Public Administration
The term “public administration” refers to the implementation of appropriate policies that can meet citizens’ needs (Shafritz, Russell, & Borick, 2013). Public administrators working in government-sponsored agencies or departments promote policy implementation processes. Governments play a significant role in the development of policies. They come up with visions and ideas that are translated into programs. Such initiatives are usually aimed at delivering the intended goals or outcomes. They also offer adequate resources for conducting feasibility studies. Governments also engage in lobbying and sensitization whereby members of the public are encouraged to support various policy ideas.
Comparison of Organizations
The selected organizations for this discussion include Stanford University and Facebook Incorporation. The roles undertaken in these organizations differ significantly. For instance, the employees at Stanford University educate learners and engage in various research studies. At Facebook, workers pursue new ideas and innovations to meet the needs of different customers (Uwizeyimana & Maphunye, 2014). Their cultures are quite similar because attributes such a slogans, values, and missions are common in each organization. The purpose of Stanford University differs from that of Facebook. The first one focuses on education attainment while the second one concentrates on profits.
The political environment influences the effectiveness of these two organizations. This is due to emerging policies and political situations. From a social perspective, Facebook is capable of attracting more customers due to the changing consumer behaviors. At Stanford University, the desire for education is attracting more students to the institution. The economic forces experienced in the world today are having similar impacts on these organizations (Uwizeyimana & Maphunye, 2014). This is true because increasing salaries and economic performance will encourage people to use social media or pursue new educational programs.
This study has informed me a lot about public organizations. To begin with, they are influenced by similar forces such as social and political factors. They also embrace positive cultures. Management should also be taken seriously to deliver positive results. Emerging social trends will compel individuals to embrace specific behaviors that will affect or promote the performance of public organizations. The existing political climate will also dictate their effectiveness. Economic changes will dictate the profitability of such public organizations (Uwizeyimana & Maphunye, 2014). However, an institution’s model can make it successful even when such forces act on it negatively.
Internal and External Cultures
In public organizations, the term “external culture” can be used to refer to the environment served (Shafritz et al., 2013). This will vary significantly depending on the organization’s setting. For example, a police department operating in a rural region will be have a different external culture in comparison with another one providing services in an urban region. Such an organization should, therefore, develop an effective model depending on the nature of its internal culture in an attempt to deliver superior services and meet the diverse needs of more citizens.
On the other hand, internal culture focuses on the attributes, beliefs, values, ideas, and assumptions that are implemented within an organization in order to guide the behaviors and actions of different members (Shafritz et al., 2013). A positive internal culture can empower different employees or civil servants to develop appropriate models for delivering superior services. Uwizeyimana and Maphunye (2014) also indicate that this kind of practice can be influenced by the existing external culture. Public organizations that want to succeed must strike a balance between these two cultural aspects. The move will make it easier for them to monitor the challenges affecting their employees and stakeholders in the community and eventually deliver positive results.
References
Shafritz, J. M., Russell, E. W., & Borick, C. P. (2013). Introducing public administration. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Uwizeyimana, D. E., & Maphunye, K. J. (2014). The changing global public administration and its theoretical and practical implications for Africa. Journal of Public Administration and Policy Research, 6(4), 90-101. Web.