Managerial leadership in divided times : William Ruckelshaus and the paradoxes of independence
By: Dobel, J. Patrick
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ArticlePublisher: Thousand Oaks : SAGE, February 1995Administration & Society 26, 4, p. 488-514Abstract: This article discusses the special constraints imposed on public managers by divided governments that make it very difficult to pursue the normal strategies of effective public management. It examines the two terms of William D. Ruckelshaus as head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to illustrate the strategy of personal and institutional independence, which Rucketshaus developed to address these constraints. In particular he focused his time and effort in four areas: (a) appointing competent professionals, (b) supporting consistent strong enforcement efforts, (c) providing good and credible information and working to define the terms of the debate, and (d) providing access to all. This managerial strategy enabled him to build institutional independence and autonomy, but paradoxically, the very strengths that helped him in these areas undercut his ability to influence the substantive agenda of the agency
This article discusses the special constraints imposed on public managers by divided governments that make it very difficult to pursue the normal strategies of effective public management. It examines the two terms of William D. Ruckelshaus as head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to illustrate the strategy of personal and institutional independence, which Rucketshaus developed to address these constraints. In particular he focused his time and effort in four areas: (a) appointing competent professionals, (b) supporting consistent strong enforcement efforts, (c) providing good and credible information and working to define the terms of the debate, and (d) providing access to all. This managerial strategy enabled him to build institutional independence and autonomy, but paradoxically, the very strengths that helped him in these areas undercut his ability to influence the substantive agenda of the agency
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