WK11 Analysis of the Government Publishing Office Assignment 6: Portfolio Due Week 11 and worth 130 points Your position as the consultant is ending and i

WK11 Analysis of the Government Publishing Office Assignment 6: Portfolio
Due Week 11 and worth 130 points

Your position as the consultant is ending and it is time to submit your complete report. In this assignment, you will make final changes for Assignments 2 through 5 and put the sections into one document.
In addition to what you have already completed and compiled for this portfolio, you should write a two to three (2-3) page conclusion in which you:

Describe your final three to five (3-5) observations about the success of the agency, highlighting the value of the agency to U.S. citizens, its success at meeting its goals, and areas where it can improve.
Recommend two or three (2-3) strategies for improvement, providing sound justification for each.
Describe your experience in researching the agency and interviewing representatives, highlighting the value the project has to your career, the positive elements, and the challenges you faced during the process.
Include the required sections with appropriate titles in the portfolio.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include the following sections in the portfolio:
Title Page (Cover Page)
The cover page must contain the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date.
Table of Contents
Assignments 2-5 with specific headers / titles
Conclusion
Reference Page
Appendices

Week 11 Discussion 1

“Looking Back” Please respond to the following:

Reflecting on what you have learned in this degree program, identify any course(s) that you consider significant and helpful to your career plan. Explain your selection(s).

Week 11 Discussion 2

“Looking Ahead” Please respond to the following:

As a public administrator, identify one or two area(s) of public administration you think will have the greatest effect on the U.S. in the next five years. Justify your selections with two to three reasons. Running head: GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE (GPO)
Analysis of the Selected Agency
Rodriko Sankey
Professor Andre Lee
Public Administration Capstone
January 29, 2019
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GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE (GPO)
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Government Publishing Office
The United States Government Publishing Office is an agency found under the legislature
of the United States Federal Government. The agency deals in the distribution of information and
rendering of information related services to America. GPO was created by a joint resolution in
Congress on the date 23rd June 1860. However, the agency assumed its operations the following
year on the 4th of March. On establishment, the agency started with a total of 350 employed
individuals which increased to the peak of the staff population that was 8500 in the year 1972.
Initially, the agency went by the name Government Printing Office but was changed to
Government Publishing Office on December 17th the year 2014 during the Obama regime. The
agency deals in the availing and distribution of information products and services to the general
public from the government. The agency is responsible for the creation of information giving
material through which the public can access information that they require when it comes to
matters concerning the government. The agency is also charged with the issuance of passports to
the citizens of America (“Mission, Vision, and Goals of GPO”). The agency has dealt with this
duty since back in the 1920s. Under this agency, the passport acquisition process has developed
to the present day where the organization does not deal in the traditional passports anymore but
purely in the distribution of e-passports. GPO is also mandated with the publishing of many
government journals inclusive of Public and Private Laws and the United States Code. It is also
responsible for the creation of a Trusted Traveler Program Cards for the Department of
Homeland Security (“Strategic Plan Accomplishments Report,” 2013). Through its various tasks,
GPO serves its purpose of availing government information products and services to the people
of America (“Mission, Vision, and Goals of GPO”).
GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE (GPO)
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Organizational Design
GPO organization is crafted to have the director as the principal leader and subdivisions
under this hierarchy which entail independent units. The director is affiliated with each unit
under him, but the overall units do not get to correlate or interact based on the organizational
structure. The whole agency under the director is subdivided into seven independent units. These
units include the Security Service unit that deals with matters concerning security and is
inclusive of the GPO police. It also has a Strategy unit for strategic management of the agency,
an Administration unit, and an Operations unit that is headed by the director. It also has a Public
Access unit, a Legal unit and finally a Finance unit. Under these various units, lie other subunits
that are clustered under the relevance to the seven central units.
This form of organization has seen to it that the organization is more effective when it
comes to the accomplishment of tasks due to its specific nature. The differentiation within the
different units allows an orderly flow of activities as each unit runs independently to achieve the
overall goals of the organization by accomplishing the goals set under each unit (“Strategic Plan
Accomplishments Report,” 2013). The organizational design facilitates the efficient
accomplishment of tasks and facilitates the making of significant policy decisions by the
involvement of each unit in the representation of the critical sections of the agency.
GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE (GPO)
Figure 1: GPO Organizational Chart. Source: https://www.gpo.gov/
Assessment of Organizational Design
The organizational design currently used by GPO can be improved to establish higher
achievement of the department goals. To improve the effectiveness of the organization, the
organizational design can be changed to interconnect the various units to make the organization
more solidified. The rest of the functions under each department will remain. This involves
merely conjoining the units with goals and objectives that lead to their interaction.
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GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE (GPO)
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By unifying the organizational design and having it as one unit headed by the Director
instead of the seven different units, some aspects of performance can be improved to give the
agency an even better outcome. The organization can achieve a better level of communication
which is a crucial aspect of any organizational interaction. The merge will also lead to diversified
thinking when it comes to organizational growth and the generation of solutions to problems that
may face the agency. When the interaction is enhanced, the resultant outcome will be the
increase in organizational trust on the end of employees and thus a higher probability of the
organization to retain employees and have them become more productive which results into the
increased effectiveness of the organization.
Director
(Head of all Department)
Security
Services
Strategy
Adminstration
Operations
Public Access
Finance
Legal
GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE (GPO)
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Evaluation of Planning and Implementation
Factors for Success
A couple of factors have overseen the success of the agency in its period of service to the
United States. They include the growth of technology and the reduction of staff. The growth of
technology brings about the improvement of the agency operations as with the development of
technology, the interaction with information has become less cumbersome. The growth of
technology has seen GPO emerge successful in its duties due to its ability to adapt. Due to
technological advancement, record keeping is much simpler and less sophisticated as compared
to the past when almost all functions were manually carried out, and information only existed in
hard copy. The organization took up computer technology in the 1980s which eased the
operation of the whole agency.
The reduction of staff is an adaptive measure on the internal side of the agency that has
seen to it that the organization remains relevant with the changing times (“Strategic Plan
Accomplishments Report,” 2013). With the emergence of technology, the organization had to lay
off the extra manpower to operate under a reasonable budget. This has allowed the reallocation
of funds to other aspects of the agency. In general, the agency’s cutting down on cost by laying
off workers enables the achievement of higher annual revenue for a lower operating cost.
The specialized form of organizational design that recognizes specific units running
under the director is also a factor as to why the agency has been successful in its operations.
When each operation has a unit that is specialized in only achieving the set goals, it becomes
much easier to get things accomplished with a clear record of the processes undertaken. The
GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE (GPO)
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distribution of operations within the agency allows for maximum attention to specific processes
which gives the organization higher levels of success.
Impediments to Success
One factor that limits the performance and efficiency of the agency is the lack of
collaboration with information facilities such as libraries. The agency could achieve more if it
collaborated with libraries to avail the informative materials it has. The inclusion of more
libraries in its supply chain can lead to the achievement of higher client satisfaction. By
providing their materials to many libraries, the client bases that are even out of technological
reach can still access the same information with those using technology (“U.S. GOVERNMENT
PRINTING OFFICE,” 2011). By embracing the recognition of libraries even in this age of
technology, the agency can safely ensure that their client base is satisfied regardless of their class
or interaction with technology.
Another issue that may impede the performance of the organization is the monopolistic
nature of the agency. With no competition for the role they play within America, GPO has the
possibility of becoming lenient with their operations as there is no threat of getting knocked off
the market or top position. This trickles all the way down from the leaders to the employees.
Individuals working in this organization can create a working environment that is not pressured
by quality or quantity which in turn makes them less productive as employees. The lack of
competition generates relaxation that if not looked into can become the main barrier to the
achievement of goals and policy implementation.
GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE (GPO)
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Recommendation for Planning and Implementation
To increase its effectiveness when it comes to planning in the organization, the making of
decisions and the implementation of policies generated within the agency, the organization can
develop an online feedback system for interaction with individuals it interacts with. The sourcing
of feedback can then be used to make plans and make corrections and come up with better ways
to handle the target audience. By getting an idea of what individuals want to be done or
corrected, the agency can meet its goals much more efficiently as compared to when it is
oblivious of any complaints that the general public may have (Cordella, & Tempini, 2015). The
information gotten from an online interactive platform can be analyzed and later used in
significant decision-making processes and even in situations that the agency needs to generate
solutions to a specific problem.
To achieve higher levels of success in the implementation of policies, the unification of
the organizational design could come in handy for the agency. When implementing policy, the
indulgence of every unit within the agency is of the essence to ensure the success of any
implementation. This is also important for planning as it results in the pooling of the intellectual
resources of the agency. By involving more minds, the process of planning is more refined as
there are more perspectives and angles to view and every idea from. Through this, the choices
made are more reliable as they have undergone more scrutiny and do not come from the
interaction of like-minded individuals which is what happens when the organizations make
decisions on the basis of their units. This is described by the following cause and effect diagram.
GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE (GPO)
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GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE (GPO)
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References
Mission, Vision, and Goals of GPO. https://www.gpo.gov/who-we-are/our-agency/missionvision-and-goals
Strategic Plan Accomplishments Report, October (2013). https://www.gpo.gov/docs/defaultsource/mission-vision-and-goals
pdfs/Strategic_Plan_Accomplishments_Report_2013.pdf?sfvrsn=2
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE Strategic Vision Plan Fiscal Year 2011
Accomplishments, (2011). https://www.gpo.gov/docs/default-source/mission-vision-andgoals- pdfs/2011-2015_StrategicPlanAccomplishments.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Cordella, A., & Tempini, N. (2015). E-government and organizational change: Reappraising the
role of ICT and bureaucracy in public service delivery. Government Information
Quarterly, 32(3), 279-286.
GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE (GPO)
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Appendix
Interview Forms.
1. What is the Government Publishing Office (GPO)?
The Government Publishing Office is an agency that serves the purpose of sharing information
between the arms of the government and the people of America. It has been in place since the
year 1860 has served the purpose of offering information services and products even before the
wake of technology.
2. What do you know about the history of GPO?
One thing I know is that the agency initially existed under the name Government Printing Office
but was later changed to Government Publishing Office in the year 2014. It is tasked with a goal
of ensuring that there is access to federal information by the general public.
3. What do you believe are the two biggest challenge facing GPO?
One challenge I believe faces this agency is the monopolistic nature in which it exists. The
agency lacks any form of competition for the purpose it serves hence complacency in the
fulfilling of duties by those working here.
The organization has also not collaborated with local libraries. The duty it serves could be
fulfilled more efficiently if libraries were included in the supply chain of the information GPO
handles.
4. What factors facilitate the success of GPO as an agency?
GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE (GPO)
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According to my point of view, GPO is successful because of the efficient uptake of technology.
The agency had done remarkably well adapting to the culture of technology considering the fact
that it was established at a time when technology was not as rampant as it is right now.
I also believe that the release of workers as a result of the uptake of technology has also helped
the agency to remain relevant financially.
The organizational design of the agency is also very crucial in this organizations success. The
organizational design is so specific that operations are achieved in a much more comfortable and
faster way.
Running head: GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
Evaluation of Agency’s Ethics, Cooperation, Leadership, and Legal Decisions
Rodriko Sankey
Professor Andre Lee
Public Admin Capstone
February 10, 2019
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GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
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Government Publishing Office
The government publishing office is a state corporation that is mandated to publish all
print media such as government publications, tax forms, passports, and legal documents. The
agency has been in existence for an extended period and has served as the public information
provider tremendously (Roca, Vaishnav, Fuchs, & Morgan, 2016). It has two branches one in
Washington DC and the other in Missouri.
Administrative Ethics
The Government Publishing Office has enjoyed balanced services provision to the nation
and has been successful in its service delivery. It is mandated to carry out all its operations in
adherence to the federal requirements on integrity related issues (The United States, 2016).
However, there have been several ethical issues rocking the agency since its inception. Notable
events regard cases of corruption, cronyism, nepotism, and mismanagement of resources. The
top officials at the helm of the agency have been reported to be using agency resources such as
cars for personal use.
Furthermore, there have been reported cases of cronyism of the hiring of friends and
relatives at the agency. This is a violation of the law, and it’s ethically unacceptable. It creates a
toxic work environment and has eroded the trust bestowed upon them by the public. Moreover,
the money paid to the illegally employed people is regarded as mismanaged funds as it was not
used for the benefit of the agency or the public in general. Furthermore, there are reported cases
GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
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of violation of procurement and contractual rules by the finance department of the agency. The
tender for the 2020 census was found to have been awarded fraudulently with the case still
ongoing and more investigations being carried out.
Leadership Influences
The type of leadership and governance dramatically influences the success of any agency
or institution. The Government publishing office is designed with the director as the chief leader
of the agency and subdivided into seven independent sub-units each with its respective leaders.
The seven sub-units are the operations unit, public access legal department, security, strategy,
and finance departments. All these units are interdependent and interconnected in carrying out
their respective mandates. The president appoints the principal director of the agency with the
advice and approval of the Senate. Currently, the post is vacant, and the president has recently
nominated Robert Tapella for the post.
The leadership of the agency has led to growth and high performance. For instance,
former Director Davita Vance- Cooks advocated and implemented a strategy for modernization
which improved the public’s access to digital government information resources (The United
States, 2017). She oversaw the transformation of the agency to a digital firm with automation of
various services provided. The agency is a state-run corporation and is funded through budgetary
allocations from Congress. However, the government publishing office leadership has also
played a part in mischievous and unethical behavior that has threatened the agency’s
performance and hurt its public image. There have been reported cases of misuse of power
whereby the leaders, through the powers bestowed in them by virtue of their position, have
engaged in cronyism. Federal investigations came up with reports that some employees were
GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
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hired out of the legal hiring procedures. This has eroded public trust and affected normal
operations in the agency due to the creation of an unfavorable working environment.
By virtue of the leadership being appointed by the president and approved by the Senate,
there have been attempting to place government puppets as leaders of the agency. It is important
to note that the agency has been led by some familiar faces over a very long period of time.
Furthermore, for the agency is state-run, it may be coerced to make publications which are statecentric to ensure that the government’s image is clean (Frederickson & Rohr, 2015). This is
misleading to the public due to false reports on issues like income tax reports and federal
government budgetary allocations. Moreover, the operations of the agency such as the issuance
of passports may be restricted by political activities. For instance, the issuance of passports to
immigrants was significantly affected after President Donald Trump assumed office and imposed
the restricting policies on immigration.
Legal Decisions
The government publishing office is a state-run and governed agency. The government
publishing office has security officers in the form of the Government Publishing Office Police.
The police are tasked with enforcing federal laws and protecting the agency’s premises. The
police are authorized to kick out anyone who is found to go against the regulations of the agency.
Furthermore, the agency in partnership with the justice department handles all ethics-related
cases and promotes accountability in all departments. Furthermore, the agency has an office of
The General Counsel which is charged with dealing with all legal matters pertaining to the
institution. The General Counsel ensures that each department adheres to the organization’s
GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
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moral code of conduct (The United States, 2017). Additionally, all legal cases involving agency
employees are handled by the legal office.
However, the agency faces numerous setbacks in enforcing the regulations. These
challenges include limited resources to carry out legal activities, political influence and lack of a
precise mechanism of dealing with legal cases. The oversight office at the agency may not be
able to carry out investigations regarding the senior-most leaders at the agency. Furthermore,
there is a lack of clear policy on the methodology to be followed when implementing
accountability measures at the agency. The protocol is not laid out clear, and there may be issues
of overstepping their jurisdiction. Additionally, the primary challenge of implementing
administrative policies is the breaking of laws by senior personnel in the agency. This paralyzes
the implementation of the legal administrative policies because, if the leaders themselves indulge
in fraudulent activities, there is a high chance that all members of the agency will also fail to
operate in adherence to good governance policies.
Strategies for Consideration to Administrative Processes
However, …
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