Beyond a Government of Strangers: How Career Executives and Political Appointees Can Turn Conflict to Cooperation [Paperback]

Robert Maranto (Author), James P. Pfiffner (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2005 | ISBN-10: 073911090X | ISBN-13: 978-0739110904

With rare exceptions, few large institutions change bosses every two or three years. Yet the U.S. Government has temps on top. Thousands of political appointees come in to run an agency or department and depart soon after, at the whims of the electorate, due to inside-the-Beltway bureaucratic politics, or because of their own ambitions. Many career bureaucrats view their temporary political bosses as 'ins and outers,' 'birds of passage,' or, more derisively, 'Christmas help.' Yet for better or worse, the number of Santa's helpers has doubled since 1960 even as the length of their stay in government has declined. Numerous scholars advocate reform of the political appointment process, and many primers have appeared to help the appointees adjust to life inside the Beltway. Beyond a Government of Strangers is the first book to focus on the men and women who stick around, on the career executives and their own roles in the executive branch. Robert Maranto provides pithy and sage advice on how career leaders can improve tenuous relationships and overcome conflicts with political appointees, especially during presidential transitions. He offers a rare insider's perspective, with the first-person account of former Deputy Counsel of the Navy Harvey Wilcox and quotations taken from interviews with scores of career executives. Included in the book are helpful strategies such as 'Ten Tips on Managing Your Political Boss' and invaluable details such as how careerists at different Federal agencies handle the orientation of new appointees. The wisdom collected here will ensure more effective relationships in our government as well as more astute scholars of public administration. No one working inside the Beltway can afford to miss this book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

I served every U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director from 1979 to 1998 and reported directly to five of them, and thus went through the transition when each arrived. I can thus say from direct experience that Professor Maranto has hit his target squarely. I hope that my successors as Director of the Federal Executive Institute will have the wisdom to put this book among the management books that sit on the shelf of every executive bedroom at the Institute. (Curt Smith )

Beyond a Government of Strangers is a fascinating look inside the critical nexus where political appointees and career bureaucrats meet. It is a unique and substantial contribution to the fields of presidential politics, public management, and public human resource management—indeed, it should be read by all interested in effective governance. (Stephen E. Condrey )

Bob Maranto and his colleagues irreverently take on much of what passes for conventional wisdom about political appointee-careerist relations in the federal government. They do so armed with wit, wisdom, data, experience, and a welcome conversational prose style. Shibboleths beware! The verdict's in and Beyond a Government of Strangers delivers it, puts it in context, and tells appointees and careerists what to do about it. (Robert F. Durant )

Stepping into the shoes of Hugh Heclo's classic, A Government of Strangers, is a tall order. But in this lively book, Maranto admirably succeeds. He not only explores the nooks and crannies of how the upper levels of the American bureaucracy really work. He illustrates his cogent analysis with first-person tales from the public executives who live that life. The result is a unique and valuable look at the public service—and what we can do to improve it. (Kettl, Donald F. )

Even highly successful and experienced career executives can find living at the intersection between political appointees and the career civil service tricky at best and fraught with peril at worst. Dr. Maranto's book should be required reading on both sides of this fence. (Carol A. Bonasaro )

Maranto's book is chock full of good advice, yet it is not preachy. . . . If the insights in this book are heeded, accommodation [between career civil servants and political appointees] will occur sooner rather than later, and everyone will be able to get on with their mission: serving the public. (Pfiffner, James P. )

About the Author

Robert Maranto teaches political science and public administration at Villanova University. He formerly served as senior faculty member at the Federal Executive Institute. Maranto has done extensive research on political appointees in government, civil service reform, and education reform (particularly charter schools). His most recent book isRadical Reform of the Civil Service (with Steven Condrey, Lexington Books, 2001).

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Lexington Books (May 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 073911090X
• ISBN-13: 978-0739110904
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,457,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brief but insightful volume, May 27, 2007

By 

Steven A. Peterson (Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL)) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beyond a Government of Strangers: How Career Executives and Political Appointees Can Turn Conflict to Cooperation (Paperback)

This is a brief but very interesting and insightful work. Based on interviews, surveys, and a survey of previous research, Robert Maranto explores the dynamic and sometimes tension-filled relationship between federal career employees and the President's political appointees. Upfront, Maranto notes that (page 20) ". . .while political and career officials may have different perspectives, the best government happens when they work together, in the truest sense managing their unique diversity."

Hugh Heclo long ago wrote an excellent book called A Government of Strangers, to which the title of this book alludes. One issue that he raised was that political appointed stay within an agency for only a short period of time (say, 2-3 years), whereas the career officials count their tenure in decades. Many career officials look at the political appointees as annoyances and "wait them out" until the political people rotate to another position or leave government.

The strength of Maranto's book is the portrayal of a more nuanced situation. Indeed, often there is tension between the two parties; however, they need one another to succeed, and--as Maranto notes--they develop a modus vivendi where they normally come to work together. In chapter 3, the author notes the sources of tensions leading to "career-noncareer conflict" (page 39), among which are technical credentials (appointees often do not have the same level of technical expertise as career officials), ideological differences, and the like. However, the book outlines ways to mitigate the tensions, and notes that--normally--the two "sides" develop a rapprochement.

Political appointees, if adept, can well serve the agency by working on its behalf; careerists, by working with appointees, can strengthen the position of the appointee. In such a manner, a "win-win" can develop. The book concludes with a series of "tips" on how career officials can (page 110) ". . .manage their relationships with political appointees, and speed up the cycle of accommodation." Among the tips: avoid stereotypes of political appointees, reach out to the appointees, and be nice to appointees on their way out.

This is a brief but interesting and well crafted work on the dynamic (and sometimes difficult) working relationships between career federal officials and the political appointees within their agencies. A nice resource for those interested in such issues. . . .