Mission Mystique

by Goodsell, Charles T.

• ISBN13: 9781933116754
• ISBN10: 1933116757
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-10-19
• Publisher: Cq Pr

Summary

In an era filled with mistrust for big government and big business, Charles Goodsell goes against this grain to draw attention to public agencies admired for what they do and how well they do it. In his groundbreaking new book, Goodsell places renewed focus on organizational mission and its potential to be a strong energizing force in government-one that animates a workforce internally and attracts admiration and talent externally.#xA0; He offers a normative template for the mystique that underlies this phenomenon and highlights-in six rich case studies-a driving sense of purpose, a cultural and motivational richness, and a capacity for tolerating dissent while still innovating and learning. Analyzing what works best (and what doesn#x19;t), Goodsell provides a metric through which agency mystique can be evaluated and modeled. Goodsell#x19;s fresh take on public agencies not only defines good public administration in terms of ethical conduct, constitutional accountability, and performance effectiveness, but argues that the field must add the crucial standard of institutional vitality.

Author Biography

Charles T. Goodsell is professor emeritus at the Center for Public Administration and Policy at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. His other books include The American Statehouse: Interpreting Democracy's Temples; Public Administration Illuminated and Inspired by the Arts, coedited with Nancy Murray; The Social Meaning of Civic Space: Studying Political Authority through Architecture; and The Case for Bureaucracy: A Public Administration Polemic, 4th Edition.

Table of Contents

Figures, Tables, and Boxes	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Mission Mystique and a Belief System Template	p. 1
The Idea and Study of Mission Mystique	p. 2
Literature Pertinent to Mission Mystique	p. 5
A Mission Mystique Template	p. 14
U.S. National Park Service: Caretaker of America's Best Idea	p. 26
Yosemite, Cradle of the National Park Idea	p. 26
The National Park Service: A Capsule History	p. 30
Today's National Park Service	p. 35
The Park Service Mission	p. 38
People of the Park Service	p. 42
Park Service Core Values	p. 48
The Mission under Stress	p. 56
This Instance of Mission Mystique	p. 60
U.S. National Weather Service: Daily Companion and Watchful Guardian	p. 64
Katrina, The Perfect Storm	p. 64
A Long and Varied History	p. 68
Today's National Weather Service	p. 73
NOAA as Institutional Supervisor	p. 75
Saving Lives and Livelihoods	p. 79
World-Class Weather Forecasting	p. 81
Themes in the NWS Belief System	p. 85
The Perils of a Big Project	p. 91
This Instance of Mission Mystique	p. 93
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Stewards of the Public Health	p. 97
A Bioterrorism Attack	p. 97
Wartime Malaria Control	p. 102
Establishing the CDC	p. 103
A Mission in Flux	p. 108
The Sencer Era	p. 109
The Foege Era	p. 114
The Gerberding Era	p. 118
The Organisation Today	p. 123
Institutional Commitment	p. 131
This Instance of Mission Mystique	p. 135
Department of Social Services, Mecklenburg Country, N.C.: The Delicate Business of Welfare	p. 138
From Welfare to White House	p. 139
The Early Years	p. 141
Jake Comes to Town	p. 143
Giving People a Chance	p. 146
Giving People a Life	p. 149
A Department of Social Services	p. 154
A Delicate Culture	p. 159
Building Capacity for Action	p. 164
The Department Today	p. 170
This Instance of Mission Mystique	p. 172
Virginia State Police: The Commonwealth's Finest	p. 175
Carnage at Virginia Tech	p. 175
Predecessor Organizations	p. 181
The Woodson Era and Beyond	p. 183
A Paramilitary Organization	p. 187
A Paramilitary Culture	p. 193
The Less Public Side	p. 202
Professional Autonomy	p. 207
This Instance of Mission Mystique	p. 209
U.S. Peace Corps: An Ethical Enterprise	p. 212
JFK Hits a Winning Number	p. 212
The Mythology Unraveled	p. 214
Sarge Takes Charge	p. 216
Fights for Independence and Survival	p. 221
The Organization Nears 50	p. 225
The Volunteers and Their Work	p. 233
Evaluation of a Cosmic Mission	p. 240
Autonomy behind the Scenes	p. 246
This Instance of Mission Mystique	p. 247
The Significance of Mission Mystique	p. 250
Belief Systems Analyzed	p. 250
Thematic Mechanisms in Mission Mystique	p. 260
The Substainability of Mission Mystique	p. 266
Implications for Public Administration	p. 268
Notes	p. 274
Persons Interviewed or Consulted	p. 292
Appendix	p. 294
Selected Bibliography	p. 295
Index	p. 297
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