journal of public affairs education - NASPAA *The Global Standard ...

Operation PSA: The Action Learning of Curiosity and CreativityMajor questions focus on broader levels of concern, such as where, who,when, and what. Minor questions, in contrast, dig deeper intounderstanding the specific concerns for why, how many, and how much.While action learning typically occurs at the major level of questioning,it also follows that the greater the significance of the problem or issue,the greater the need for clarification pertaining to details involvingcause, effectiveness, and efficiency.It should be noted that action learning is an educational process predicatedon the wealth of an individual’s own experiences. As such, action learning is atheoretical model conducive for adult learners, as opposed to those within theK-12 curricula, because without adequate real-world challenges and successes,individuals cannot guide their future actions and improve performance. “Q”recognizes the relevance of listening as a key component of action learning,because humans spend more time listening than they do in any other form ofcommunication (i.e., 70 percent) (Ruben & Stewart, 1998).Just as action learning is distinguished from conventional modes of teaching,so are action-learning PSAs, which (1) deliver evidence that change has beenmade, (2) emphasize the role of communication, (3) demonstrate howorganizational goals are realized through group activity, and (4) reflect the needsof multiple communities across stakeholder boundaries. In order to understandhow action-learning PSAs are connected to developing the boundary-spanningskills of public and nonprofit administrators, the next section delineates theimportance of boundary spanning in public administration.BOUNDARY-SPANNING MANAGEMENTBoundary spanners perform two general functions: informativeprocessing and external representation (Aldrich & Herker, 1977).Within these two functions, they perform five important activities: (1)they present organizational information to the outside environment andbring environmental information into the organization; (2) they filterboth organizational outputs and environmental inputs; (3) they scan theenvironment and decide what information to bring into theorganization; (4) they buffer the organization from external threats; and(5) they represent the organization (Pepper, 1995, p. 180).Boundary-spanning PSAs reproduce and transform public administration,while simultaneously advancing leadership competencies, in three ways. First,PSAs, as defined in this paper, illuminate community interests becauseindividuals work in teams to alter their communications and shareresponsibilities in the creation of focused messages for change. Second, facultymembers are not always aware of how their own communications hinder theacquisition of knowledge. In particular, they do not understand what boundary-Journal of Public Affairs Education 365