The development of public managers’ reflexive capacities

Abstract

The aim of this article is to discuss ways in which we as educators of public managers can help our students deal effectively with the challenges thrown up by the sweeping cuts in public services arising as a consequence of the fiscal crisis brought about by the failure of the banks. While our focus is on the UK, we feel that the issues raised have relevance across Europe. Our argument is that by developing a reflexive pedagogical practice we will enable our students to be proactive (agentic), and in accordance with ethical and professional values, to respond to the dilemmas they face arising out of unprecedented public expenditure cuts. We begin by discussing the overall political context which forms the backdrop to the current crisis in public services and its implications. This is followed by a discussion about the pedagogic debate concerning ‘reflexivity’ and the potential role it has in a public management education strategy. A pedagogy for reflexivity needs to be based in an ontology that believes in the efficacy of open, critical and democratic dialogue, and the facilitation of learning in interactional and relational environments. A range of learning and inquiry processes may hold these characteristics, e.g. collaborative inquiry groups, participatory action research. However, we proceed by describing our experience of enabling senior local government managers to work ‘reflexively’ in learning sets and identify key issues emerging for them as they grapple with the impact of the fiscal crisis. In reflecting on this experience we offer some general insights about the role of ‘reflexivity’ in the education of public managers.

“On Becoming a Critically Reflexive Practitioner” Redux

“…I recall, going through the review process, that the reviewers perceived the article as a “critical management” piece, but the ideas have been developed by both CMS and non-CMS scholars, and have been taken forward in relation to teaching, learning, research, and practice. For example, Broussine and Ahmad (2012) argue that reflexivity and a reflexive pedagogy are of particular importance to public sector managers as they deal with complex political and economic demands and constraints. They believe that as educators we need to facilitate democratic, dialogic, and interactive spaces for practitioners to become more reflexive—something I endeavor to do in my own teaching.…”

The Impact of Emotions on Student Achievement in Synchronous Hybrid Business and Public Administration Programs: A Longitudinal Test of Control‐Value Theory*

“…However, these results were obtained in an omnibus test of ten discrete emotions. Apart from this work, research on emotions in the context of BPA education has largely been limited to emotional intelligence training (Kiel, Bezboruah, & Oyun, 2009;Kramer, 2007) and the development of emotionally-aware reflexivity (Broussine & Ahmad, 2013;Quinn, 2013).…”

Another look at research

“…The objective is to provide a range of ideas on how to shape reflective learning practice which leads to personal learning, subject learning and critical learning (Hedberg, 2009) and ultimately personal management development. Cunliffe and Jun (2005) argue that the practice of critical reflexivity is of particular importance to management education because by thinking more critically about our own assumptions and actions we can develop more collaborative responsive and ethical ways of leading organisations (Broussine and Ahmad, 2013).…”