Fri, 06/27/2025
Systems thinking helps break down organizational silos by encouraging a big-picture view that focuses on relationships, patterns, and root causes rather than isolated issues. By fostering collaboration, revealing leverage points, and promoting long-term thinking, it enables organizations—especially in public service—to work more cohesively and effectively.
Wed, 05/21/2025
The Emerging Leaders Academy cultivates influence, confidence, and collaboration across the public sector.
In the fast-paced world of public service, leadership is less about hierarchy and more about behavior, mindset, and impact. The Emerging Leaders Academy, hosted by the University of Kansas Public Management Center, embodies this modern philosophy. Designed for early- to mid-career professionals in government, the academy is redefining what it means to lead — at any level.
Wed, 05/07/2025
The study “How Do Local Officials Conceptualize Sustainability as Practiced in Their Communities?” explores how municipal leaders define and apply sustainability in their local contexts. Co-author Rachel Krause, a professor at the University of Kansas, highlights the variation in how communities approach sustainability—some seeing it as a broad goal, others emphasizing specific actions. Key findings include varied local definitions, a focus on measurable projects, and the importance of com
Mon, 04/28/2025
In today’s evolving public sector landscape, building strong leadership networks is essential for fostering innovation, collaboration, and trust across organizations. But how those networks form — and who gets included in them — can be deeply influenced by gender. Nicole Humphrey, assistant professor at the University of Kansas, offers critical insights into this intersection through her research on organizational behavior and communication in local government.
Fri, 03/14/2025
Kristi Northcutt will direct the center that provides professional education and leadership development programs and events for public service professionals across Kansas and beyond.
Fri, 03/07/2025
High-performing organizations are not built by chance. They are built through intentional leadership that embraces five leadership functions that ensure sustained organizational success. These functions — strategic stakeholder value analysis, vision and values implementation, suprasystem integration, learning and renewal, and enabling and empowering — offer a comprehensive framework for building high-performance organizations.
Mon, 02/03/2025
Public organizations face the challenge of delivering exceptional results in complex and dynamic environments. To achieve this, high-performing organizations use six pivotal change levers: vision, strategy, values, structures, systems, and processes. These elements collectively create a resilient foundation for effective governance and impactful public service.
Mon, 12/02/2024
Even in an age when remote work is common, developing relationships in the workplace affects career success. A recent study by Nicole Humphrey, Ph.D., assistant professor in KU’s School of Public Affairs and Administration, showed personal interactions can be as beneficial to career success as timely and competent work product. In addition, race can affect the relationships between emotion management and social capital in the workplace.
Fri, 11/01/2024
In today’s fast-paced world, strategic planning alone is insufficient to drive meaningful change. Organizations, especially at the municipal level, need to shift their focus from planning to doing. The City of Douglas, Wyoming, has embraced this approach with its Strategic Doing framework, which emphasizes collaboration, action, and continuous improvement. This article explores how Douglas is setting the groundwork for success by aligning its strategic goals with staff performance, focusing on
Fri, 11/01/2024
In times of a budget crisis, decisions must be made quickly and effectively. Some managers prefer to take immediate action based on their knowledge and instinct. But researchers found that bringing in middle managers who have expert knowledge leads to better outcomes.
Tue, 09/24/2024
It’s not unusual in the public sector for leaders within an organization to be passionate about their organizations and their organizations’ success. While people in these positions are focused on current objectives, it’s important to consider how they are supporting the organization’s future success. Succession planning for key positions outside senior leadership is essential.
Thu, 08/15/2024
Several midsized cities across the United States have pursued streetcar development in their urban cores in the last few years. As transportation development and support sources, such as the U.S. Department of Transportation, provide funding for streetcars, the objective seems to be transportation. But in addition, cities count on streetcars to drive economic development.
Thu, 08/01/2024
New book explore the complexities of running elections
Mon, 07/01/2024
Organizational change, success, and progress can affect community partners and constituents. Whether the opportunity appears advantageous or disruptive, change can create anxiety because there is an element of the unknown. Engaging the community can be advantageous to both the organization and its constituents, but it’s critical for the organization to...
Mon, 06/03/2024
In the midst of managing an organization with its challenges and rewards, taking time to consider environmental sustainability planning may not seem like a priority. But sustainability may be as critical to your organizational health as it is to environmental health. ...
Mon, 04/29/2024
While two-factor sign-ons and constant requirements to change passwords may be tedious, these components of work and personal systems are essential and the most familiar approaches to cybersecurity. Keeping individual accounts safe is important, but a fraction of the risk facing organizations globally. ...
Thu, 03/28/2024
In the past year a dozen professional sports teams were in the midst of new stadium developments or announced they were renovating current venues or moving. Closest to home is the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals. Many of these projects, with cost projections in the billions rely...
Mon, 03/04/2024
For decades, the public sector has worked diligently to create accessibility initiatives so their support can be available and optimized by everyone in the community. As technology has changed, so have the needs of individuals. Most public services have an online presence — webpages, online bill payments, various forms and...
Mon, 02/19/2024
A local government whose tone and conduct are civil contributes to a healthy democracy. Participants who are civil are polite, courteous, respectful, honest, and reasonable. This behavior — both in public forums and behind closed doors — is important because it creates an environment that is open, fair, and considerate...
Tue, 01/02/2024
Coaching, rather than simply managing, your employees can have huge positive outcomes. This approach can improve your team’s performance, enhance their job satisfaction and confidence, and help them achieve their goals. Coaching also builds trust and increases employee retention rates. ...
Mon, 11/27/2023
A government’s budget plays numerous roles, from allocating resources among departments to planning for the future of the community. Create a balanced and sustainable budget by keeping these tips in mind. ...
Mon, 11/06/2023
In the public sector, strategic planning can help bring new policies to fruition, solve local issues, and produce results that respond to citizens’ needs. But what exactly does strategic planning entail? A strategic plan serves as a long-term roadmap to prioritize, strategize, and budget to meet organizational goals. It is...
Thu, 10/12/2023
Collaboration is essential to any organization, especially in the public sector, where funds, time, and resources are often limited. ...
Sat, 09/30/2023
Today’s public sector faces growing challenges with globalization, technological shifts, and increasing complexity of policy issues. No single government sector can address all of these changing variables alone. To most effectively meet the goals of all organizations, cross-sectoral public policy networks must be created to unite governments, international organizations, civil society, and businesses.
Wed, 06/28/2023
Artificial intelligence (AI) updates have entered our daily media streams and discussions. But variations of AI have been part of our lives for decades. Think about autocorrect for word processing, GPS, and automated customer service. AI systems make life easier, but the big question is what responsibilities we hand over to these systems and programs and which ones need to remain in the control of the human worker. The mission of public service is to help communities prosper. As AI evolves, will that hinder or help those in the public sector?
Fri, 05/26/2023
Most of the time, our work responsibilities are tracked like a checklist: this is what is required, that requirement has been met, check it off the list. There is a degree of satisfaction in that kind of accomplishment. As the public sector grows and adjusts to the needs of contemporary communities, the responsibilities of any position in an organization can expand and specialize.
Sun, 01/01/2023
For months—and far longer in some cases—managers have been stepping in to cover the duties of multiple roles to ensure that the crucial work gets done. Even as staffing levels start to stabilize in county governments, the scramble to just stay above water means that many individuals have not had the training they need to really perform.
Fri, 12/23/2022
Anyone who has attended a middle school band concert knows the difference between resonance and dissonance. Dissonance is that disagreeable combination of sounds that’s often prominent at the fall concert when the kids are still learning how to tune their instruments accurately and hit the right notes at the right time. When they don’t, what they create is an unpleasant, dissonant sound in the auditorium.