Kulsoom Basharat

Narratives

This portfolio is composed of a variety of course related material and

evaluation of this portfolio is based on six performance objectives and
supporting evidence.
Performance Objective 1
This Communication performance objective will assess my ability to
effectively communicate though organized, concise, and grammatically
correct professionally written pieces.
A key aspect in being an effective public administrator is the ability to
concisely and clearly communicate with all stakeholders. In the wise words of
Anthony Robbins, To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are
all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as
a guide to our communication with others. Through my academic journey it
was essential that I understood and appreciated the needs of the
stakeholders with and for whom I was communicating and producing
material. All of my courses gave me numerous opportunities to articulate
complex policy issues in a variety of formats to relay tailored information.
Honing

my

effective

communication

skills

was

not

limited

to

coursework; rather I have applied feedback from professors and peers into
my professional products and deliverables as well. With the encouragement
of

my

academic

experiences,

took

the

initiative

to

develop

communications strategy for my organization. The objective was to establish

the necessary infrastructure to provide timely and useful information to
various stakeholders and to build a foundation for constructive dialogue.
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The communications plan outlined the groundwork for maturing the

organizations communication functions. Thus far, the communication plan
has been well received and utilized and continues to play a pivotal role in
defining what the organization does within the agency and

helps to

orchestrate information exchange between key stakeholders.

To illustrate some of the communication skills I developed through my
academic work, I have selected pieces that demonstrate my ability to
research, assess, understand, and clearly articulate complex policy issues.
Summary of Critical Review of Lindblom and Woodhouse:
As with any form of communication/messaging exchange, one must first
assess and understand the context in order to accurately transmit the
information in an informative manner. In this artifact, I described the
challenges that were expressed by the authors in regards to the policy
making process.

I also provided insightful summaries of the central

theme/arguments, assumptions, and highlighted strengths and weaknesses

on their perspectives. In my opinion it is important to digest information and
find connections on how information contributes to further understanding (in
this case, it deepened my knowledge of the policy making process). It was
through the development of this product that I was able to closely examine
the policy making process and extract and convey challenges noted within
the book and how those challenges play a role in setting policy for social
issues.
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Summary of Literature Review, Interview, System Map on Job

Placement Programs for Young
Adults with Disabilities:
The next few artifacts communicate the challenges faced by young adults
with disabilities in the public school system and how participation in job
placement programs contributes to their success. These artifacts include a
literature review on key studies, an interview with both a special needs
teacher as well as a young student with disabilities; and a systems map that
illustrates how investing resources into job placement programs and
encouraging

participation

can

provide

lifelong

economic

and

social

opportunities for growth and independence for people and families affected
by disabilities. The interviews with the stakeholders were organized and
methodically documented to contribute to my research on this topic.
Questions were tailored based upon the stakeholder that was interviewed. I
strongly feel that it is vital that each stakeholder feels adequately involved
and respected on a given policy issue, therefore, my questions sought to
extract critical information on the issue. Through the development of the
systems map, I was able to concisely illustrate the iterative process in order
for key stakeholders to fully understand the long term impacts of job
placement programs on this population. Each document was carefully crafted
to communicate the policy issue and implications on society as a whole as it
is important to connect to the bigger picture.

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Narratives

Summary of Report: Disproportionality in Child Welfare in the City of

Alexandria: Recommendations to Achieve Better Results Through
Enhancing Cultural Competencies:
The final piece that I have included for this performance objective is a report
developed in a group project for the City of Alexandrias Department of
Community and Human Services. This report, provided recommendations to
improve cultural competencies in relation to disproportionality in the child
welfare

system.

issues/challenges,

This

report

previous

case

communicated
studies

and

the

background

practices,

and

recommendations for improvement. The content and messaging within the

report was geared towards practitioners as well as community members as a
whole.

Although this was a group project, group members collectively

worked to ensure each of our contributing pieces was expressed in a unified

voice

as

that

was

critical

in

communicating

our

findings

and

recommendations. It was important that we understood our stakeholders

needs and what would be beneficial to them. Therefore we ensured that our
objective was reflective throughout the report.
I continuously strive to refine my effective communication practices by
adapting methodologies and suggestions made through my academic and
professional experiences. It will be an on-going learning activity to better
communicate all throughout my life.
Performance Objective 2

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This Persuasion performance objective not only assesses my ability to

present information in a structured, appropriate, and well-timed format, it
also assesses whether I can respectfully engage in discussion with audience
members who have varying opinions.
Public administrators are positioned in a role that requires them to
balance their power and persuasive influence against being diplomatic and
respectful of varying opinions in order carry out goals. To be persuasive we
must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must
be truthful. Edward R. Murrow
One of my professors stressed how important it was for us as public
administration students to be humble as we presented our analysis on a
given project. He reminded us that even though we may have gained
knowledge on a specific matter, we should remain humble in the manner in
which we present. The professor taught us to never present as though we
know everything. This is a very important piece of advice that I will use in all
aspects of my life. Audiences are more receptive when the speaker is
knowledgeable and credible but not overbearing or overtly critical of
opposing views. The material presented should be objective and fact-based,
and audience members will be more accepting of the information when it is
presented as such.
The artifacts that demonstrate my ability to communicate in a
structured and timely format are the following:

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Narratives

Summary of Policy Analysis on Bullying in Fairfax County Public

Schools:
As seen in the video-taped presentation, I concisely presented a semesterlong project to classmates and the professor on the topic of bullying. I
defined the importance of the topic and relevancy to society as a whole, and
then I narrowed my focus to bullying in Fairfax County public schools. It was
important

to

me

to

walk

the

audience

through

my

research

and

communicate to them how much bullying is an issue in our society.

Summary of Implementation Approach for Cultivating Cultural
Competence and Connections:
As an entire class effort, we utilized the City of Alexandrias Children and
Youth Master Plan to develop an implementation plan for one specific goal:
Cultivating Cultural Competence and Connections. Working in teams, we had
several discussions in person and by phone where each had to persuade and
communicate ideas for the final product and work through challenges. It was
important to us that we respectfully communicate our plan to the city at the
same time and being mindful of the constraints and limitations within the
organization.

It was also important to communicate our findings and

recommendations based on our academic research and knowledge and

provide ample evidence to support our thoughts.
Summary of Evaluation Plan for Visit Alexandria:
As a small group project, working with Visit Alexandria (a non-profit
organization charged to increase visitor spending and tax revenue), we
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assessed that organizations current performance measures and practices

and developed a robust evaluation plan that aligned mission and goals and
indicated areas of opportunity and suggestions for further development. Our
presentation was a collaborative discussion of the entire plan. I began the
presentation by acknowledging the organizations expertise and dedication
to striving towards their mission and stated that our task was to provide
them with practical and valuable feedback. Through this presentation format
we were able to comfortably communicate our thoughts on the evaluation as
did the representative from Visit Alexandria. The one and a half hour
discussion was very lively and engaging.

At the conclusion of the

presentation discussion, I felt a sense of pride in the work we accomplished,

and happy that we were able to assist an organization with a tangible and
meaningful product.
In my experience, I have found that the most interesting and
meaningful presentation discussions are when audience members are given
the opportunity to share their perspective and engage in a healthy dialogue.
This platform allows for both myself and the audience to gain a deeper
understanding on a given subject.

I like to call this exchange human

communication. We all have our own opinion and connecting the dots
between each of our thoughts can potentially unify us towards a greater
outcome. Carefully piecing together our individual knowledge is a delicate
dance but quite possibly rewarding as it can act as a gateway to resolving
policy issues unforeseen.
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Performance Objective 3
This performance objective Analyze, assesses my research skills on
how I methodically and logically approached complex policy issues.
Plato once said, Human behavior flows from three main sources:
desire, emotion, and knowledge. I was taught that we as human beings are
naturally inclined to seek and discover the causes of phenomena and rule
out possible rival causes. As public administrators we must make decisions
based on objectively viewing an issue and gaining fact-based knowledge in
order to set policy. Research in public administration is critical as it helps
policy makers and public mangers to understand the causal links between
policy variables and outcomes.
I was very fortunate to have professors guide and shape the way I dug
deeper into subjects that were important to me.

In many instances, I

experienced that defining the problem (as a public administrator) was not
always cut and dry, rather it was vital to examine the complexity of the issue
and through a methodical process break apart the fundamental elements
that were intertwined into the issue. In the wise words of a professor,
correlation is not causation. I was encouraged to use exploratory research
in order to gain insight for better application and management of a given
policy. By setting up research design frameworks that statistically measured
variables, I was able to test the hypothesis and draw conclusions to research
questions.
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Narratives

Through course assignments, peer/professor feedback, and practical

experiences, I, fine-tuned my critical researching skills. Through this process,
I have gained substantive understanding into policy issues, and can
rationally illustrate the framework and methodology I used during my
research on a given issue. Some of the documents that I have produced
demonstrate my analytical skills are summarized below:

Summary of Data Collection Assignment:

During the development of this report, I refined my inquiry techniques and
applied my analytical and statistical skills towards assessing whether or not
young adults with disabilities who increase participating in job placement
programs receive numerous long term economic benefits. The report details
how I went about collecting quantitative data to assess this research
question,

the

key

dependent

and

independent

variables

and

the

methodology I used to conduct the research.

Summary of Memo 1,2,3,4:
This semester long project was divided into memos to the professor that
incrementally lead me to an in-depth policy analysis and evaluation on the
subject of bullying in Fairfax County public schools. Through the development
of each of these memos, I was able to identify the deeper rationale and failed
bullying policy instruments that have been in place. I was able to determine
plausible alternative approaches and develop key criteria to assess those
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Narratives

alternatives. Also, I produced an evaluation design that linked analyzing

short and long term outcomes to identifying impact categories and selection
of a sound bullying prevention and intervention policy. Lastly, I developed a
stakeholder map that explained the spheres of influence on the bullying
policy issue.
Reflecting upon my work and remembering how challenging it was in
the beginning of each project to comprehend what the end results would be,
I can see the big picture on how a complex issue can be dissected,
evaluated, and through proper methods- even improved or new policy can be
crafted to address an issue in society.

Performance Objective 4
This

performance

objective,

Theorize,

assesses

my

ability

to

make

theoretical connections into my academic and professional experiences.

For public administration students like myself, applying textbook
practices and theories into real world experiences is equivalent to seeing
images through a kaleidoscope. By looking through the various lens one can
examine an organization from various angles. Jawaharlal Nehru stated, A
theory must be tempered with reality. The coursework taught me how
things should function within an organization, but at times things do not
always operate so smoothly. As public administrators we are faced with the
difficulties of applying best practices and theories as we find that each
organization is unique.
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From learning about the Garbage Can theory (overflowing bin of all
ideas) to hearing about examples of the Punctuated-Equilibrium theory
(seeking to explain a simple observation), public administrators have to sift
through the models and frameworks to gain a view of the organizational
context, key operating principles, and take into account the history of
reforms.
The artifacts that I have chosen to demonstrate my ability to connect
academic material to my professional experience are as follows:
Summary of Budget Trend Analysis: A Closer Look into Loudoun
Countys Budget:
This analysis report described budgetary trends in Loudoun County it also
detailed the countys mission, organizational structure, and revenue sources.
Also this report examined the budgetary decision-making process and linked
key government process theories. While developing this group report, I had
to apply acquired knowledge from various courses in order to analyze and
assess the countys budget cycle, hierarchical structure, political climate,
challenges, and offered recommendations for growth and development.
Summary of Interview and Reaction on Human Resources Theory
and Practice:
The interview conducted highlighted a past employers organizational
challenges and gave me an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding into
all the many ways human resources impacts an organization. To summarize

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Narratives

key results, I developed a table that outlined some of the topics discussed
and the linkages to course material and classroom discussion.
Summary of Organizational Analysis:
This was an assessment on how the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
aligned to my understanding of the course readings regarding organizational
culture, communication styles, and conflict management. The analysis
detailed how the concepts and theories were reflected within FAAs mission
and described patterns of behavior that were exemplified in their employees
and organizational framework.
Summary of Organizational Assessment:
This paper described some of FAAs challenges, barriers, and the short and
long-term

effects.

This

paper

leveraged

my

professional

experience

combined with my academic knowledge to analyze some of the main public

administration issues and implications and identified recommendations to
address those challenges.
Each piece expressed the shared struggles within organizations and
how public administrators have to continually work to balance growing
demands and challenges.

Performance Objective 5
This performance objective, Lead, measures my ability to understand
the significance of organizational structures, management, and leadership
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paradigms. Leadership is one of the most important aspects within public

administration as well as the most dynamic.
Through my academic experiences, I have realized that for public
administrators it is fundamental to recognize that collective effort is a key
indicator of success. As stated by Helen Keller, Alone we can do so little;
together we can do so much. This simple statement resonates with me as I
have found this to be true not only within organizations, but anytime there is
a need for collective effort. An organizations success or failure reflects the
magnitude of effort and commitment from all team members-at all levels
within the organizations hierarchy.
Understanding

the

complexities

and significance

of

hierarchical

structures and management functions are critical to policy making.

Organizational savvy allows public administrators to identify, formulate,
develop, and implement key strategies. However, in my experience, working
to build team cohesion and a sense of community has been equally
important.

As various components within organizations have to work

together like a well-oiled machine, group members have to work hand in

hand in order to successfully achieve the overall mission.
In several instances I have spearheaded projects and delivered quality
products to completion. I take pride in my drive to organize and focus
collective energy towards the end goal of a given project. Through my
personal commitment to success, I have tackled daunting assignments and
projects against all odds. I have demonstrated leadership in my professional
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Narratives

life by rising to the opportunity in numerous instances; namely, developing a

comprehensive and cohesive implementation plan used organization wide
within the FAA.
It is always important to me to mindfully manage people and projects.
To be more aware of my interactions with others and how I approach arduous
initiatives allows me to improve my leadership skills and be more cognizant
of how impactful my demeanor can be towards others.
appreciate

the

criticality

of

managing

expectations

I have come to
by

listening

to

stakeholders needs and identifying and allocating resources in order to meet

their needs and working together to reach solutions.
Specific instances where I have demonstrated my leadership and
management skills are summarized below:
Summary of Reflection Paper and Skills Application:
These two documents gave me the opportunity to reflect and assess my
personal growth and identify shortcomings. Through these artifacts I was
able to pinpoint areas for improvement and discover my leadership style and
the perception others had of me. Through this process I became more selfaware on how I conducted myself and have been mindful of those data
points ever since.
Summary of Implementation Approach for Cultivating Cultural
Competence and Connections:
This was a challenging class project, in that we were up against the end of
the semester and we were having trouble focusing our efforts on the clients
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Narratives

needs, rather than wants. After much deliberation, I took charge and
constructed a plan that included roles and responsibilities and also
developed a timeline that encompassed a breakdown of assignments and
timeframes. I aimed to motivate my classmates and propel all of us towards
the end goal. It was a tremendous effort trying to steer the group in one
direction, but I was grateful to several peers who supported with this effort.
Envisioning the end product is only half the battle, the energy and effort in
developing the product is entirely a project in its own. I learned from this
deliverable in numerous ways. The most important, I believe, is that a leader
must know when to play a supportive role by stepping back in order for
others to lead and nurture and support each other to reach the end goal.
Summary of Evaluation Plan for Visit Alexandria:
I found that for this project team cohesion was fundamental to our success.
We had a total of four classmates so therefore each of us had significant
workloads. I took the lead on this assignment as well and developed a plan
to orchestrate this deliverable. I was mindful to not overstep my role and
gaged how much value my role had within the group. With the support of a
couple of other peers, we were able to develop a robust evaluation plan that
was very much appreciated by the client.
Summary of Report: Disproportionality in Child Welfare in the City of
Alexandria: Recommendations to Achieve Better Results Through
Enhancing Cultural Competencies:

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During this group project we were fully engaged with the clients and had to
determine what the priority was for them. It was important to us to deliver a
comprehensive report that would benefit the client and allow them to work
towards other goals in the future. This was a challenging project as we had to
sift through countless documents and decipher how we could positively
impact the issue. I found myself motivating peers to push through the
obstacles and find the silver linings in the struggles we faced. In this case, I
took the lead to be a liaison between the clients and the classroom and
develop a plan to deliver a valuable product. We worked tirelessly towards
satisfying the clients expectations and during the final presentation, the
clients were beyond grateful for our contribution.
A leaders responsibility is to serve the greater good and to value the
position they have been given with great respect. I have learned that leaders
have to be able to efficiently collaborate and coordinate with stakeholders in
order to be successful. They must strategize in developing sound solutions
that serve the interest of all stakeholders. In each case, I found that I had to
be a transformative leader in order to apply innovative and unique solutions
that were feasible. I continue to appreciate respectful communication and
collaboration as it has always been important to me to carry out an
integrated approach that welcomes deferring opinions and ideas. I strongly
believe that collectively we have to be able to navigate through difficult
circumstances to lead towards true transformation.
Performance Objective 6
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This performance objective, Ethical, assesses my ability to recognize,

analyze, and understand the normative dimensions of management and
policy issues.
In policy sciences there should be a strong need to focus on knowledge
and action. Alexander Hamilton once said, Those who stand for nothing, fall
for anything. It is important to have a strong conviction to serve citizens,
however it is equally important to not let our special interests cloud our
moral compass.

As public administrators we must value the individual

talents of our peers, promote fairness, and maintain ethical principles. Public
administrators must understand that effective management entails order,
stability, security, and prosperity for all.
When serving the public one must embody efficiency, fairness,
economically sound and high performance practices. Public administrators
and policy makers must always keep in mind that decisions made must
consider the public interest. I appreciate the utilitarian idea that the greater
good for the greatest number people is critical to the decision making
process. In every class there were significant discussions and assignments
that caused me to think on a deeper level on how I would handle certain
situations and evaluate my moral obligation. Through coursework and
engaging in discussions, I have gained insight into different perspectives on
key public interest topics. To the credit of this program I find myself guarded
against thinking solely based on one perspective; I understand and

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incorporate a healthy outlook that encompasses multiple vantage points that

are not only my own.
To illustrate some of my knowledge in ethics and ethical behavior, I
selected the artifacts below:
Summary of Markets and Morals, Merit and Distributive Justice, and
Gender Discrimination:
Each artifact illustrates my perspective on a series of intriguing issues such
as conscription and the free market economy to natural endowments and
distributive justice, and lastly my thoughts on gender discrimination. Each
piece discusses the relationship between human nature and how being fair
and just is incredibly challenging at times.
Through the course readings and papers that I wrote, I found myself
raising my consciousness of values and trying to balance conflicting values
and defining my duty as a future public administrator.

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