CMM Leadership & Ethical Decision-Making 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A city manager is approached by a local nonprofit seeking a sole-source contract for social services. The manager's spouse sits on the nonprofit's board. The manager should:
- Approve the contract since the nonprofit is qualified and the need is real
- Disclose the conflict, recuse from the decision, and delegate it to an appropriate official (Correct answer)
- Deny the contract to avoid any appearance of impropriety
- Ask the spouse to temporarily resign from the board while the contract is evaluated
Correct answer: Disclose the conflict, recuse from the decision, and delegate it to an appropriate official
Disclosure and recusal are the standard ethical response to a conflict of interest, allowing the process to proceed fairly without the manager's influence.
Question 2: The concept of 'stewardship' in public administration ethics refers to:
- Managing government finances conservatively to avoid deficits
- Acting as a trustee of public resources and authority on behalf of citizens (Correct answer)
- Delegating operational decisions to professional staff
- Maintaining detailed records for auditing purposes
Correct answer: Acting as a trustee of public resources and authority on behalf of citizens
Stewardship means the manager holds public resources and authority in trust for citizens, not for personal or organizational gain.
Question 3: When building a high-performing municipal team, research suggests the most important factor in long-term team effectiveness is:
- Hiring staff with the highest academic credentials available
- Establishing psychological safety so members can take risks and speak up (Correct answer)
- Keeping team size small to improve coordination
- Providing frequent monetary incentives tied to performance metrics
Correct answer: Establishing psychological safety so members can take risks and speak up
Google's Project Aristotle and related research identify psychological safety—believing you won't be punished for speaking up—as the top predictor of team performance.
Question 4: A city manager who consistently shares information with staff before making major decisions, explains the reasoning behind choices, and solicits feedback is demonstrating:
- Weak decision-making that undermines managerial authority
- Procedural justice, which builds trust and organizational commitment (Correct answer)
- Laissez-faire management that diffuses accountability
- Political management aimed at building personal alliances
Correct answer: Procedural justice, which builds trust and organizational commitment
Procedural justice—fair processes with voice and explanation—is strongly linked to employee trust, satisfaction, and commitment even when outcomes are unfavorable.
Question 5: Under the ICMA Code of Ethics, which of the following would constitute an improper political activity for a city manager?
- Voting in a local election
- Privately expressing an opinion on a ballot measure to a friend
- Publicly endorsing a candidate running for city council (Correct answer)
- Attending a public candidate forum as an observer
Correct answer: Publicly endorsing a candidate running for city council
ICMA members must not publicly endorse candidates for elected office because it compromises the nonpartisan nature of professional management.
Question 6: A newly appointed city manager inherits a culture of siloed departments that rarely collaborate. The most effective long-term strategy is to:
- Mandate weekly joint meetings and penalize non-attendance
- Model collaborative behavior, redesign incentives to reward cooperation, and celebrate cross-department successes (Correct answer)
- Reorganize all departments under a single deputy manager immediately
- Hire an outside consultant to redesign the organizational chart
Correct answer: Model collaborative behavior, redesign incentives to reward cooperation, and celebrate cross-department successes
Sustainable culture change requires leaders to model desired behaviors, align incentives, and recognize collaboration rather than relying solely on mandates.
Question 7: Which ethical framework most closely underpins the idea that a city manager should always choose the policy option that produces the greatest benefit for the greatest number of residents?
- Deontological ethics
- Virtue ethics
- Utilitarian ethics (Correct answer)
- Social contract theory
Correct answer: Utilitarian ethics
Utilitarianism evaluates actions by their outcomes, favoring choices that maximize aggregate welfare across the affected population.
CMM Leadership & Ethical Decision-Making 3
A city manager is approached by a local nonprofit seeking a sole-source contract for social services.
The manager's spouse sits on the nonprofit's board.
The manager should: