Critical Analysis of the Role of Leadership in Improving Performance in Public Sector Organisations

Critical Analysis of the Role of Leadership in Improving Performance in Public Sector Organisations Introduction Distributed leadership is a post-heroic understanding of leadership that advocates the liberation from bureaucracy and strengthening of stakeholder involvement (Jackson 2000, p. 70). It has traits that make it relevant for public firms that are in need of a turnaround in performance (Harris, 2005, p. 82).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Critical Analysis of the Role of Leadership in Improving Performance in Public Sector Organisations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Integrity or openness to criticism, delegation of duties and networking are some of the qualities that reflect distributed leadership. Ciulla (2004) Currie Locket (2007) and Gronn (2002) are among the advocates of distributed leadership, and their support stems from the shortcomings that are found in transformational leadership. Moreover, Alimo-Metcalfe, Alban-Metcalfe, Heck, Hallinger and Harris are some of the key theorists in distri buted leadership. They expound on the centrality of cooperation, expert input and openness of leadership boundaries within this form of leadership. This paper will focus on characteristics of the leadership model, particularly how it relates to performance management, change management and organisational structure. Performance management can lead to effective performance by facilitating goal definition, proper development of performance management systems, as well as role clarification. Distributed leadership can streamline these aspects. Change management is necessary in turnaround situations, and organisational structure alters decision-making and control issues, thus affecting how a company accomplishes impressive performance. The report will examine how distributed leadership may translate these processes into high performance.Advertising Looking for case study on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It will then apply these aforementioned theories to a case study about a police force called Blackshire (Walshe et. al., 2009, p. 12).1 This institution was experiencing problems as a result of poor leadership. The report will focus on how distributed leadership could have prevented some of these problems, as well as providing some suggestions on how the institution can improve its current leadership approach on the basis of the theory. Distributed Leadership Theory Definition of distributed leadership and how organisations effect it A number of characteristics make distributed leadership distinct. The first quality is that it encapsulates a network of individuals interacting with one another. Unlike other theories of leadership like transactional and transformational leadership, which dwell on the individual, this approach emphasises the involvement of groups of people in leadership. The emphasis, therefore, is collaborative action not the sum of individual efforts (Harris, 2 005, p. 82). Secondly, distributed leadership has open boundaries. Organisations can expand their leadership to a wide number of people because no limits exist on how wide one can cast this leadership net. From this perspective, adherents of the distributed leadership model advocate the expansion of stakeholders and encourage their involvement as leaders (Heck and Hallinger, 2005 p.233).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Critical Analysis of the Role of Leadership in Improving Performance in Public Sector Organisations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance, in the context of an educational establishment, instead of merely including the teachers in leadership, a school can expand its community of stakeholders to include students or parents. Conversely, transformational leadership would have closed boundaries as formal leaders would wield most control. Thirdly, this form of leadership involves the belief th at experts exist in different facets of the organisation. By bringing the ideas and perspectives of those experts, an organisation can strengthen its capabilities. Moreover, when an expert uses their skills to initiate a concept, then the trust and support of others will sharpen the initiative (Alimo-Metcalfe, 2000, p.42). In transactional and transformational leadership, experts lack decision-making power (Alimo-Metcalfe Alban-Metcalfe 2005, p. 53). Autonomy and control in the distributed leadership model is varied. It may emanate from members in senior authority or low-level employees. However, it is sometimes effective to let formal leaders establish certain values and goals because they are accountable to external parties for the performance of the institution. In addition, the organisational culture has a substantial influence on the effectiveness of distributed leadership. Thus, if an institution has had a long-standing culture of non-participation, the distributed leadership models could yield high levels of passivity. These choices of autonomy and control are not available to individuals in transformational and transactional leadership models (Currie Lockett, 2007, p. 353). Organisations in the public sector may have to pioneer cultural change if pre-existing cultures are incompatible with shared leadership. The source of change in distributed leadership is also diverse (Currie Lockett, 2007, p. 361).Advertising Looking for case study on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It may come from an external policy or stimulus, such as members of the community served by the public organisation. They may place pressure on the institution to change, which could potentially require a complete cultural shift. Conversely, it may emanate from within, by formal leaders or members of the network. Sometimes it may come from an external policy or stimulus, such as members of the community served by the public organisation, who may place pressure on the institution to change. This could require a cultural shift. Conversely, it may emanate from formal leaders or members of the network. One should note, that although distributed leadership emphasises the importance of a collective effort, it is still compatible with top-down leadership, wherein projects and initiatives are granted from charismatic leaders. However, the key difference between attempts at organisational change in traditional transformational leadership and distributed leadership, is the strong partnership between the leader and other members of the organisation during this change (Crosby Bryson, 2005, p. 80). Additionally, the question of whether distributed leadership can fit into pre-set structures warrants some attention. In order to foster a long-term orientation, public organisations ought to have team structures and committees as some of the forms of distributed leadership (Crosby Bryson, 2005, p. 80). However, these structures need not determine how leadership manifests itself. The fluid nature of distributed leadership places greater precedence on one’s expertise rather than one’s position. Conversely transformational leadership rests on formal leadership. Moreover, for this level of spontaneity to work, the public firm ought to have a high degree of support and trust from amongst its team members. Therefore, leader-and-follower distinctions may not be clear, which may necessitate formal accountability structures to be in place. A realisation in the limitation s of charismatic leadership has necessitated the shift towards distributed leadership within the public sector. Gronn (2002, p. 9) challenges the fact that leadership should revolve around one individual alone. He asserts that leadership is not mythically or contingent upon any special powers of an individual. In reality, Ciulla (2004, p. 67) adds that overreliance on one person may create a form of cult of these leaders. Followers may pay heavily for criticising the leadership while the seniors themselves may claim ownership over all organisational success, even when others contributed to the effort. Narcissism and self-serving leadership thrives in a charisma-oriented organisation, and this could lead to failure (Currie Lockett, 2007, p. 359). It is for these reasons that many public institutions are embracing inclusive leadership as this approach has built-in mechanisms to ensure accountability, as well as ownership of decisions. Traits in distributed leadership that lead to per formance improvement Public organisations have formal leaders who still play a crucial role in the enforcement of distributed leadership (Hartley, 2007, p. 203). Senior leaders often network among their internal and external stakeholders in order to cause change. Therefore, this attribute mirrors transformational leadership. They usually expand the number of contacts that they have and build trust among them. Moreover, sensitivity to key players’ agenda (both external and internal) is crucial in causing performance improvement (Alimo-Metcalfe Alban-Metcalfe 2005, p. 66). In the context of the UK public sector domain, this is vital as inter-agency collaboration is common and in certain cases, it is expected. Successful leadership therefore, unites differing institutions in order to facilitate a shared vision. One cannot overemphasise the significance of delegation as a means of improving performance within organisations. Public organisations must empower their staff to think strategically and to develop solutions for impending problems. This causes them to take responsibility over performance improvement. In the transformational leadership model, leaders think of delegation as a favour to their subordinates (Currie et. al., 2005, p. 266). Individuals who exercise decision-making powers do not dilute the leader’s power. However, in distributed leadership, a formal leader may have to give true discretion over issues. This implies a slight degree of disempowerment for the senior authority (Alimo-Metcalfe, 2000, p.109). Alimo-Metcalfe Alban-Metcalfe (2005, p.70) stress the importance of integrity as another essential quality to facilitate performance improvement. Such ethical and moral standards are prerequisites to the establishment of effective distributed-leadership, as leaders need to deal with their fellow members in an equitable and consistent way. In the distributed model, one ought to embrace values of humility and exhibit vulnerability; hen ce when a person is wrong, they should admit their mistakes. Alimo-Metcalfe Alban-Metcalfe (2005, p. 56) stress that transformational leadership makes it difficult to ask questions as leaders have a cult-like following. Adherents of the distributed leadership model must therefore give precedence to the good of the organisation rather than their personal ambition or needs. Openness to criticism amongst senior authorities in distributed leadership should make them alter their views after listening to others. Modification ought to occur genuinely rather than as a reactionary response to others threatening effectiveness (Hennessey, 1998, p.525). In this model, workers will pursue task objectives because of the internationalisation of their core values, if they regard their work roles as crucial elements of their identity. In line with vulnerability and transparency is the ease of accessibility. Employees in distributed leadership have open access to formal leaders, regardless of their schedules. The degree of formality ought to be minimal as this will facilitate openness and honesty. (Hartley, 2007, p.207). Performance management in the public sector and its relevance to distributed leadership Performance management is a critical aspect of the overall organisational performance because it allows public sector institutions to link results, objectives and individual objectives. It is the means with which organisations merge fundamental aspects of their function (De Bruijn, 2001, p. 15). Effective performance management occurs when performance assessment and strategies are in the hands of the concerned agencies, whereby they take ownership over their performance system (Jas Skelcher, 2005, p.199). In the public sector, an external body may have to conduct performance auditing. In this regard, it is the prerogative of the public institution to use distributed leadership in order to foster cooperation with such parties (Theil Leeuw, 2002, p. 276). The company may as certain where the majority of weaknesses lie and therefore use recommendations from the auditing body to improve this. In a situation where performance assessment occurs within the same public institution, then distributed leadership would assist them in taking ownership over such a system. It would allow members to contribute towards performance management systems, and thus allow them to understand the consequences of their actions. Nonetheless, the spirit of cooperation with other bodies would also require public firms to collaborate with agencies to operate within a strategic framework. The national auditing authority for the Parliament of Australia, ANAO (2005, p.14), identify certain factors that facilitate effective performance management, and hence improvement in public firms. One of these is alignment wherein public organisations ought to align their performance management systems with their company goals. In order for this to occur, they need to have performance measurement systems that illustrate how effective their performance management efforts are. Additionally, they can ensure alignment by creating systems that support performance management. Distributed leadership can assist public institutions to achieve this alignment by establishing the necessary support mechanisms (Coulson, 2009). In addition, it can facilitate in the creation of performance assessment systems. Performance management is only effective when systems are credible. Credibility may come about when companies match rhetoric with reality (Theil Leeuw, 2002, p. 268). A number of public institutions exhibit gaps between what they expect in performance, as well as how they implement performance systems. ANAO (2005, p. 55) found that many employees in the public sector were sceptical about performance management because they disagreed with performance-pay criteria, deeming it as unfair. A number of them complained about favouritism and bias in the implementation of reward decisions, wh ereas others felt that reward incentives were not sufficient enough to motivate them. Certain public sector employers in the Australian survey revealed that they did not understand qualities that warranted effective performances (ANAO, 2005). Therefore, problems in role clarification were a key impediment to success. Staff members could not see the association between performances management at the organisational level and their personal contributions. If these problems exist in a public institution, then it is highly unlikely that performance management and improvement will occur. Distributed leadership has the potential to be an antidote to these problems, by directly involving the workforce in the development of the performance management system. If staff members regard each other as partners in the performance system, they are more likely to discuss and eliminate glitches in performance management. They may agree on the goals of performance management and determine how this rela tes to their individual contributions (Hodgson et. al., 2007). They would also clarify the qualities that constitute as effective performance through a coherent consensus. This system would therefore eradicate favouritism, as it would increase mutual support and trust between all parties affected by the institution. Thirdly, performance management can only lead to performance improvement if the concerned institution integrates it with other structures. Some organisations may not integrate work structures with performance management, and this could lead to complications in the provision of services. Distributed leadership models call for a holistic focus on service provision. Hence, if members work together, chances are that they will have better direction on achieving their goals, as well as performance systems that they should include (Hodgson et. al., 2007, p. 361). Change management for performance improvement through distributed leadership Change management is a mechanism that m ay need to be implemented if an organisation continually records low levels of performance. The collaborative nature of distributed leadership may seem contradictory to change management, however in times of crises or succession, the concept may be inevitable. Furthermore, it can still occur within top-down structures, but through the use of distributed leadership principles. As expressed by Pollitt (2009, p.288), leaders ought to follow a series of steps when instating change. He believes that most public companies fail as a result of communicating the need for change too formally. Alternatively, they may wait until it is too late to do so. Ritual forming can sometimes be necessary to create a new vision in a public organisation. In the distributed model, a formal leader must communicate this need early enough because the methodology already entails that regular contact between the rest of the employees and the company leader is taking place. In terms of performance, change managem ent can only lead to an improvement when a clear action plan is available (Jones, 2004). Sometimes this refers to structural change or other elements of the organisation’s functions. In other forms of leadership, the action plan would originate from senior management to a single individual. However, this is not tenable in distributed leadership. Subsequently, in the context of the public sector, a system would be implemented to collate members’ input on how to cause change effectively. Attaining internal support is a necessary part of successful change management. Leaders must foster participation and tackle internal resistance. They should allow resistors to have a relative degree of flexibility because some of their objections may be genuine (Ingraham and Van Slyke, 2006, p. 394). In distributed leadership, internal resistance ought to lead to alterations in elements of the plan because it engages people. Thus, distributed leadership would assist in building internal support and validating some of the objections raised by members. In tandem with internal cooperation, effective organisations need to also build support from external communities. Soliciting external support is rather difficult for public organisations, but since they provide services to the public, consulting with this group is imperative. Distributed leadership streamlines this process because it facilitates relationship-building between external and internal stakeholders of a public firm. Therefore, importing for support from them during a change initiative would be done effectively. As such, their chances of improving performance will be quite high (Borins, 2000, p. 501). Resource congruence is also imperative in translating change management to effective performance improvement. When organisations want to build effective ways of accomplishing change, they need substantial resources to do so. Distributed leadership would assist in garnering sufficient resources because all the key contributors to institutional budgets would be working regularly with members of the organisation (Jones, 2004, p. 52). Perhaps one of the most critical parameters for yielding performance improvement in change management is the actual implementation of the change process. Daily routines need to have change embedded in them. Thus, training, information technology use, job roles, even behaviour during meetings ought to reflect these new amendments. Distributed leadership would match perfectly with the constant-change model as it would cause individuals to identify areas that require improvement and also facilitate these transitions on a day-to-day basis (Pollitt, 2009, p. 291). Organisational structure and performance improvement through distributed leadership Organisational structure concerns itself with how companies distribute decision-making powers. Most public service firms are laden with bureaucracies, such that this aspect of power lies at the top of the organisational str ucture. However, in democracies, wherein elected officials, control agencies, line managers and other officers must work together, it becomes increasingly hard for ordinary employees to make decisions. Elected officials tend to safeguard as much of this power as possible (Borins, 2000, p. 505). Additionally, control agencies try to do the same. Thus, line managers may find it extremely difficult to make strategic decisions because of a myriad of rules and regulations that constrain them. These include procurement systems, human resource policies, budget instructions and auditing practice. The result of such an approach is the inability of government firms to respond to their external environment. However, in the case of distributed leadership, this attempts to break these constraints through the organisational structure. The model redistributes power, allowing members to respond creatively and speedily to the needs of their clientele. This would have been somewhat unattainable if al l employees had to wait for directions from the top of the hierarchy (Osborne, 2007, p. 13). One may presume that when organisations redistribute decision-making power, those who initially had it will lose it; but this is not always true. Modifying the point of control in also necessitates a reorientation of the form of control (Walker, 2001, p. 316). These institutions rely on different approaches other than commands and inspections to affect decision-making processes. They often commit to getting certain results and then allow flexibility in the accomplishment of those results. Some of the mechanisms employed in distributed leadership include performance measurement, determination of results that must be achieved and a responsibility towards the consequences of actions. Some public organisations cannot simply eliminate rules and procedures; therefore, the distributed model allows them to streamline those procedures with the aim of freeing firms from central control (Pollitt, 2009, p. 290). Employees in public institutions often feel frustrated by procurement and budget constraints from large systems. Consequently, they require trust from higher levels of management in order to get their job done, and this may imply loosening control from the central authorities. Perhaps another way in which distributed leadership affects performance is through community empowerment. In the context of public sector organisations, these institutions are willing to share power with communities so that they can determine service outcomes on the basis of what is available (Osborne, 2007, p. 9). The approach manifests itself through parental involvement, as well as community policing. It may also involve business associations if the public organisation focuses on these groups as their primary consumers. Obstacles to the realisation of performance improvement through distributed leadership It is a myth to presume that distributed leadership only involves collaboration. Conflict may arise during an attempt to share leadership with other persons, and if organisations do not acknowledge and deal with it, then only minimal performance improvements will be accomplished (Pollitt and Bouckaert, 2004, p.194). Sometimes when groups work together to cause organisational change, they may disagree on crucial points of reference. For instance, if an organisation works on redefining its goals and visions, then members of the institution may disagree on what constitutes as these elements. To further illustrate, public institutions have constrained resources, so many stakeholders may object to the allocation of finances (Jackson, 2000, p. 68). Some of them may believe that their portfolios warrant greater resource deployment than others. If leaders do not address these conflicts, then change may not occur, and organisations will maintain the status quo. However public firms that do employ distributed leadership models, have the opportunity to use conflict for their benefit b y consolidating divergent opinions and using them as a focal point of discussion and growth (Flessa, 2009). A case in point is a public school in which the principal wanted to achieve rapid results. He felt that accountability mechanisms were the way to go, and he quickly introduced it. Many of the teachers in the institution opposed the new system and even decided to spearhead a movement against the principal. Their actions eventually resulted in an investigation of the school. One can ascertain from this example that this conflict did not achieve performance improvement through better test scores; in reality the institution took a step back with regards to their usual achievement. Case Study Analysis Blackshire Police Force may have suffered from an overemphasis on individual leadership. A high degree of passivity existed in the institution, with many of its members failing to take responsibility for their actions (Ciulla, 2004, p. 93). When leadership lacked ambition after the de ath of the chief constable, the rest of the force also became unmotivated. Therefore, one could suggest that the force became a casualty of the deficiencies of its central leaders (Currie et. al., 2005, p. 266). This explains why their performance was abysmal. Conversely, when the force introduced a new chief constable, things changed for the better. He was open with his staff members, as well as the external community (Walshe et. al., 2009, p. 12). It is likely that this dispersion of attention away from the top may have led to the positive outcomes; however, since the force is yet to tackle other issues, then further entrenchment of distributed leadership may be imperative. Alimo-Metcalfe Alban-Metcalfe (2005, p. 60) affirm that networking is critical to the success of public sector leaders. They believe that this should entail establishing and strengthening contacts between the public institution and its internal and external community. In relation to the Blackshire Force, it se ems there was a significant lack of shareholder networking, which may have led to certain performance problems. The nature of their mandate stipulates that it is required for staff members to network and engagement with the Blackshire community. Thus, had authorities within Blackshire worked with vulnerable peoples or neighbourhoods with endemic violent crimes, they would have recorded excellent performance during the 2005 and 2006 HMC assessment (Martin et. al., 2009, p. 769). At present, the organisation is deliberating over future plans, such as scaling up or becoming part of a larger structure (Walshe et. al., 2009, p. 12). If this strategy is to sustain new performance improvement, then the organisation should consider genuine discretion of decision-making amongst its members. The force already has experts in certain areas of policing. Formal leaders will need to give up control and allow their staff members to take ownership of decisions after scaling up (Alimo-Metcalfe, 2000, p. 50). Blackshire initially had challenges with performance improvement because of a number of anomalies identified in the literature. First, the institution did not work with the external body (HMIC2) in order to improve performance (Walshe et. al., 2009, p. 12). Theoretically speaking, had a relationship with the auditing body been ensured, it would have had a better understanding of targets and performances. Distributed leadership moves beyond working with internal organisational stakeholders alone, as it also advocates for expansion of leadership to external communities (De Bruijn, 2001, p. 171). Additionally, challenges in performance management may have also arisen out a lack of the three qualities for effective systems: integration, alignment and credibility. Previously, members of the force did not understand what constitutes good performance. Therefore, credibility of the system was a challenge. They addressed this problem by clarifying their mission and values. In the fu ture, it is advisable for the force to consider input from all their members in order to boost outcomes (De Bruijn 2001). Integration of performance management with work is essential in improving performance. In the case analysis, it is not clear whether the concerned institution created an action plan for the change process. However, it is clear that most of the ideas in the turnaround came from senior management. In order to create an association between change management and performances improvement, Blackshire will need to involve more of its employees in the process of causing change (Spillane et. al., 2001, p. 28). It is likely that the organisational restructure elicited positive results due to the use of elements from distributed leadership. One of them includes building support from the Police Federation and the community members. The concept of intelligence-led policing would not have yielded any results if it occurred in isolation. Distributed leadership would cause the i nstitution to make change a strategic issue by using ideas from members on a regular basis (Muijs and Harris, 2007, p. 112). Employees in Blackshire force adhere to a traditional methodology of leadership, whereby they appear to rely heavily on central authorities to make decisions (Flessa, 2009, p. 337). Distributed leadership however, requires public firms to think about ways in which they can restructure, and hence empower their employees. The force most likely has certain experts who have specialised in different components of service provision. It will be imperative for the company to trust them with a range of decisions. In the current state, as well as in the past, the force has placed so much emphasis on central control. For greater performance improvement, the organisation should allow its employees to make decisions that directly relate to their area of expertise (Hartley Allison, 2000, p. 38). Conclusion Distributed leadership possesses certain traits that can lead to pe rformance improvement, such as, delegation, networking and openness to criticism. Delegation occurs when public organisations empower their staff to think strategically and develop solutions for impending problems. Networking occurs by collaborating with internal and external stakeholders in order to cause change. Openness to criticism occurs by genuine responses rather than as a reactionary response to others’ threatening behaviour. These qualities stem from expansion of the leadership net, empowerment of experts to make decisions throughout the organisation and valuing membership input throughout the year. Leadership is flexible and autonomous, which denotes that change management, performance management, as well as organisational structure involve everyone. The result is better communication, decision making and ownership of performance management systems. In the area of performance management, public institutions use distributed leadership to foster cooperation with exter nal bodies that conduct performance auditing. Leadership in the distributed model establishes support systems that illustrate how effective their performance management efforts are. Distributed leadership has the potential to be an antidote to problems in performance measurement, by directly involving the workforce in the development of the performance management system. It causes staff members to regard each other as partners in the performance system as they are more likely to discuss and eliminate glitches. Distributed leadership causes them to agree on goals of performance management and determine how this relates to their individual contributions. They also clarify the qualities that constitute effective performance through a coherent consensus. This leadership model, therefore, eradicates favouritism, as it increases mutual support and trust between parties. In the case of Blackshire Police Force, initially they did not network with members of the community, hence the cause of its low outcomes. Additionally, it placed too much emphasis on individual leadership. However, the implementation of distributed leadership principles led to a positive change via the cooperation of stakeholders during planning and implementation stages of performance management. Thus, Blackshire force needs to consider greater inclusiveness in managing performance. Distributed leadership may also improve performance through reorientation of organisational structure, wherein it encourages the decentralisation of decision making. Blackshire will need to enact this radically in the future. Distributed leadership leads to better handling of conflict in group collaboration. Furthermore, for future considerations, Blackshire force should embrace conflict as a learning platform. References Alimo-Metcalfe, B 2000, Effective Leadership, Local Government Management Board (now Improvement Development Agency), London. Alimo-Metcalfe, B and Alban-Metcalfe, J 2005, ‘Leadership: Time for a new direction?’, Leadership, vol. 1 no. 1, pp. 51-73. ANAO (Australian National Audit Office) 2005, ‘Performance management in the Australian Public Service’, The Auditor General Audit Report, no. 6, 1-133. Borins S 2000, ‘Loose cannons and rule breakers, or enterprising leaders? Some evidence about innovative public managers’, Public Administration Review, vol. 60 no. 6, pp. 498-507. Ciulla, J 2004, Ethics: the Heart of Leadership, Praeger, Westport. Coulson, A 2009, ‘Targets and terror: Government by performance indicators’, Local Government Studies, vol. 35 no. 2, pp. 271-281. Crosby, B Bryson, J 2005, Leadership for the common good: tackling public problems in a shared-power world, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. Currie, G Lockett, A 2007, ‘A critique of transformational leadership: moral, professional and contingent dimensions of leadership within public services organizations’, Human Relations, vol. 60 no. 2, pp. 341-3 70. Currie, G, Boyett, I Suhomlinova, S 2005, ‘Transformational leadership within secondary schools in England: a panacea for organizational ills?’, Public Administration, vol. 83 no.2, pp. 265-296. De Bruijn, H 2001, Managing performance in the public sector, Routledge, London. Flessa, J 2009, ‘Educational micropolitics and distributed leadership’, Journal of Education, vol. 84 no. 6, pp. 331-349. Gronn, P 2002, ‘A Realist View of Leadership’, Paper presented at the ELO-AusAsiaon-line conference, August 6th–22nd, pp. 1-15. Harris, A 2005, Leading from the chalk-face? An overview of school leadership’, Leadership, vol. 1 no. 1, pp. 73-87. Hartley, D 2007, ‘The emergence of distributed leadership in education: why now?’, British Journal of Educational Studies, vol. 55 no. 2, pp. 202-214. Hartley, J Allison, M 2000, ‘The role of leadership in the modernization and improvement of public services’, Public M oney Management, vol. 20 no. 2, pp. 35-40. Heck, R and Hallinger, P 2005, ‘The study of educational leadership and management’, Educational Management, Administration and Leadership, vol. 33 no. 2, pp. 229-244. Hennessey, J 1998, ‘Reinventing government: does leadership make the difference?’ Public Administration Review, vol. 58 no. 6, pp. 522-532. Hodgson, L, Farrell, C and Connolly, M 2007, ‘Improving UK Public Services – A review of the evidence’, Public Administration, vol. 85 no. 20, pp. 355-382. Ingraham, P and Van Slyke, D 2006, ‘The path ahead for public service leadership’, The American Review of Public Administration, vol. 36 no.4, pp. 392-394. Jackson, D 2000, ‘The school improvement journey: Perspectives on leadership’, School Leadership and Management, vol. 20 no. 1, pp. 61-79. Jas, P Skelcher, 2005, ‘Performance decline and turnaround in public sector organisations: A theoretical and empiri cal analysis’, British Journal of Management, vol. 16 no. 3, pp. 195-210. Jones, S 2004, ‘Improving local government: One step forward not two steps back’, Public Money and Management, vol. 24 no. 1, pp. 47-55. Martin, G, Currie, G Finn, R 2009, ‘Leadership, service reform, and public-service networks: the case of cancer-genetics pilots in the English NHS’, Journal of Public Administration Research Theory, vol. 19 no. 4, pp. 769-794. Muijs, D and Harris, A 2007, ‘Teacher leadership in (in)action: three case studies of contrasting schools’, Educational Management Administration and Leadership, vol. 35 no. 1, pp. 111-134. Osborne, D 2007, ‘Reinventing government: What a difference a strategy makes’, 7th Global Forum on Reinventing Government, 26-29 June, Vienna, Austria, pp. 1-15. Pollitt, C 2009, ‘Structural change and public service performance: International lessons?’, Public Money and Management, vol. 29 no. 5, pp. 285-291. Pollitt, C and Bouckaert, G 2004, Public management reform: a comparative analysis, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Spillane, J, Halverson, R Diamond, J 2001, ‘Investigating school leadership practice: a distributed perspective’, Educational Researcher, vol. 30 no. 4, pp. 23-28. Theil, S Leeuw, F 2002, ‘The performance paradox in the public sector’, Public Performance and Management Review, vol. 25 no. 3, pp. 267-281. Walker, D 2001, ‘Great expectations: can social science evaluate New Labour’s policies?’ Evaluation, vol. 7 no. 3, pp. 305-330. Walshe, K, Harvey, G, Skelcher, C Jes, P 2009, Could do better? Knowledge, learning and performance improvement in public services. Web. Footnotes 1 Blackshire Police force was a county force that had stable leadership for decades. After the passing of its leader, the institution experienced a period of turmoil where they recorded poor performance management, as assessed throug h HMIC. Later, they got a stronger leader who involved members in organizational decisions. 2 Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary

Smart Phones Make People Antisocial Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Smart Phones Make People Antisocial - Term Paper Example The sole purpose of smartphones was to facilitate the people connectivity globally with ease. On the contrary, it is disconnecting those very people from others barely a touching distance away. This overdependence on smartphones on the social and economic perspective have created a lazy population who are not ready to get out of the comfort of their smartphones to physically engage in various social activities. Most commercial activities which in the past involved people venturing outdoors can now be done on the handheld devices by just a few taps on the screen such as shopping and banking services now involves just a few taps on the screen. This has limited people interaction in places such as shopping malls and banking halls, which in the past used to be blocked by hordes of people. The urge to engage in extracurricular activities in schools has been watered down by emergence of sports games that really do well on smartphones. People prefer playing their favorite game on the smartphone then go out to play physical games with the peers. A good example is a high reference in the youth on playing games like FIFA. Those games are loaded with fantasy, which is rare to get in the real world. Smartphones have brought up scenarios where one find people grouped together, but instead of chatting they are busily engaged on their devices. The devices have resulted in peers unintentionally, indirectly isolating themselves from other people, and paying little attention to their environment. Sometimes its is used as away of putting off someone whom one has little to talk about or is disinterested in engaging in talks or does not have patience for. At times smart phones are used by some people who want to look busy from other people views as a way of ignoring social responsibil ities (May & Greg 201). Most people to excuse themselves from social gathering or meetings use fake calls apps. They are usually set up such that they will indicate a fake

The Vision Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Vision Statement - Essay Example In other words, the vision statement describes the strategic objectives of an organization that are to be accomplished in the long run. â€Å"Your vision Statement is a succinct declaration of your ideal future, usually three, five or ten years out† (Woolf, 2012). On the other hand, the mission statement describes the short-term goals of the organization. Another perspective about the difference between the vision statement and the mission statement of an organization is that the vision statement talks about the personal growth of business as wanted by the owners of an organization in the long run whereas the mission statement talks about the benefits the organization will provide the society with as it functions by delivering its goods or services to the consumers. The vision statement gives a direction to the organization. Both the vision statement and the mission statement consist of goals, but the factor that distinguishes between the two kinds of statement is the entity t hat will benefit from the achievement of those goals. Mobilink is a telecommunication company in Pakistan. The vision statement of Mobilink is, â€Å"To be the leading Telecommunication Services Provider in Pakistan by offering innovative Communication solutions for our Customers while exceeding Shareholder value & Employee Expectations† (Mobilink, 2012). ... The importance of a vision statement for an organization cannot be overemphasized. Having an appropriate vision can help an organization because the vision statement gives it direction. â€Å"Without it, it’s like setting sail in a yacht with neither a sail nor an anchor – the sail to get you there with the help of the wind, and the anchor to moor you both along the way and when you get ‘there.’† (Woolf, 2012). Once the leader of an organization knows where he/she wants to take the organization in the future, he/she decides the course of action accordingly. There are various milestones in the identified course of action leading to the attainment of the ultimate objective. For example, Mobilink’s vision statement suggests that the leader of this company needs to adopt such strategies that Mobilink is not just as good as its contemporaries in the market, but is good enough to lead them in Pakistan. Vision statement does encourage organizational change. Change is an inherent process of any organization that wants to progress. In order to be successful, the micro- and macro-culture of an organization needs to be modified so as to adapt to the changing environment and advancing technology. In case of Mobilink, if Mobilink wants to be the leading telecommunication services provider, it is imperative that it keeps advancing constantly to keep performing better than other telecommunication services providing companies in Pakistan. This requires adoption of new technology, which in turn requires constant change. Change needs to be introduced at every level. Not only the new technology is to be purchased, but also the workforce has to be provided with education and training in order to inculcate the necessary skills in them required to use the

Water Conservation Essay Example for Free

Water Conservation Essay United States postal stamp advocating water conservation. Water conservation encompasses the policies, strategies and activities to manage fresh water as a sustainable resource, to protect the water environment, and to meet current and future human demand. Population, household size and growth and affluence all affect how much water is used. Factors such as climate change will increase pressures on natural water resources especially in manufacturing and agricultural irrigation.[1] The goals of water conservation efforts include: To ensure availability for future generations, the withdrawal of fresh water from an ecosystem should not exceed its natural replacement rate. Energy conservation. Water pumping, delivery and waste water treatment facilities consume a significant amount of energy. In some regions of the world over 15% of total electricity consumption is devoted to water management. Habitat conservation. Minimizing human water use helps to preserve fresh water habitats for local wildlife and migrating waterfowl, as well as reducing the need to build newdams and other water diversion infrastructures. Contents [hide] 1 Strategies 2 Social solutions 3 Household applications 4 Commercial applications 5 Agricultural applications 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Strategies[edit] In implementing water conservation principles there are a number of key activities that may be beneficial. 1. Any beneficial reduction in water loss, use and waste of resources. 2. Avoiding any damage to water quality. 3. Improving water management practices that reduce or enhance the beneficial use of water.[2][3] Social solutions[edit] Drip irrigation system in New Mexico Water conservation programs involved in social solutions are typically initiated at the local level, by either municipal water utilities or regional governments. Common strategies include public outreach campaigns,[4] tiered water rates (charging progressively higher prices as water use increases), or restrictions on outdoor water use such as lawn watering and car washing.[5] Cities in dry climates often require or encourage the installation of xeriscaping or natural landscaping in new homes to reduce outdoor water usage.[6] One fundamental conservation goal is universal metering. The prevalence of residential water metering varies significantly worldwide. Recent studies have estimated that water supplies are metered in less than 30% of UK households,[7] and about 61% of urban Canadian homes (as of 2001).[8] Although individual water meters have often been considered impractical in homes with private wells or in multifamily buildings, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that metering alone can reduce consumption by 20 to 40 percent.[9] In addition to raising consumer awareness of their water use, metering is also an important way to identify and localize water leakage. Water metering would benefit society in the long run it is proven that water metering increases the efficiency of the entire water system, as well as help unnecessary expenses for individuals for years to come. One would be unable to waste water unless they are willing to pay the extra charges, this way the water department would be able to monitor water usage by public, domestic and manufacturing services. Some researchers have suggested that water conservation efforts should be primarily directed at farmers, in light of the fact that crop irrigation accounts for 70% of the worlds fresh water use.[10] The agricultural sector of most countries is important both economically and politically, and water subsidies are common. Conservation advocates have urged removal of all subsidies to force farmers to grow more water-efficient crops and adopt less wasteful irrigation techniques. New technology poses a few new options for consumers, features such and full flush and half flush when using a toilet are trying to make a difference in  water consumption and waste. Also available in our modern world is shower heads that help reduce wasting water, old shower heads are said to use 5-10 gallons per minute. All new fixtures available are said to use 2.5 gallons per minute and offer equal water coverage. Household applications[edit] The Home Water Works website contains useful information on household water conservation.[11] Contrary to popular view, experts suggest the most efficient way is replacing toilets and retrofitting washers.[12] Water-saving technology for the home includes: 1. Low-flow shower heads sometimes called energy-efficient shower heads as they also use less energy 2. Low-flush toilets and composting toilets. These have a dramatic impact in the developed world, as conventional Western toilets use large volumes of water 3. Dual flush toilets created by C aroma includes two buttons or handles to flush different levels of water. Dual flush toilets use up to 67% less water than conventional toilets 4. Faucet aerators, which break water flow into fine droplets to maintain wetting effectiveness while using less water. An additional benefit is that they reduce splashing while washing hands and dishes 5. Raw water flushing where toilets use sea water or non-purified water 6. Waste water reuse or recycling systems, allowing: Reuse of graywater for flushing toilets or watering gardens Recycling of wastewater through purification at a water treatment plant. See also Wastewater Reuse 7. Rainwater harvesting 8. High-efficiency clothes washers 9. Weather-based irrigation controllers 10. Garden hose nozzles that shut off water when it is not being used, instead of letting a hose run. 11. Low flow taps in wash basins 12. Swimming pool covers that reduce evaporation and can warm pool water to reduce water, energy and chemical costs. 13. Automatic faucet is a water conservation faucet that eliminates water waste at the faucet. It automates the use of faucets without the use of hands. Commercial applications[edit] Many water-saving devices (such as low-flush toilets) that are useful in homes can also be useful for business water saving. Other water-saving technology for businesses includes: Waterless urinals Waterless car washes Infrared or foot-operated taps, which can save water by using short bursts of water for rinsing in a kitchen or bathroom Pressurized waterbrooms, which can be used instead of a hose to clean sidewalks X-ray film processor re-circulation systems Cooling tower conductivity controllers Water-saving steam sterilizers, for use in hospitals and health care facilities Rain water harvesting Water to Water heat exchangers. Agricultural applications[edit] Overhead irrigation, center pivotdesign For crop irrigation, optimal water efficiency means minimizing losses due to evaporation, runoff or subsurface drainage while maximizing production. An evaporation pan in combination with specific crop correction factors can be used to determine how much water is needed to satisfy plant requirements. Flood irrigation, the oldest and most common type, is often very uneven in distribution, as parts of a field may receive excess water in order to deliver sufficient quantities to other parts. Overhead irrigation, using center-pivot or lateral-moving sprinklers, has the potential for a much more equal and controlled distribution pattern. Drip irrigation is the most expensive and least-used type, but offers the ability to deliver water to plant roots with minimal losses. However, drip irrigation is increasingly affordable, especially for the home gardener and in light of rising water rates. There are also cheap effective methods similar to drip irrigation such as the use of soaking hoses that can even be submerged in the growing medium to eliminate evaporation. As changing irrigation systems can be a costly undertaking, conservation efforts often concentrate on maximizing the efficiency of the existing system. This may include chiseling compacted soils, creating furrow dikes to prevent runoff, and using soil moisture and rainfall sensors to optimize irrigation schedules.[9] Usually large gains in  efficiency are possible through measurement and more effective management of the existing irrigation system. The 2011 UNEP Green Economy Report notes that [i]mproved soil organic matter from the use of green manures, mulching, and recycling of crop residues and animal manure increases the water holding capacity of soils and their ability to absorb water during torrential rains, [13] which is a way to optimize the use of rainfall and irrigation during dry periods in the season.

Antwone Fisher Essay -- essays research papers

Antwone Fisher in my opinion is probably the most impactful movie I have ever seen. People may say, â€Å" What a good movie† but I say â€Å"what a good man†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Antwone Fisher grows up living in a foster home where he is beaten, mentally and sexually abused. After spending time in an orphanage he doesn’t know what to do with his life. After thinking about it he decides to join the Navy. The movie picks up with Antwone as a young sailor who has a problem controlling his anger. Sent to a psychiatrist (played by Denzel Washington) he slowly begins opening up, learning to confront the past that has fostered his long-standing rage. Washington's psychiatrist becomes Antwone's substitute father figure, the person who teaches him to drop his guarded resentment, and assures him that he has the strength to face the buried traumas of his childhood. And, this being the kind of movie where everyone learns from everyone else, Antwone's courage persuades Washington's character to own up to his own traumas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the movie, Antwone just keeps on getting in fights and getting sent back to the psychiatrist. One fight in particular changed his life. One of his fellow shipmates taunts him about being a virgin. They fight and then he gets sent back to the psychiatrist. The psychiatrist then tells him to go find a girl to go on some dates with. He finds a girl that he has been friends with for a while, and asks her on a date. He went on a da... Antwone Fisher Essay -- essays research papers Antwone Fisher in my opinion is probably the most impactful movie I have ever seen. People may say, â€Å" What a good movie† but I say â€Å"what a good man†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Antwone Fisher grows up living in a foster home where he is beaten, mentally and sexually abused. After spending time in an orphanage he doesn’t know what to do with his life. After thinking about it he decides to join the Navy. The movie picks up with Antwone as a young sailor who has a problem controlling his anger. Sent to a psychiatrist (played by Denzel Washington) he slowly begins opening up, learning to confront the past that has fostered his long-standing rage. Washington's psychiatrist becomes Antwone's substitute father figure, the person who teaches him to drop his guarded resentment, and assures him that he has the strength to face the buried traumas of his childhood. And, this being the kind of movie where everyone learns from everyone else, Antwone's courage persuades Washington's character to own up to his own traumas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the movie, Antwone just keeps on getting in fights and getting sent back to the psychiatrist. One fight in particular changed his life. One of his fellow shipmates taunts him about being a virgin. They fight and then he gets sent back to the psychiatrist. The psychiatrist then tells him to go find a girl to go on some dates with. He finds a girl that he has been friends with for a while, and asks her on a date. He went on a da...

Does Immigration Contribute to a Better America

Does Immigration Contribute to a Better America? Ever since this country was first discovered and settled, people from countries all over the world left their homelands and migrated to the â€Å"New World†. People from Spain, Germany, France, England and Asia traveled great distances to reach a new land of opportunity, to perhaps escape religious persecution or tyrant rulers. For centuries America has been viewed as a place for a fresh start, a place where anybody can come and begin a new life and follow their hopes and dreams. Even today people come to America for the exact same reasons that they did all those years before.However unlike the immigration of our ancestors, the immigrants of today aren’t able to just come here and do what they want without anybody noticing. Today most people view immigration as a problem to the United States. One of the most easily recognizable groups of today’s immigrants comes from Mexico. The Mexican immigrants often come here f or better economic and living opportunities than they had at home. But no matter how much these immigrants want to better their lives for themselves and their families, most Americans feel that they are trouble and a drain on our resources.Despite what many think, the Mexican immigrants are helping our nation. The immigrants take many low end jobs that Americans do not want or are over qualified for, they can also boost our economy with the money they earn from working, and they diversify the nation. Immigration does and will contribute to a better America. Most of the immigrants that come to America from Mexico are just looking for a better life for themselves and their families. The immigrants know that there are plenty of jobs in America for them and they are willing to risk being arrested just for a better opportunity.With all these people eager to work, you would think the immigrants would be more accepted by the American people. There are many jobs that most Americans simply w ill and do not want to take due to low pay and amount of work. But thanks to immigrants that would love to have the opportunity to work in our country these jobs are taken. With each immigrant that comes and gets a job, more money is spent within the American economy. The more money spent in the economy will eventually help it grow making us a more prosperous nation financially.The more money the immigrants spend in the US the more demand they cause for the people who make the goods they purchase. But the immigrants do not only help our country when they make money in the US, many send money home to their loved ones to help pay for things they need. Immigration does not only help the economy of the US, it also benefits the country that the immigrant comes from. According to Philippe Legrain, a journalist and economist, â€Å"migrants from poor countries working in rich ones send home much more – $200 billion a year officially,† (The Case for Immigration).With all this money coming and going from immigrants, it’s unbelievable that we look down on immigration. The people who make the immigration laws are blind to the fact that the migrants help our economy. Instead of trying to keep migrants out we should allow them easier access into our nation for work, and then when they are ready they should be allowed to leave. Once immigrants get into the US many become stuck and unable to go home because it is too risky. If we allowed them to move freely most would just come temporarily to get enough money for what they need back home.According to Legrain, â€Å"Most migrants do not want to leave home forever: they want to go work abroad for a while to earn enough to buy a house or set up a business back home. † (The Case for Immigration). Of course some of the migrants would want to stay, but there wouldn’t be an overwhelming number of them. The immigrants that do settle would not only contribute to our work force and economy, they will add diversity to our country. Having many people from all over the world is something that can be beneficial to any country. Many of America’s venture-capital backed start-ups have immigrant founders. Legrain) With introduction of new peoples come new ideas, cultural experiences, and skills that can all be used to benefit our country. High skilled people from other countries could help American companies develop new drugs, technologies, appliances and even new architectural ideas. † Twenty-one of Britain’s Nobel-prize winners arrived in the country as refugees. † (Legrain) The foreigners with new ideas could spark the next big American innovation with their different ways of thinking and perspective. Since they are new to our country they see differently than we do, and can have a completely different view on things.This cultural diversity can also transform little towns into cities with the new people inhabiting them. The immigrants could bring in their c ultures and help build our towns into culturally diverse cities that would maybe attract tourists and new residents. Although there are many benefits of immigration, many believe that the immigrants would take away from American workers and steal jobs. However this is not true, many immigrants cannot compete with American workers due to skill differences and jobs they are willing to do.Also, there aren’t a fixed number of jobs going around for everyone, and immigrant workers are not substitutes for American ones. These fallacies are really what deter many American people from lowering the immigration laws and allowing more immigrants into the country. If the people of our country knew the benefits of having more immigrants, the laws wouldn’t be so strict and more migrants would be allowed to come and work in our country. It is time that the government really recognizes the benefits of immigration to our country.More immigrants means more working people, more working pe ople means a lower unemployment rate and more money being spent in our country. The more money spent in the US means a better economy which is something that this country needs. We need to allow the immigrants into our country not only to help us, but to help them make money for themselves and their families. If America truly is an equal opportunity country, then we need to give all people the same opportunities. Sources: â€Å"Philippe Legrain. † The Case for Immigration :. N. p. , n. d. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. http://www. philippelegrain. com/the-case-for-immigration/.

What is a credit union - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2830 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Economics Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? A credit union is a co-operative financial institution, which is owned and controlled by its members. Credit unions are not-for-profit, and exist to provide a safe, convenient place for members to save money and obtain loans and other financial services at competitive rates. Members of a credit union share a common bond, such as their occupation, where they live or attend church. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "What is a credit union?" essay for you Create order (Credit Union League 2004). The Jamaica Credit Union League, a co-operative central body embracing all the credit unions in the island was founded in 1942. The League was a voluntary association, which was democratically controlled and financed by its member credit unions. With the establishing of this League headed by Father John Peter Sullivan, the Movement now had an organization whose objectives included: representing its members by contacting the Government about issues such as legislation, conducting central business services, receiving deposits from Credit Unions and other Co-operative Societies, making loans to its member credit unions and also to undertake investments for the member credit unions by organizing new credit unions. Member societies paid fees of ten cents (10c) per annum per individual member to access the Leagues services. In March, 1949 the League established the deposit and loan section which required that credit unions to deposit sums equal to their statu tory reserves. These credit unions could obtain loans at the rate of 5% per annum to meet their own lending demands.  [i]  Later individual members of credit unions were granted loans on the recommendations of their Credit Unions at the rate of 6%per annum. (Credit Union League 2004). The aim of the Credit Union is to provide a wide range of services to meet the needs of its members and to provide a safe place for savings and completive interest rates on loans. WHAT IS A DEVELOPMENT BANK? The Development bank of Jamaica was established on April 1, 2000 (Development bank of Jamaica, 2007) there was a merger between two owned Government of Jamaica institutions, which were the Agricultural Credit Bank and the National Development Bank Of Jamaica Limited. The Agricultural Credit Bank and the National Development Bank were founded in 1981.The Development Bank of Jamaica was governed by the Ministry of Finance and Planning and the board members, which was appointed by the Ministry. According to Development bank of Jamaica (2007) it is stated that the bank provides the following: it facilitates development financing to the productive sectors primarily in the areas of agriculture, agro-processing manufacturing, information processing tourism, service and mining and quarrying. It helps with credit principally through a wide range of Approved Financial Institution (AFIs), including Commercial and Merchant Banks, Peoples Cooperative Bank; Credit Unions are private sectors deve lopment financial institution. They invested in the agricultural, manufacturing, tourism, agro-processing, quarrying and mining and services sectors. They also play a critical role in non-credit activities principally with respect to the upgrading of the Peoples Cooperative Banks as well as providing assistance to a number of sub-sectors which have faced difficulties. With these roles the development banks seeks to endorse economics development within the developing countries. iiCaribbean Development Bank intends to be the leading catalyst for development resources into the Region, working towards the systematic reduction of poverty through social and economic development. They assist with borrowing member countries to the use of their resources, developing their economies and increase production and trade. They encourage private and public investment, development of the financial upturn in the region and helps business activities and expansion. Developments Banks aimed to mobili ze their resources from both within and outside the region for development. These banks provide technical assistance to its regional borrowing members, support regional and local financial institutions and a market for credit savings. They also support and stimulate the development of capital markets within their region. Their vision is to facilitate economic growth, development, job creation resulting in an improved for all Jamaicans. To be an innovative financier of economic activity, they offer a supportive of national development, to provide the best place for work and to be a world class development bank. CREDIT UNIONs IMPACT ON DEVELOPMENT Credit Unions vary from Banks and other financial institutions, their members have ownership of the credit union and they elect their board of directors in a democratic one-person-one vote system irrespective of the amount of money that has been invested in the credit union. Credit Unions contribute to economic development through the wider community, mobilizing significant volumes of savings. (Journal of Public Sector Policy Analysis 2009) Research has confirmed that credit unions contribute positively to national development in Barbados and other Caribbean territories. (Roland, 2009). Credit Unions continue to be a prominent source of growth within the financial sector and therefore their macroeconomic significance has increased considerably. They have transformed the social and economic status of several members, enabling them to advance from the underprivileged class to the home owner class, by providing affordable terms and conditions for access to loans to finance a wide rang e of programmes. This paper seeks to determine the contribution of credit unions to national development. Research by the Centre for Economic Development and Area Regeneration (2000) concluded that credit unions start up or operate using the ethical approach, which focuses on having a strong community base with much volunteer involvement developing at its own pace, have been relatively ineffective. In response to some of the issues raised, there has been a gradual shift in the British credit union movement to new model development'(Jones, 2001). Jones believes that new model development is based on seven doctrines which will bring economic success, serving the financial needs of the population at large, maximizing savings, portfolio diversification, operating efficiency, financial discipline, self-governance and assimilation. Evidence of accepting the new model can be seen in the promotion of new business oriented approach to credit union development. Dr. Yaw Forkuoh, Senior Lect urer at the Department of Pharmacy of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), (Ghanaian Jounnal, 2009) stated that credit unions are vital institutions which help to decrease poverty among people in society. He had appealed to the government to channel Poverty Alleviation Funds through credit unions for the distribution to people as loans, to better improve their income and way of life. He said that loan delinquency has been a serious issue facing the credit unions and asked the management of the unions to take the necessary steps to ensure that are been loans granted to their members will be paid on time for others also to benefit from it. Dr. Yaw Forkuoh, believes that the credit union is accessible by its member where loans are concerned which will better develop the economy. Credit Unions contribute and support other local organizations in concreting ways to carry out community projects. These projects have a community development focus on building cap acity, resilience, and strength in the community and not necessarily any direct economic component. These are resources committed for all different types of activities include financial resources, human resources, equipment, space, and more. Involvement in community development is important; it does not yield a quantifiable return for the credit union or the local economy. With such involvement will strengthen the name and reputation of the credit union as a community leader and contributor. Schulze-Delitzsch and Raiffeisen stated that the Credit unions are not conventional financial institutions. The kind of development for which they are uniquely well-suited is not conventional economic development, but community economic development, which is based in and draws on the communitys needs and resources, the same way a credit union does, but by contributing to communities it can be led to economic development. Credit unions have enhanced local economies by increasing the availabili ty of small loans and reduce to meet its members borrowing costs. But where there is a need, credit unions still contain their original potential to be agents for business development. Claes Bell, 2008 said that if everyone was a credit union member, would we be toasting the new economic recovery instead of self-pitying in the same sickness weve been mired in since 2009. A recent survey shows consumers who bank at credit unions have a more positive view of their personal finances than those who dont. According to credit union data released from the Discover U.S. Spending Monitor in September, 38 percent of credit union members rate their personal finances as good or excellent, compared to 30 percent amongst noncredit union members surveyed. Just 17 percent of credit union members rate their finances as poor, while 29 percent of noncredit union members feel the same way. Both groups differ when their personal financial situations are getting better or worse, whats more, credit union members report an objectively better financial situation than their bank-only counterparts. Allowing the poor in various rural areas to increase access to financial services, the poor may face a number of constraints when they seek access to financial services. However access to credit is very crucial because the credit union can smooth cash income fluctuations. They help to achieve occasional unexpected earning opportunities. They open more options and opportunities for increasing the securities and liquidity of a poor household. Access to deposit facilities will allow poor people to store current income for future use, which has welfare to improving effects because it means that people are less likely to suffer when unavoidable external shocks hit them. (Kirton 1991) stated that statistics has proven that majority of credit unions membership falls into lower income category. Credit unions are known to encourage saving habit, they provide low transaction cost too which is required to mobilize a great number of small voluntary savings accounts, offering a wide variety of savings services. They also have sound institutional controls and structures that are needed to accompany saving mobilization. Credit unions contribute significantly to small and micro-enterprise, a great proportion of credit union loans are allocated to a category called the business sector, comprise mostly of micro and small business, involved in a wide range of activities. These business aids in the development of the country through the provision of employment. This goes to show that credit union is vital in developing counties because it helps to boost the economy. DEVELOPMENT BANKS IMPACT ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Development bank,  national or regional financial institution are designed to provide medium- and long-term capital for productive investment, often accompanied by technical assistance, in poor and developing counties. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica is meticulously stated that the number of development banks has increased significantly since the 1950s; they have been invigorated by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and its affiliates. The large regional development banks along with the Inter-American Development Bank, established in 1959; the Asian Development Bank, which began operations in 1966; and the African Development Bank, established in 1964. They may make loans for specific national or regional projects to private and public bodies or may operate in conjunction with other financial institutions. One of the major activities of development banks has been the recognition and promotion of private investment chances. Although the effort s of the majority of development banks are focused towards the industrial sector, some are also concerned with agriculture. Development banks may be a public or private entity which may own and operated, although governments often make significant contributions to the capital of private banks. The form and cost of financing offered by development banks depend on their cost of earning capital and their need to show a profit and pay dividends. (Development bank 2011). In Development practices have triggered some controversy. Because development banks tend to be government-run and are not accountable to the taxpayers who fund them, there are a small number of checks and balances preventing the banks from making some horrible investments. Some international development banks have been accused for imposing policies that ultimately undermine the economies of recipient countries. Yet another concern centres on moral hazard that is, the possibility that fiscally irresponsible policies by recipient countries will be effectively rewarded and thereby encouraged by bailout loans. While theoretically a serious concern, the existence of such moral hazard has not been substantiated. Growth and Development Strategies for the Caribbean, was coordinated by the Banks Economics department and includes papers commissioned from Caribbean experts. These papers, which  appraise the main strategies  for economic growth pursued by regional countries in recent times, are sector-wide in coverage with attention to such areas as agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and mining, among others. The Banks are still continuing to work towards being more responsive to its clients by improving efficiency and strengthening its institutional ability. Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is the label generically applied to institutions established for the specific purpose of providing finance for economic development. DFCs have also been described as development banks, specialized credit agencies, and credit boards (Bourne 1991). Development finance is needed to provide additional financial capital to remove or at least relax the savings constraint on physical capital accumulation. Development banks are there to assist with any matter that arises. The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have combined with the Government of Grenada to mainstream disaster risk reduction into the reconstruction process following the devastation caused by Hurricane Ivan in Grenada in September 2004. The Caribbean Development bank intervenes when there is any natural disaster that may affect the economy of any country within the Caribbean region. They participants assisted in drafting a Policy and Guiding Principles for mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) into the reconstruction process. (Caribank 2005) In partnership with the public and private sectors, CDB will seek to balance the undertakings and initiatives of all th e performers in the overall private sector development effort for CDBs BMCs, particularly in areas where there is demonstrable market failure. According to CDB private sector development strategy 2004, stated that CDB support business and product development by providing financing and TA for development of new businesses and products, expansion of existing enterprises and building institutional and enterprise size. This includes the provisions of finance for both public and private sector investment to maintain and improve economic and social infrastructure. The CDBs strategic objective for private sector development in the borrowing member countries, is to improve the global competitiveness of the Regions productive sector on a sustainable basis and reposition Caribbean economies into the mainstream of the world economy. These are the development banks are doing and should be doing to develop developing countries. By now there is an ever-expanding body of evidence that suggests countries with better developed financial systems experience faster economic growth (Levine, 1997 and 2005). More recent evidence also suggests financial development not only stimulates growth, but also develops the distribution of income. Better developed banks and markets are associated with faster growth is also confirmed by panel and time-series estimation techniques. This research also shows that financial sector development facilitates economic growth through more efficient resource distribution and productivity growth rather than through the scale of investment or savings mobilization. (worldbank 2005) China is often mentioned as a counterexample to the findings in finance and growth literature since despite weaknesses in its formal banking system, China is one of the fastest growing economies in the world (Allen, Qian, and Qian 2005), and development banks are playing an integral role in development countries by helping with basic infrastructure and assisting with the develo pment of enterprises. CONCLUSION A credit union is a co-operative financial institution, which is owned and controlled by its members. With the establishing of the credit unions league headed by Father John Peter Sullivan, the Movement now had an organization whose objectives included: representing its members by contacting the Government about issues such as legislation, conducting central business services, receiving deposits from Credit Unions and other Co-operative Societies, making loans to its member credit unions and also to undertake investments for the member credit unions by organizing new credit unions. Credit unions are known to encourage saving habit, they provide low transaction cost too which is required to mobilize a great number of small voluntary savings accounts, offering a wide variety of savings services. They also have sound institutional controls and structures that are needed to accompany saving mobilization. The Development Bank of Jamaica was governed by the Ministry of Finance and Pla nning and the board members, which was appointed by the Ministry. They invested in the agricultural, manufacturing, tourism, agro-processing, quarrying and mining and services sectors. They also play a critical role in non-credit activities principally with respect to the upgrading of the Peoples Cooperative Banks as well as providing assistance to a number of sub-sectors which have faced difficulties. With these roles the development banks seeks to endorse economics development within the developing countries. Development finance is needed to provide additional financial capital to remove or at least relax the savings constraint on physical capital accumulation. Development banks are there to assist with any matter that arises. Better developed banks and markets are associated with faster growth is also confirmed by panel and time-series estimation techniques. This research also shows that financial sector development facilitates economic growth through more efficient resource dist ribution and productivity growth rather than through the scale of investment or savings mobilization.