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"National Partnership for Reinventing Government"

Article Evaluation

While the quality of the Wikipedia article “National Partnership for Reinventing Government” includes a decent amount of information, it could definitely use some buffing up. First and foremost, the article includes very minimal references. The references that are present throughout the article seem to have their own topic or subtopic which they refer to. In order to ensure that there is sufficient credibility about the topic, it is necessary to have multiple citations under each heading. Despite the small number of references, the information given in the article appears relevant to the subject. On the other hand, the lack of expansion under most ideas leaves a lot to the imagination. In defense of the original writers, the article does not seem to be biased at all and does a good job at maintaining a neutral view. The same can be said for the sources referenced in the article, which mostly come from educational and government websites. The original writers of the Wikipedia page were sure to include the relationship that the partnership held with different aspects of government, though several of the topics and subtopics are kept to only a few sentences long which may not be beneficial to viewers counting on the information. For instance, an individual looking to gain knowledge about the National Partnership for Reinventing Government may learn a little about the history of the partnership, under which administration it was passed, and a few facts. There is a ton of room for more information to be added on to the web page so that future viewers are able to leave with an adequate comprehension of the material. In addition, links to working references will also be advantageous to the audience so that they have an opportunity to explore additional information. All in all, the writers have done a reasonable job at referencing their material used appropriately.

Annotated Bibliography

Breul, Jonathan D., and John M. Kamensky. "Federal Government Reform: Lessons from Clinton's "Reinventing Government" and Bush's "Management Agenda" Initiatives." Public Administration Review 68.6 (2008): 1009-026. Web.

Government reformation had been the norm for more than 100 years, with newly elected presidents often times looking to reform the executive branch. The authors of this source use their firsthand experience working with White House-led government reform efforts in order to provide their insight on Bill Clinton’s reinventing government initiative. The information provided may be used for presidents beyond as the efforts to reform government continue. The source will assist in further expanding the “History” subheading of the article as well as with the inclusion of more subheadings.

Farmer, David John. "Always Leave 'Em Laughing: NPR and the Next Blossom." Administrative Theory & Praxis 23.1 (2001): 103-08. Web.

This source offers a sufficient history of the National Partnership for Reinventing Government. This material is credible because it references individuals who were directly involved with the partnership. The author goes far beyond the basic history of NPR and mentions particular details that would otherwise be hard to come across. The source will be of benefit to the Wikipedia article because it will bring more information to the web page. Additionally, this article will serve as yet another source for users to visit in order to broaden their understanding.

Qiao, Yuhua, and Khi V. Thai. "Reinventing Government at the Federal Level: The Implementations and the Prospect.” Public Administration Quarterly 26.½ (2002): 89-116. Web.

The authors of this piece focus on the National Partnership for Reinventing Government altogether. They recognize the partnerships history, as well as diving into other specifics such as its implementation, historical roots, major themes, and more. The authors appear to remain unbiased to their personal opinions about the partnership and only offer credible material. This source will fit well into the Wikipedia article because it offers  a variety of information. The potential material referenced from this source may provide several new sub headings as well as serve as a reference for those preexisting.

Suleiman, Ezra. "New Conceptions of Bureaucracy, Democracy, and Citizenship." Dismantling Democratic States. Princeton UP, 2003. 41-60. Web.

This source opens with a brief history of NPR. This is important to the Wikipedia page because it means that there will be many sources used which will in turn add credibility. Suleiman goes on to discuss many different effects of NPR as well as its functions. The source continues with its historical discussion as it relates NPR to past reforms by other administrations. Ezra goes on to relate the very need for such reforms to other philosophical ideologies. This material will be necessary for already existing headings as well as for the creation of new ones.

Thompson, James R. "Reinvention As Reform: Assessing the National Performance Review." Public Administration Review 60.6 (2000): 508-21. Web.

The author of this article uses the conclusion of the Clinton administration as an opportunity to investigate the outcomes of NPR. The source follows a study which assets the goal of NPR. Thompson uses his findings in order to relate Clinton’s performance to past government reforms. While there is not necessarily any subheading where this information will fall, a new subheading may be created in order to accommodate the new material. The source is also a good place for readers to look for further understanding.

Revised Proposal Outline

1. Article Overview
   1. The pre existing information in the Wikipedia article offers a sufficient understanding of NPR. The sources attributed are relevant and require no additional information.
   2. It may be necessary to return to this section upon completion of the Wikipedia project Rough Draft in order to determine whether or not additional information should be added to this section.
2. Other Similar Commissions - Benito
   1. This section does not need any additional revisions. The material can stay because it gives viewers examples of other commissions similar to NPR so that they may conduct further research to compare and contrast.
   2. While government reformation efforts come along relatively soon into a president's term, it is not typical for president-elects to enter office wanting to reform government management right away. President's often times realize the need for reformation relatively quickly in order to make their policy goals achievable.^[1] These efforts may arise for a variety of reasons, whether substantive or symbolic. The substantive reasons may include motives such as "enhancing the capacity of the president to manage the bureaucracy, rationalizing the structure of government, and making career officials more responsive to political direction."^[2] Symbolic reform proposals are oftentimes associated with the state of the economy, the amount of waste produced by government organizations, among other reasons.^[2] Government reform has been practiced for over a century, beginning in 1905 with Theodore Roosevelt's Keep Commission.^[1]
3. History
   1. This section does not need any additional revisions. The information is referenced by several credible sources and offers a sufficient understanding of NPR.
4. Objectives of NPR ^[2] - Benito
   1. First Order ^[2]
      1. Downsizing
         1. Reasoning: "The result will not only be a smaller workforce, it will also be a more empowered, more inspired and more productive workforce." ^[3]
      2. Reduce administrative costs
      3. Reform administrative systems
   2. Second Order^[2]
      1. Decentralize authority within agencies
      2. Empower front-line workers
      3. Cultural change
   3. Third Order^[2]
      1. Improve quality of service
      2. Improve efficiency of agency work practices
5. Criticism of NPR
6. The Final Website (www.NPR.gov) *added* - Benito
   1. The final website of NPR, taken down in the year 2001(?), included the general idea and progresses of the organization. The main page of the website included five items, as listed below: ^[4]
      1. NPR e-zine, "Re-Go"
         1. The name of the electronic magazine was titled as an acronym for the Vice-Presidents name. ^[4]
         2. Featured in the magazine was a copy of the Office of Personal Management's presidential transition regulations ^[4]
      2. Hammer's Award Recipients
         1. The Hammer Award overview section at the end of the Wikipedia article will be moved to this section.
         2. The purpose of the Hammer Award is to recognize individuals for the contributions to the cause of governmental reform. ^[4]
      3. Survey Results - Government Customer Satisfaction
         1. This survey concluded that the government and private sector were both equal in customer satisfaction. ^[4]
         2. The survey had a sample size of 8,179 customers of federal agencies. ^[4]
         3. The study reported that the government received a score of 68.6, according to the standards of the American Customer Satisfaction Index. ^[4]
         4. The study provided that the Office of Student Financial Assistance in the Education Department had improved more than any other organization during that time. ^[4]
      4. Survey Results - Government Employee Satisfaction
         1. The survey concluded that government employees were overall satisfied with their position's, providing that 63 percent of federal employees felt positively about their jobs. ^[4]
         2. While the Department of the Navy had the greatest increase in employee satisfaction, from 58 percent in 1999 to 68 percent in 2001, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was rated the higher than any other organization by its employees with a 72 percent satisfaction rate. ^[4]
      5. NPR Reinvention I.Q. Quiz, "Always Leave 'Em Laughing"
         1. Presumed to be the final content of the NPR website at the time, considering the inauguration of George Bush which was less than a month away at the time (posted as of January 8, 2001). ^[4]
         2. There were twenty quizzes total with each quiz containing about ten questions ^[4]
         3. Some of the information asked about on the test are as follows:
            1. Gore's "No Gobbledegook" Award recognized federal employees who rewrote documents in plain language ^[4]
            2. The Blair House papers referred to the document that summarized the reinvention "Rules of the Road" for the second administration of Bill Clinton and Albert Gore.^[4]
            3. Reinvention laboratory examples included Tennessee Valley Authority, SHARK, Jackpot, Simply Better, and project Abel. ^[4]
               1. Reinvention laboratories refer to "units within agencies that would pilot innovations in service delivery and be granted waivers from internal agency rules." ^[5]
            4. As a result of NPR, the Pentagon removed military specifications for French Fries and Fruitcake, the Navy put an end to purchasing submersible phones for ships, the I.R.S. no longer sent tax forms to all taxpayers, there was an increase in online services available to the public, and money was up for sale online by the U.S. Mint. ^[4]
      6. The NPR Reinvention Quiz Grading System ^[4]
         1. Government Guru ^[4]
            1. This meant that you received an almost perfect score or higher on the 10 question quiz. ^[4]
         2. Champion Change Agents ^[4]
         3. Rookie Reinventors ^[4]
         4. Serious Starters ^[4]
         5. Timid Troopers ^[4]
            1. This was the lowest of the scores, as the rankings are presented in descending order.

1. Impact of the National Performance Review
   1. 3.1 NPR and the Department of Housing and Urban Development - Spencer
      1. The preexisting information in this section will remain in the article. The sources are relevant and unbiased and offers a general overview of how NPR impacted HUD. More detail to be provided.
      2. Provide details about the NPR and the Department of Housing and Urban Development by adding results that occurred after the implantation of the NPR. Will also provide a timeline including the information that happened during that year. Review the following bullet points for this material.
      3. 1993-Department of Housing and Urban Development Begin legal pursuits towards the mortgage companies that refused to lend to a higher number of the minorities.
      4. 1995- “Blueprint for Reinvention”  introduced ways of reform to HUD, in the future HUD had to figure out 60 billion dollars in financial adjustments.  HUD’s Inspector remarks by saying,”it was a lack of audit trails”.
      5. Source: DeHaven, Tad. “Department of Housing and Urban Development: Timeline of Growth.” Downsizing, https://www.downsizinggovernment.org/hud/timeline. Accessed 14 November 2016.
      6. The original 168-page report of the National Performance Review made a total of 255 agency-specific recommendations, 10 of which were directed at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).^[12] A few of these recommendations are listed below to show the type of request the government had in mind .The report recommended that HUD eliminate their annual budget reviews and work with congress to change rent rules that would create strong incentives for people to move from public housing as soon as they find jobs.^[12] A brief list as stated above of some of the recommendations for the Housing and Urban Development. 1)”Reinvent Public housing”: This was to improve housing management, eliminate unnecessary procedures and help provide a broader range of choices for public housing tenants. 2)” Improving management over multifamily assets and disposition”: This will help spot financial assets for the HUD and give them a better solution on how to act on public-private partnerships, issues with loans and reduce the tension placed upon them by the FHA insurance programs. 3) Establish a New Housing Production Program”: This recommendation is describing what needs to happen to improve availability for loans for multifamily housing, create a partnership between FHA, non-profits and the government to help resurrect old/dying neighborhoods.
   2. 3.2 NPR and Management in government organizations *add* - Alexa
   3. 3.3 NPR and Defense Spending - Lorenzo
      1. The preexisting information in this section of the article will remain. The sources are relevant and the ideas of this section only need to be expanded.
         1. Obvious decrease in spending during Clinton Administration
         2. Trend immediately took up tick during Bush administration/Post 9/11
   4. 3.4 NPR and Government Printing Office
      1. This sub-subsection does not need any additional information
      2. No sources need to be added or deleted from this sub-subsection.
   5. 3.5 NPR and the Executive Branch
      1. This sub-subsection does not need any additional information
      2. No sources need to be added or deleted from this sub-subsection.
   6. 3.6 NPR and the National Service
      1. This sub-subsection does not need any additional information
      2. No sources need to be added or deleted from this sub-subsection.
   7. 3.7 NPR and streamlining
      1. This sub-subsection does not need any additional informati on
      2. No sources need to be added or deleted from this sub-subsection
2. Hammer Award
   1. This section is to be moved to the "The Final Website" section under Hammer Award Recipients in order to offer a sufficient understanding of what the recipients were receiving. The source provided in the pre-existing article will suffice.

Timetable

"Psychological Contract"

Article Evaluation

The writers of the Wikipedia article “Psychological contract” gives forth a sufficient definition for the term at hand. The overview, while short, contains a total of three sources. All of the sources presented seem to come from reliable sources, however, there are no links provided that would allow viewers a chance to gain a better understanding of the subject matter. As noticed in a majority, if not all, of the subtopics that follow is that there is a of referenced material. While the material under the headings are kept short, most of the information is not sourced until the very end and contains only one reference. The writers could have done a better job at gathering more information from various sources as opposed to a paragraph from only one source. Similar to the overview, none of the material referenced contains a link to working material, although, the titles of the references do appear to be reliable. The writers did a great job at keeping the information presented both relevant and unbiased. A researcher may find the information beneficial, considering that they will leave knowing more about the topic than they may have originally. On the other hand, the little material provided will seemingly leave much to the imagination of the average reader. It may be beneficial to add on to what the original writers have already included in order to ensure that readers are able to gain an understanding of “Psychological Contracts” and that they are able to be confident in knowing that all of the material provided came from reliable sources that are able to browse for further information.   

Annotated Bibliography

Ahmed, Ezaz, et al. “Psychological Contract Breach: Consequences Of Unkept Promises of Permanent Employment.” Contemporary Management Research 12.2 (2016): 183-211. Academic Search Ultimate. Web. 21 October 2016.

This source follows a study conducted which examines attitudinal and behavioral reactions of temporary employees to repeated broken promises of permanent employment by their employers. The data for the study was collected from 140 bank employees in Bangladesh. While the results cannot be generalized for all sectors, the findings of the study will be beneficial for employers, academics in the field, and more. The “Breach” subheading of the “Psychological Contract” Wikipedia article contains no referenced material for the information presented. This source will assist in thoroughly explaining psychological contract breaches.  

HU, Ll, et al. “The Impact Of Relative Leader-Member Exchange On Employees’ Work Behaviors As Mediated By Psychological Contract Fulfillment.” Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal 42.1 (2014): 79-88. Academic Search Ultimate. Web. 21 October 2016.

The source introduces “Relative leader-member exchange”, otherwise known as RLMX. This is a reflection of the social comparison process. Also, employees experience social exchange when they display specific behaviors and attitudes in their workplace role. The conductors of this survey use the information gathered and compare it to the role that Psychological Contracts play in mediating employer-employee conflict. The “employment relationship develops” subheading of the “Psychological Contract” Wikipedia article contains only one reference for the information presented. This source will assist in thoroughly explaining how the relationships in the workplace develop.  

Sharma, Anita, and Kalpna Thakur. “Counterproductive Work Behavior: The Role Of Psychological Contract Violation.” International Journal Of Multidisciplinary Approach & Studies 3.1 (2016): 13-27. Academic Search Ultimate. Web. 21 October 2016.

The objective of this source focuses on a study conducted which identifies the relationship between psychological contract violation and counterproductive work behavior. The study concluded that when employers violate the psychological contract, employees respond by displaying counterproductive work behavior. Both the “Breach” subheading as well as the “employee relationship develops” subheading of the “Psychological Contract” Wikipedia article contains little to no referenced material for the information presented. This source will assist in further expanding on the already presented ideas and material.

van den Heuvel, Sjoerd, and Rene Schalk. “The Relationship Between Fulfillment Of The Psychological Contract And Resistance To Change During Organizational Transformations.” Journal Of Experimental Botany 66.6 (2015): 283-313. Academic Search Ultimate. Web. 21 October 2016.

The source presents a study which investigates the relationship between fulfillment of the psychological contract and resistance to organization-related change. In order to gather data, the researchers used a sample of 208 employees in ten different Dutch organizations. The results found that a significant negative relationship between fulfillment of the organization side of the psychological contract and resistance to change. Ultimately, the psychological contract serves as a way of manitiang a good relationship between the employer and employee by providing trust which will has the potential to prevent employee resistance to change. Because the already existing Wikipedia article for psychological contract is limited on information, this source will assist in providing new information and may even serve as a new sub heading.

Zaidman, Nurit, and Dikla Elisha. “What Generates The Violation Of Psychological Contracts At Multinational Corporations? A Contextual Exploratory Study.” International Journal

Of Cross Cultural Management 16.1 (2016): 99-119. Academic Search Ultimate. Web. 21 October 2016.

The article presented by the researches provides information on how violations of a psychological contract may result negatively. Some of the negative results include mistrust, lower job performance, and reduced job satisfaction. The researches follow a study conducted which further proves this notion. The results provided indicated five situations that may lead to a psychological contract violation. The “Breach” subheading of the “Psychological Contract” Wikipedia article contains no referenced material for the information presented. This source will assist in thoroughly explaining psychological contract breaches.