Organizational Change Skill Acquisition and Change Agency Preparedness in U. S. NASPAA-Accredited MPA Programs

Abstract

New challenges in our global and regional economies question managers’ ability to navigate change in the years ahead. Because colleges and universities are the incubators for future leaders, we argue that MPA programs across the country must train leaders of public organizations in organizational change and leadership skills to be successful during this transformation. Although a growing body of literature focuses on how employees and managers perceive organizational change and change management (e.g., culture change, effect of globalization), a considerable rift exists between the analysis and the practical application. Filling this gap, and in keeping within NASPAA’s accreditation guidelines to prepare students to be “leaders, managers, and analysts in the professions of public affairs, public administration, and public policy,” the purpose of this research is to identify the skills required by graduate students of public administration programs to effect change in public organizations and determine whether NASPAA-accredited MPA programs are providing these skills as reflected in course curricula and program catalogs. We caution that in light of NASPAA’s emphasis on universal competencies, coupled with the current economic and fiscal constraints faced by all levels of government, the ability of public affairs and administration graduate students to master organizational change skills should be considered a fundamental objective in the assessment of NASPAA-accredited MPA programs’ learning outcomes.