LEADERSHIP IN PUBLIC & NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

PA 6316
University of Texas at Dallas
Fall 2010

Professor:

Kimberly A. Aaron, Ph.D. Date: August 2, 2010

kaaron@utdallas.edu
Phone: (972) 883-4926
Office: WSTC 1.604
Office hours: Thursdays 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM or by appointment
Class Meeting:

Thursday, 7:00 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.

WSTC 2.210

Course Description

Leadership in Public and Nonprofit Management examines the major theories and practices of leadership
in public and nonprofit organizations. Students will explore their own leadership abilities and engage in
skill development activities throughout the semester.

Course Objectives

Leadership in Public and Nonprofit Management combines knowledge and application in order to
advance students’ understanding of the importance of leadership development and its role within
organizations. Specific objectives for this course include:

Develop leadership skills necessary for success at all levels of public and nonprofit management.
Develop a clear understanding of the purpose of leadership, the ethical dimensions of leadership,
and the relationship between leaders and followers.
Understand personal strengths and weaknesses as a leader and follower, and develop a personal
approach to the practice of leadership.
Understand the impact of individual differences and different situations on the practice of
leadership.
Hone written and verbal skills in order to communicate ideas effectively.

Required Texts

Montgomery Van Wart. Leadership in Public Organizations. 2008. ISBN 9780765617408.

Lee G. Bolman and Terence E. Deal. The Wizard and the Warrior: Leading with Passion and Power.
2006. ISBN 0787974037

In addition to the texts, articles from journals available electronically through the McDermott library are
assigned as readings throughout the semester. Students are expected to access the journal articles
themselves. If you need assistance in making use of the electronic features of the library, please contact
the professor.
 PA 6316 Syllabus
Fall 2009

Requirements & Grading

Leader Profile 25%

Journal 30%
Personal Leadership Reflection Paper 35%
Attendance & Participation 10%

Students are expected to attend class, arrive punctually, and be prepared to contribute to discussions. If
you know in advance that you will be more than 15 minutes late or unable to attend class, please alert the
professor via phone or email. Class participation is mandatory. Note that the quality, tone, and timeliness
of class comments are more important than their frequency and length.

Students are responsible for ALL material presented in class. Some of the material presented in the
classroom may not be found in the textbook or course readings. It is your responsibility to get notes from
students after an absence. The professor will not provide class notes to students.

Students are expected to produce work of graduate-level quality. Students should construct clear and
deliberate arguments and present their work in a well-organized format. This includes careful attention to
grammar, punctuation, and spelling in all written assignments. Please run your papers through the
spelling and grammar check features of your word processing software prior to turning them in. If you
use Microsoft Word, consider using the grammar and style option under the spellcheck feature.

Course Assignments

Leader Profile
Students will choose a notable leader to research from either the public or the nonprofit sector. Students
must email the professor with their chosen leader’s name by September 2. Each student will write a five
to eight page double-spaced paper about the chosen leader’s style, traits, personal and professional
accomplishments, and any other interesting or useful information. Papers will be submitted for grading
on September 30 and a general class discussion will occur regarding the various individuals selected.

Journal
Journal entries should occur weekly and should include written discussions of and/or reflections upon the
course readings and their application to your leadership development. Students may choose to
incorporate personal leadership anecdotes or applicable current events in government and nonprofit
organizations in their journal entries. Each journal entry must be a minimum of 400 to 500 words and
should address the content in the weekly reading assignments. Do not make the mistake of summarizing
the material. The journal entries should be a critical assessment of the material that reflects your own
thoughts. Plan your time and make your entries as the semester goes along, rather than writing them all at
once. I will expect to see progress in your thoughts and ideas. Your journal will be due twice, on
October 7 and November 18. The October 7 journal submission will not receive a separate grade. At that
time, I will evaluate your journals to determine your progress and make suggestions on improving your
work. You are not required to have a journal entry for the final class reading on December 2, but may
include one if you so choose.

Personal Leadership Reflection Paper

The Personal Leadership Reflection Paper will be 10 to 12 double-spaced pages and should present
students’ personal leadership style and framework addressing the components outlined below. A
framework is an organized set of ideas that help make sense of the role of leaders and followers in various
situations. Students’ framework should be both theoretical and practical and present a cogent analysis of
the themes presented in class and applied in a reflective manner to their own leadership style and

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technique. Students should reference outside materials in their papers, but this assignment’s primary
concern is the analysis and synthesis of ideas. The paper should follow a logical flow. At a minimum,
the paper should address the following concepts.

1. Your personal definition and basic concepts of leadership.

2. Identification and discussion of basic issues or controversies that face public and/or nonprofit
managers and how you view them.
3. An amalgamation of the major theories into your own theory that accounts for leadership in the
broadest possible context.

The Reflection Paper is due the last day of class.

Aesthetic Requirements & Citations

The Public Affairs Graduate Faculty has adopted the Turabian Manual for Writers…, 7th Edition as its
exclusive reference manual. Professors expect PA graduate students to use Turabian for all written
assignments. Citations must be used in all assignments where appropriate. Students should only use
footnotes for further explanation of a topic in the paper; footnotes should not be used for reference
citations.

All written assignments should follow the following aesthetic guidelines.

One-inch margins on all sides

12-point font size
Times New Roman or comparable sized font style
Double spacing
Left justification (right justification is optional)
Numbered pages
Cover page including, at a minimum, student name, ID number, assignment title, and date
One blank sheet of paper at the end of the assignment
Stapled (no paper clips or other creative paper-connecting mechanisms)

Extensions & Special Exceptions

No extensions are granted for written work. Unexcused late papers will be penalized one grade step (e.g.,
A/A-). Note that unless otherwise specified, all assignments must be submitted in hard copy during class
meetings. Special exception must be granted to submit assignments via email. In other words, you may
not submit an assignment via email without prior permission from the professor (no spontaneous email
submissions). If you are in need of special consideration or extension of deadlines, you should address
your situation with the professor in private (by email or in person). Please do not ask for exceptions
before, during, or after class.

Email Communication Policy

Email is an efficient and effective mode of communication, especially given the busy lives of university
students and faculty. Therefore, it is recommended that students contact the professor via email when
appropriate. Please use “PA 6316” in the subject line of any email sent to the professor regarding this
class. All graded assignments submitted electronically (when permitted) must originate from an official
UTD account. More information regarding email communication may be found in the “University
Disclaimer” section of the syllabus.

Scholastic Dishonesty Policy

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Cheating in any form will not be tolerated. Suspicions of academic dishonesty will be investigated and
pursued to the fullest extent of the university’s policy. More information regarding academic integrity
may be found in the “University Disclaimer” section of the syllabus.

Disabilities and Accommodations:

If you have a condition that requires accommodation in this course, please speak with the professor after
class or during the first week of office hours. Any necessary or appropriate accommodations will be
made provided that timely notice is given and the arrangement is consistent with recommendations from
Disability Services. Disability Services may be reached at (972) 883-2098. The syllabus and other
course materials can be made available in alternative formats. More information regarding disability
services may be found in the “University Disclaimer” section of the syllabus.

Disclaimer:

The course syllabus may be amended at any time by the professor. If necessary, the updated syllabus will
be posted on Elearning and its changes discussed in class.

SYLLABUS: CLASS AGENDAS & READINGS

August 19 Introductions, Course Overview & Objectives

Why Study Leadership?
Van Wart Introduction (Chapter 1)
Write personal definition of leadership in class.

August 26 What is Leadership?

Bolman & Deal Part 1
Kotter, John P. 1990. What Leaders Really Do. Harvard Business Review.
May/June. 68(3):103-111
Homework: (1) Find a brief news article, cartoon, sketch, photograph or other
representation that pertains to the issue of whether there is a leadership crisis in at
present or not, and bring it to class to discuss.

September 2 Theories and Styles of Leadership

Van Wart Chapter 2 and 3
Homework: (1) Administer the Jung Typology Test online. Bring your scores to
class. (http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp)
Leader Profile Selection Due

September 9 Theories of Styles Leadership Continued

Van Wart Chapter 4 and 5

September 16 Leadership in Action

Van Wart Chapter 6
Guest Speaker: Larry Zacharias, Police Chief, UTD; Retired Chief of
Police, City of Richardson

September 23 The Traits and Skills of a Leader

Van Wart Chapters 7 and 8

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September 30 Leading with Power
Bolman & Deal Part 2 & 3
Leadership Profile Due
Guest Speaker: Tanya McDonald, Founder and Executive Director, Dallas
AfterSchool Network

October 7 Leading with Passion

Bolman & Deal Part 4 & 5
Interim Due Date for Journal

October 14 The “Soft” Side of Leadership: Emotional Intelligence

Goleman, Daniel. 1995. Ideas & Trends: The Decline of the Nice-Guy Quotient.
The New York Times. September 19, Late Edition. Page 6.
Goleman, Daniel. 2004. What Makes a Leader? Harvard Business Review.
82(1):82-91
Berman, Evan M. and West, Jonathan P. 2008. Managing Emotional Intelligence
in U.S. Cities: A Study of Social Skills among Public Managers. Public
Administration Review. 68(4):742-758
Vigoda-Gadot, Eran and Meisler, Galit. 2010. Emotions in Management and the
Management of Emotions: The Impact of Emotional Intelligence and
Organizational Politics on Public Sector Employees. Public
Administration Review. 70(1):72-86

October 21 Leadership and Followership

Madera, Peggy. 2000. Following and Leading. Re:View. (32)2:51-53
Hollander, Edwin. 1992. The Essential Interdependence of Leadership and
Followership. Current Directions in Psychological Science. (1)2:71-75.
Townsend, Patrick L. and Gebhardt, Joan E. 2003. The Leadership-Teamship-
Followship Continuum. Leader to Leader. Summer.
Kellerman, Barbara. 2007. What Every Leader Needs to Know About Followers.
Harvard Business Review. 85(12):84-91.
Bjugstad, Kent, Thach, Elizabeth C., Thompson, Karen J., and Morris, Alan.
2006. A Fresh look at Followership: A Model for Matching Followership
and Leadership Styles. 7(3):304-319.

October 28 Morals, Values and Leadership

Stephenson, Max Jr. 2007. The “Permanent Things” and the Role of the Moral
Imagination in Organizational Life: Revisiting the Foundations of Public
and Nonprofit Leadership. Public Administration Theory Network.
29(2): 260-277.
Hollander, Edwin P. 1995. Ethical Challenges in the Leader-Follower
Relationship. Business Ethics Quarterly. 5(1):55-65.
Schmid, Hillel. 2006. Leadership Styles and Leadership Change in Human
Service and Community Service Organizations. Nonprofit Management
and Leadership. 17(2):179-194

November 4 Task and People Oriented Behaviors

Van Wart Chapters 10 and 11
Guest Speaker: Ron Jones, Mayor, City of Garland

November 11 Organizational Behaviors

Van Wart Chapters 12

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November 18 Assessing and Evaluating Leadership

Van Wart Chapters 9 and 13
Journals Due In Class

December 2 The Challenge of Leadership

Bolman & Deal Part 6

Personal Leadership Reflection Paper Due

ADDITIONAL UNIVERSITY DISCLAIMERS

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the orderly
and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and each student organization to be
knowledgeable about the rules and regulations, which govern student conduct and activities. General information on
student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered
students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and established
due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The University
of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the
university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in
the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or she is
expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and
administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such conduct
takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integrity
The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the value of an
academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is imperative
that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to applications for
enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or material that is not one’s own. As
a rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying
academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is
unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for details).
This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over 90%
effective.

Email Use
The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between faculty/staff and
students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues concerning security and the identity of
each individual in an email exchange. The university encourages all official student email correspondence be sent
only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if
it originates from a UTD student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the
identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each student
with a free email account that is to be used in all communication with university personnel. The Department of

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Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to
other accounts.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses. These dates and
times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures must be followed. It is the student's
responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any
student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you
choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of the university’s
Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of academic
responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor,
supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”).
Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot
be resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy of the
respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response provided by the respondent, the
student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not resolved by the School Dean’s
decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the Dean
will appoint and convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The
results of the academic appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff
members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the semester’s end
and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be resolved within eight (8)
weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to complete the course and to remove
the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a
grade of F.

Disability Services
The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities equal to those of
their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office hours are
Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments necessary to eliminate
discrimination based on disability. For example, it may be necessary to remove classroom prohibitions against tape
recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for students who are blind. Occasionally an assignment requirement
may be substituted (for example, a research paper versus an oral presentation for a student who is hearing impaired).
Classes having enrolled students with mobility impairments may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The
college or university may need to provide special services such as registration, note taking, or mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an accommodation. Disability
Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members to verify that the student has a disability and
needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact the professor after class or
during office hours.

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Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for the travel to and
observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property tax under
Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding the absence,
preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the
assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum
of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be
penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may
receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing a religious
holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a reasonable time to complete
any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a ruling from the chief
executive officer of the institution, or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into
account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief
executive officer or designee.

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