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“Execucrats,” Politics, and Public Policy: What are the Ingredients for Successful Performance in the Federal Government? Norma M. Riccucci, University at Albany, SUNY. Article Discussion by Maggie Gendron. What is an “Execucrat”?.
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“Execucrats,” Politics, and Public Policy: What are the Ingredients for Successful Performance in the Federal Government?Norma M. Riccucci, University at Albany, SUNY Article Discussion by Maggie Gendron
What is an “Execucrat”? • “Career executives and bureaucrats who are not elected nor appointed to office but are behind the making of positive social and political decisions that affect our country.” • Norma Riccucci
Examining the Execucrat • Study Design • Looked at 6 Federal execucrats • Selected from award recipients or organizations that promoted excellence • Seven factors analyzed: • Political skills • Management & Leadership skills • Situational factors • Experience • Technical expertise • Strategy • Personality
The Six Execucrats: • William Black – Litigation Director for Federal Home Loan Bank Board; • Eileen Claussen – Director of Atmospheric Programs of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); • Ambassador Edward Perkins – U.S. • ambassador to South Africa; • Stephen Marcia - Assistant Inspector Genera; for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA); • Dr. Vince Hutchins – Director of Human Services Maternal and Child Health Bureau; and • Dr. Helen Gayle – Epidemiologist from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The “Ingredients” of Effective Execucratic Performance • Great communicators both internally and externally (communities, other agencies); • Worked efficiently within political sphere; • Goal oriented; • Spent most of their lives in government work setting; and • Assertive but gained trust of those they worked around/with.
Moral Leadership • Riccucci talked a lot about moral leadership without really defining it. • My definition (what I think Riccucci would think): • An Execucrat’s political and leadership skills interacting with a specific situation so that their technical expertise, experience and personality can influence that situation positively (or for the good of the public).
My Thoughts • Execucrat = positive traits of bureaucratic leaders (opposite of what we think when we think bureaucrat) • Is there a difference between an execucrat and an effective leader? • Do execucrats have to be involved in government? • Who would be 2005 execucrats? UN Ambassador Angelina Jolie, is she an execucrat? • In Vermont most effective execucrats may be interest groups: Tobacco Coalition; Healthy Vermonters
Enron named “uber-execucrat” because of Enron's purchased statesman Henry Kissinger