Brandon
Figliolino
PUAD
5001 Introduction to Public Administration
The
Importance of Communication in Public Organizations
October
12, 2016
Public administrators, both
those who supervise and those who work at the street-level, are inundated with
information on a daily basis. When handling such large amounts of material, it
can be difficult to disseminate it appropriately across departments and to
external partners. To communicate well, workers must know their roles;
information has to be available; and leaders must be charismatic and willing to
listen. Mismanagement of communication elements can lead to unappealing, and
sometimes severe, consequences. Regardless of the barriers that exist, solid
communication is critical for public organizations if they are to remain agile
enough to serve citizens, rebalance their structures, and solve the problems
they encounter.
***
If the preceding case studies
(not included in this excerpt) all encapsulate unproductive communication within public organizations, what does effective communication
resemble? In sum, it is an organization in which
consistent streams of communication allow for the transmission of creative
ideas between individuals who are engaged and inspired to the call of public
service. A model example of this in practice was the Resettlement
Administration (RA).
At the time of Franklin Delano
Roosevelt’s inauguration, the country was ravaged by the “wicked problem” of
widespread poverty (Rittel and Weber, 155). Previous attempts at solving the
effects of the Great Depression were fruitless; the “scientific basis for
confronting problems of social policies” was no longer effective (Rittel and
Weber, 155). What was done in the past was no longer acceptable for the future.
Roosevelt understood that his administration had to rethink how government
worked and “revitalize a sense of common purpose” within the bureaucracy
(Durant, 20). Taking on the role of charismatic leader, he engaged others to
join in public service to the nation. To do this, he facilitated the
Resettlement Administration’s attempt to make the federal government more
active than passive when it came to addressing the social issues Americans
faced.
Roosevelt’s strong communication as a
leader was one of the reasons the RA was successful in “revitalizing a sense of
common purpose” in the government and “reconnecting with citizens” (Durant,
20). Working with his “brain trust” of scholarly advisers, he promoted an
agenda that was one of “bold, persistent experimentation” (Gawthrop, 6). He
communicated his ideas with passion and hope. In turn, his team believed in
what he said. Everyone realized that the institutions that preceded the
Roosevelt Administration needed radical modification. The RA was their attempt
at that influential vision.
Stephen Toumlin said, “Convincing
narratives have a kind of weight that mathematical formulas do not”
(Maynard-Moody and Musheno, 25). Roosevelt used that idea to his advantage.
Shared values can be a “cornerstone of a cohesive public organization,”
Roosevelt’s ability to communicate his values for public service to his team
was critical for establishing a narrative that all his workers cherished (Wise,
326). Despite “frenetic” working conditions that included food and sleep
deprivation, “hourly crises,” and “bureaucratic tidal waves,” Roosevelt’s
public servants continued pressing onward (Gawthrop, 9). Street-level workers
in the RA believed in Roosevelt and his message, and sacrificed much to make
the organization function. Had Roosevelt been tepid in communicating his goals,
those working for him may not have rallied around his programs as much as they
had.
When workers, such as Rexford Tugwell,
felt powerless, Roosevelt reminded them of the importance of progress. For
example, the Agricultural Administration Act (AAA), first passed prior to the
establishment of the RA, was a grandiose attempt at implementing
“co-production” policies between farmers and the government (Kannan and Chang,
15). Despite the ambitious attempts at encouraging farmers to create a “service
to be used by others,” the AAA was ineffective because of party divisions
(Kannan and Chang, 7). Tugwell especially felt defeated when many of his
teammates were ousted from the AAA altogether. Yet, Roosevelt didn’t agree with
Tugwell’s claims that the AAA failed. Instead, he encouraged Tugwell to remain
optimistic and continue problem-solving.
Roosevelt and Tugwell talked through
the issues with the AAA, and through those discussions, determined “effective
social reform could not be realized within the existing structures of the
Department of Agriculture” (Gawthrop, 8). It was this willingness to discuss
the troubles of his street-level workers that led Roosevelt to create the RA,
which became one of the “distinctive agencies of the New Deal” (Gawthrop, 8). Roosevelt
did what Bernadine Healy did not; he reached out to all levels of his
organization and established meaningful relationships. He also, unlike the
street-level workers in the Maine police and probation departments, saw citizens
as individuals, and not tasks. If Roosevelt had dismissed his workers’ concerns
and the suffering of poor Americans, the good services the Resettlement
Administration provided to those in need would not have been actualized.
Another element of successful
communication that came from the RA was their use of an alternative means of
communication. Tugwell appointed John Franklin Carter to head a public
information program that utilized photography as a way to describe the RA’s
mission and document its successes. Photographing the Great Depression turned photographers
into “agents of change who spanned the boundary between the agency, the
Congress, and the public” (Gawthrop, 10). The photographers, which included
renowned Dorothea Lange, would go into the field to document the devastating
living conditions of farmers. They would then send the photos to other
bureaucratic organizations to be included in reports and policy
recommendations.
As a result of the photographs, policy
recommendations turned into action. Lange soon discovered “just how effective
her documentary photographs could be in improving the quality of life” of
American farmers (Gawthrop, 13). Lange, and her fellow photographers, reshaped
how information was relayed to both the government and the public. Photography
“had an extremely powerful effect on those who were unaware of the severity” of
the Great Depression (Gawthrop, 15). In one instance, Lange’s photographs of
migrants at “Pea Pickers’ Camp” were “published
immediately” by the San Francisco News, which were then republished by the
United Press wire service nationally (Gawthrop, 13). 2,000 pounds of food were
dispatched to the area by the federal government as a result of the media
attention.
Employing photography as a way to
relay pertinent information was a vital component of the RA’s success, for
multiple reasons. First, using photographs “fundamentally transformed” the RA
into a “coherent and purposeful design” (Gawthrop, 10). The initial RA was a
catchall for multiple programs and missions, but when the RA began distributing
photographs of the rural devastation, the response from the public was so
profound, the RA leadership decided to “redefine administrative rationality”
and focus their efforts to eliminate “bureaupathologies” and work towards
“information-driven” and “customer-focused” policies specific to farmers
(Durant, 20). Communicating in a new, profound way helped the RA restructure
itself. In doing so, they seized on the chance to change the narrative to focus
on those who were suffering, and inspired thousands of others to help with the
cause.
Photographs also created outrage over
squalid living conditions, prompting swift movement on the part of the
government. With each photograph and accompanying news story, the anger over
poor living conditions moved the federal government into action. Public
servants were able to see the Great Depression through the “faces” of those who
suffered (Maynard-Moody and Musheno, 3). So was the public. Looking through the
photographs of the farmers, they were able to get “to know them, and also
something of the world which they helped make but which was no longer theirs”
(Gawthrop, 15). Photography communicated emotions stronger than words. For an
organization that strove to change the attitudes of Americans and inspire
action against social injustices, pictures were the perfect means to that end.
Jennifer Pahlka stressed that citizens
need to “use their voices and their hands” to become more engaged with public
service (Pahlka). The RA photographers did just that. While the Resettlement
Administration was folded into the Farm Security Administration, the innovative
idea of finding a new way to communicate was a success that should be emulated
by non-profits and government organizations. Technology, such as the camera, is
quick to change the ecology of society. Organizations should utilize that to
their advantage. Following technological trends, and embracing them, will help
organizations continue to “reconnect with citizens” and “reconceptualize their
purpose” (Durant, 20). Organizations will
become more engaged with the citizens they aid, and will provide even greater
services as a result.
Communication is vital to the success
of any public or non-profit organization. Without strong communication, public
servants fail to meet the needs of those they serve. Organizations best assist
the public when street-level workers’ roles are clear and concisely explained
by their supervisors. These individuals need to comprehend the scope of their
duties in order to execute tasks well. Just as important is the need for simple
chains of escalation, so data doesn’t get misplaced or ignored. Public
organizations must also be willing and able to share information with external
partners. Acquiring new information will help street-level workers better serve
the public by allowing collaboration and new insights to formulate. The
executives of non-profits and governments need to build relationships with all
their employees, too. Relationships built on trust, transparency, and a
willingness to cooperate will help foster more creative problem-solving and
will make employees feel that their work is valued. Guaranteeing that these elements
of effective communication are applied at all times will better enhance the
organization’s ability to perform.
The preceding case studies exemplify
the importance of communication, and outline what happens when communication
falters. Public servants should take note of the communication shortcomings and
successes of these examples. Doing so will provide them with a better
understanding of why communication is imperative, and how it can be done in
such a way that the goals of the organization for which they work are achieved.
Works Cited:
Durant,
Robert. 2014. Why Public Service Matters:
Public Managers, Public Policy, and Democracy. NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Gawthrop,
Louis. 1999. “Images of the Common Good.” Public
Service: Callings, Commitments and Contributions. Ed. Marc Holzer. New
York: Westview Press.
Kannan,
P.K. and Chang, Ai-Mei. 2013. “Beyond Citizen Engagement: Involving the Public
in CO-Delivering Government Services.” IBM Center for the Business of
Government.
Maynard-Moody,
Steven and Musheno, Michael. 2003. Cops,
Teachers, Counselors: Stories from the Front Lines of Public Service. Ann
Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Pahlka,
Jennifer. 2012. “Coding for a Better Government.” Ted Talk. http://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_pahlka_coding_a_better_government.
Rittle,
Horst and Webber, Melvin. “Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning.” Policy Sciences 4. 1973. P.155-169.
