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

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Operation PSA: The Action Learning of Curiosity and Creativityspanning communication is and how it enhances personal growth, cuts down onredundancy, and cultivates a management environment. Boundary-spanningPSAs help with this by making faculty more aware about the limits of their owncommunication. Finally, through the insightful editing of individual statementsand group dialogues, faculty and students are able to construct PSAs that reflectthe viability of public administration.What further distinguishes PSAs created in this manner is the significance ofaction learning. Action learning expresses the balance between an individual’simagination and an organization’s constraint of curiosity, while signaling theidentification of leadership with a global convergence. Together, the boundaryspanningpotential of PSAs rests upon the development of social expressiveness,sensitivity to others’ reactions, and an ability to adjust behavior throughreflection towards the attainment of viable solutions. The full attainment ofsuch skills can only be accomplished through the resolution of real problems.Through a desire to build sustainable and accountable relationships, negotiatedcommunications, such as boundary spanning, manage the complexity andinterdependency of a changing world. Where can future administrators begin totrust those viewed as “outsiders?” Developing boundary spanning within theorganizational context of a course provides one option in serving as the“lubricant” of this trust (McGuire, 2006, p. 38).OPERATION PSA: PROMOTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF ACTION-LEARNING TOOLSOverviewOperation PSA sought to channel the potential of the PSA format to makeadministrative leadership come alive across the boundaries of the classroom andthe community. Translating this goal into Revans’ equation of L (Learning) = P(Past knowledge) + Q (Questioning) results in the following:L = Educators and practitioners generate PSAs that highlight the role oftechnology, creativity, and branding to inspire and develop leadershipabilities through boundary-spanning communications,P = The usage of pre-selected materials, tutorials, and related literatureschosen by a mentor (teacher) that fuel an understanding andexpansion of boundary-spanning PSAs within the curricula ofadministrative leadership, andQ = An awareness of taken-for-granted assumptions about the boundaryspanningcapabilities of PSAs in promoting leadership, and anexploration into its strengths and challenges when addressing realproblems and dilemmas.The major processes instrumental in this action-learning project — aimed atinvigorating the leadership capabilities of administration — resulted in sevenprocedural steps: (1) general problem identification, (2) team recruitment, (3)topic selection and clarification, (4) protocol and rubric development, (5) media366 Journal of Public Affairs Education
Operation PSA: The Action Learning of Curiosity and Creativityselection and experimentation, (6) PSA formation, and (7) action-learningdocumentation. Each step is explained through the team’s shared experiences inthe production of the two PSAs, including one made during the 2008 TPAC.The first PSA was purposely crafted to reflect an undergraduate perspective onthe meaning and role of public administration. Completed prior to theconference, the team hoped it would resonate with audience members and buildexcitement about the pedagogical appeal of PSAs. The second one was filmedand edited over a 24-hour period during the conference. It relied upon theexpressed trust and respect between conference participants to entice newcomersto the 2009 TPAC, and required a willingness from attendees to accept thelearner role themselves. Describing the process for these PSAs is intended toengage the reader through the progression of building boundary-spanning PSAs.Step 1: General Problem IdentificationDetermining what issue or concern is the focal point for any research effort isextremely important. An initial resource for feedback might come from thetrusted opinions of peers, practitioners, or former students. If venturing intonew or unknown territory, interacting with institutional Centers for Teachingand Learning might help one discern developmental trends or issues that spark aresearcher’s interest or curiosity. Operation PSA, on the other hand, grew fromthe notion of returning to a back-to-basics style of learning, similar to Dewey’s(1916) association between communication and education. It provided a logicalfoundation from which to address the development of students’ and educators’leadership talents and action-learning experiences.Step 2: Team RecruitmentResearch or application projects are only as good as their members. Theimportance of this fact becomes even more clear when documents reveal that“people join groups to pursue individual needs,” rather than to resolve group goals(Ruben & Stewart, 1998, p. 279). For the team leader, finding a commonality orfoundation upon which others could agree was imperative. Drawing again uponthe works of Dewey (1916) and Revans (1980), Operation PSA arose from (a) thecommitment to resolve a real problem or issue (i.e., the incorporation ofinnovative action-learning tools within public and nonprofit administrativeclassrooms) and (b) a willingness to explore the bounds of innovation in order togenerate change as learner agents (Worley, 2000). Keeping the number ofmembers down to a workable unit was another factor of concern, because, withfour members in the group, there could be as many as “twenty-five potentialcommunication relationships” (Ruben & Stewart, 1998, p. 281). Therefore, theinclusion of any more than four additional members was outweighed by the costsincurred for attaining consensus, keeping members informed, counteractingpressures toward conformity, and affecting leadership (Ruben & Stewart, 1998).Journal of Public Affairs Education 367
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