case, how does Schall do this? How do you think she should
overcome the suspicion with which she is held by long-time employees?
Assignment
 Discussion case--Ellen Schall and the Department of Juvenile Justice (Xanedu)
 “Use of case management as a revitalizing theme in a Juvenile Justice Agency,”
Gilmore and Schall. (reading packet)
 “Notes from a Reflective Practitioner”, Schall. (reading packet)
9. Apr. 8. The two presidencies of LBJ’s: The Voting Rights Act and the war in
Vietnam
How does Johnson structure his relations with Dr. King, Governor Wallace, and
leadership in Congress in working to pass the Voting Rights Act? How does Heifetz
analyze Johnson’s failure in Vietnam?
Film Clips: LBJ (documentary on the American Presidency)
Assignment
 Heifetz, Chapters 7
10. Apr. 15. Exit, Voice, Loyalty
The Whistleblower. Under the administration of President Johnson, US troop build up
in Vietnam escalated rapidly. Daniel Ellsberg was a high-level Pentagon analyst who
realized that the public was being lied to about the build up and whether the war was
being won. He blew the whistle, but at great person cost. What values justify the
whistleblowers actions, what values are violated?
The Loyal Opposition. Blowing the Whistle on your “boss” is an extreme behavior.
More often people express opposition within an organizations. An example is Robert
McNamara’s protests against the War in Vietnam expressed from within the
administration.
Film clip: Fog of War
Assignment
 Heifetz, Chapter 7, pp.150-170 (skim the rest of the chapter)
 Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon papers (reading packet)
 A.O. Hirshman, “Exit Voice and Loyalty: further reflections and a survey of
recent contributions,” <http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=01601997(198022)58%3A3%3C430%3A%22VALFR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-0>
 Research papers due
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11. Apr. 22. Moral authority and informal leadership
How does MLK’s leadership exemplify the notion of adaptive work? From what
source is the authority of his leadership derived?
Film clips: Eyes on the Prize and The Last Boss
Assignment
 Heifetz, chapter 6 & 9
 Read the 1991 Nobel Prize acceptance speech delivered for Aung San Suu
Kyi http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1991/kyiacceptance.html
12. Apr. 29. Leadership without authority & power of symbolic acts
What does it mean to have leadership without authority? What are the sources of a
leader’s power under this condition?
Film (during class): Fundi, The Life of Ella Baker; excerpt from Gandhi
Assignment
 Heifetz, chapter 8
 Read or watch the Nobel Prize acceptance lecture by Wangari Maathai
<http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/2004/maathai-lecture.html>
13. May 6. Class Summary & presentation of selected research papers
May 12. FINAL EXAM (in class open book exam)
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PAD 5006/ Course Research Project
Your research project is worth 40 percent of your grade. I would like you to have a
choice of what you focus on, so you may choose to complete any ONE of the three
assignments listed below. Due dates for selection of a topic and for the final report
are indicated in the syllabus.
1. Comparative Book Reviews: Biographies & Autobiographies
In this assignment you should choose three biographies written about the same leader.
You can also substitute an autobiography for one of the bibliographies. For example,
many recent presidents have written one or more books about their presidency. If you
choose such an autobiography you need to also look at two biographies.
After reading your chosen books, focus in on a specific critical incident where the
individual exercised leadership and/or critical moral judgment. DO NOT
SUMMARIZE THEIR ENTIRE LEADERSHIP CAREER, BUT ONLY PROVIDE
ENOUGH BACKGROUND TO GET US TO THE CRITICAL INCIDENT THAT
YOU HAVE CHOOSEN TO FOCUS ON.
If the critical incident suggests an adaptive leadership challenge, as Heifetz defines it,
then contrast the interpretation of this incident by each selected author. For example, if
you chose books on Abraham Lincoln you might want to focus on how he decided to
issue the Emancipation Proclamation. One author might suggest that Lincoln was
driven by basic values of social justice, whereas another might see him acting out of
political expedience. Again, contrast both interpretation and discuss what theories of
leadership they seem to be informed by. In your analysis you should also discuss
whether the incident that you selected demonstrates effective adaptive leadership as
Heifetz describes it.
If the incident shows how a leader addressed a moral dilemma, then try to apply
Kidder’s form of analysis in contrasting how different authors interpret this situation.
For example, you might choose President Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb
on Japan. How did different biographers portray his decision: as a right vs. right
decision or a right vs. wrong?
Again, if you choose to include an autobiography, you would also focus on a single
incident. For example, you might choose Robert McNamara’s book Argument Without
End, where he discusses US involvement in Vietnam at the time when he was Secretary
of Defense. You would then also read two other books that analyze McNamara’s
leadership in a particular incident in Vietnam, such as the Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Your paper should not exceed ten double-spaced pages. Use appropriate scholarly
citations for all sources using APA citation style.
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2. Comparison of Leadership Theories
There is an enormous leadership literature, especially for leadership in the private
sector. If you choose this assignment, you will read one major leadership text and
compare the leadership theory presented in that book with Heifetz’s theory of
leadership. You may not choose a textbook, since these are summaries of different
theories. Some titles to consider (but you are not limited to these):
- Collaborative Leadership. Chrislip & Larson
- Leadership for Uncertain Times, Wheatley
- The New Science of Leadership, Wheatley
- On Leadership, Gardner
- Leadership, Burns
- Leadership for the Common Good, Whatkins
- Servant Leadership, Greenleaf
- Leadership: The Inner Side of Greatness, Koestenbaum
- The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner
- Courage, Kouzes and Posner
- Encouraging the Heart, Kouzes and Posner
- Principle Centered leadership, Covey
- Leadership on the Line, Heifetz and Linsky
- Leadership and Self-Deception, Arbinger Institute
- Leadership, Guiliani
Your have a limit of 10 double spaced pages excluding references.
3. Personal Case study
In this assignment you will write a personal case study that relates either to an incident in
which you served in a leadership position or in which you faced an ethical dilemma in the
organization in which you work. In the past, some students who have chosen this
assignment have written about an incident in which they were a whistleblower calling
attention to some unethical behavior by their organization or a specific manager.
Alternatively, you could write a case involving leadership and/or ethics in your
organization in which you were involved, but not as the leader. For example, you may
have worked as an assistant to an individual who dealt successfully with a difficult
leadership challenge.
Use this assignment as an opportunity to reflect on your own behavior. Did you or the
leaders involved have alternatives? Why did you or they choose a specific course of
action? What were the consequences? What style of leadership (e.g., following Heifetz
argument) or model of ethic reasoning (e.g., following Kidder’s argument) seemed to be
employed?
If you choose to do this assignment, make sure that you speak with me early on so that
we can clarify and agree on what you will focus on. Your case study should not exceed
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ten double-spaced pages. If you chose to write a personal cases study, the following
should be useful to you.
Tips on Writing an Effective Case
I realize that most of you have limited, if any, experience writing cases. The fact
that we are reading some case this semester should help give you a sense of how to
structure a case, but writing is always a lot different. Here are some suggestions on how
to proceed, but please feel free to pursue other approaches it you feel that they work with
the materials and issues you are dealing with.
• Be clear about the issue(s) you are trying to focus on in the case. Many cases pose
multiple issues, but its good to keep the central one in mind. For example, if you were
writing about the new Denver International Airport you could focus on the city's
relations with the airlines, with other local governments, with the federal government,
etc. It's much easier to decide that—"I'm writing a case about local intergovernmental `relations in connection with the airport"—since this allows you to
focus your research as well as your writing.
• Be clear about the principal stakeholders. It's much easier for someone to follow a
case if you've identified the principal stakeholders (either individuals or groups) early
on, described their interests and then followed how they interacted to arrive at some
decision.
• Be clear about the structure of issues and critical decision points. Every case has a
dramatic story line. You need to understand and communicate this story. Be
especially aware of critical turning points, especially decision points. For example, in
the DIA case, at the beginning the various sides are polarized and ready to sue one
another; then there is a change in attitude which makes a negotiated agreement
possible, but there are significant political costs in attempting to push such an
agreement. The dramatic point in the case is the question about whether all sides will
actually sign-off on an agreement.
• Use supplemental materials to help explain technical points. It often helps the reader's
comprehension if technical issues are elaborated in attachments to the case. For
example, if you were writing a case about Denver's light rail, you might want to
include an attachment which showed estimated construction and operating costs—if
these were things mentioned in the text of the case. Or if you were discussing
DURA's decision to expanded its jurisdiction into lower downtown, a map would be a
useful way of showing the area involved.
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Policy on Plagiarism
Plagiarism. This term is generally defined as incorporating words or ideas from an
outside information source into one's written work without acknowledging the original
source of the words or ideas; that is, creating the impression that the words and ideas are
the student's own rather than those of the source from which they have been taken.
Under American law, if plagiarized work is published for profit, it is considered a form of
intellectual theft, and usually results in a lawsuit for money damages. In American
academic institutions, plagiarism is also considered to be the stealing of ideas, although
the remedy is disciplinary action by the school or college rather than a lawsuit.
The best way to avoid committing plagiarism is to carefully note the citation to all
sources of outside information that are being used in the preparation of a research paper,
and then to use these citations to carefully reference all of these outside sources whenever
a direct quotation or the well-defined substance of a concept or principle from that
information source is being incorporated into a student research paper. The exact method
by which this should be done depends on the referencing style that is being used in
writing the paper.
All three of the referencing and formatting systems (for sources other than legal
materials) approved by the GSPA Faculty Council -- the MLA Stylesheet, the APA
Stylesheet, and the Chicago Manual of Style -- instruct the user on how to clearly indicate
when outside material is being incorporated into a research paper. In using direct
quotations, for instance, the approach is generally to put quotation marks (") around short
quotes (of no more than two or three sentences); and to indent larger quotes an additional
half-inch or so within the existing margins of the paper. Consult the stylesheet you are
using for more details.
Any paper or examination that exhibits plagiarism will be given a grade of “F”. A
memo will also be placed in the student’s academic file noting this violation. This note
will be removed after one year if no further incidents occur.
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