Post on 19-Mar-2018
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Public Sector Leadership: The Fundamentals (I)
UNITAR Mustofi Fellowship
Hiroshima, Japan 18 – 22 February 2012
Public Sector Leadership: The Fundamentals (I)
! Why the need? ! A gap between how public sectors exist at present and
how the interests of a nation need them to be
! A gap between public service cultures and the public interest
! Necessary for good “Governance” ! The way in which the underlying values of a nation are
“institutionalised”
! Formal Aspects:
! Separated powers
! Checks and balances
! Means of transferring power
! Transparency, and accountability.
! These values must guide the actions of public officials throughout the system.
! They must be imbedded in culture..
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Public Sector Leadership: The Fundamentals (I)
! Role of the Public Sector ! Until now: To solve the problems and challenges faced
in a specific environment.
! From now: People who will promote institutional adaptations in the public interest. ! The need to promote certain fundamental values
! “Public spiritedness”
! Must be based on clear and widely accepted rules
! Must have committed leaders and qualified people to undertake appropriate reforms
! To harness effectively resources at a national level
! To maximize returns on invested resources
Public Sector Leadership: The Fundamentals (I)
! Role of the Public Sector on a Regional Level ! Economic development depends on:
! Local initiative, adaptability and capacity
! The existence in a community of the basic infrastructure necessary to facilitate business, commercial or industrial activity
! A supportive legal framework
! The ability to mobilize necessary resources and respond rapidly to an ever-changing environment
! Local authorities require greater independence and entrepreneurialism
! Local authorities must work towards a closer balance between the service needs of individual communities and the actual distribution of goods and services within that community.
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Public Sector Leadership: The Fundamentals (I)
! Leadership ! Leads to enhanced management capacity and
organisational performance ! Integrates various HRMcomponents
! Recruitment and selection
! Training and development
! Performance management
! Public service ethics
! Succession planning.
Public Sector Leadership: The Fundamentals (I)
! Public Sector Leaders must have; ! GLOBALISATION: An understanding of the economic,
political, social and ecological dimensions of globalization ! The shifting of national responsibilities towards both
international and locally based institutions, as well as the private sector.
! GOVERNANCE: An understanding of the institutions of governance: ! The legal framework in which they operate
! The interaction of governmental institutions with each other, as well as the private, and the non-profit sectors.
! STRATEGIC ANALYSIS: An understanding of the financial, political, and economic environments in which government operates ! The ability to manage complexity and change
! A knowledge of the technical and quantitative skills necessary to assess policy formulation, evaluation and management.
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Public Sector Leadership: The Fundamentals (I)
! Public Sector Leaders must have; ! ORGANISATIONAL MANAGEMENT: An understanding of
individual and organizational behavior ! The organization’s relationships to client groups
! The managing of diversity
! The ability to work as a team
! The development of effective leadership capacity
! PROFESSIONALISATION: A focus upon ones
relationship to the public ! The role that values play in governance
! The development of appropriate ethical practices and professional excellence.
Public Sector Leadership: The Fundamentals (I)
! Personal Attributes of Leaders ! Vision:
! Define what their organization should strive to be and to do
! Articulate that vision succinctly
! Formulate a strategic visions that specifies the means by which the vision will be attained
! Promote commi tment f rom the i r fo l l owers by communicating in a manner that is both clear and compelling
! Implementation of the Vision ! A vision that is not implemented remains only a dream.
! The effective leader takes steps to ensure that the vision is translated into specific actions
! Managers
! Subordinates The Role of Public Sector Leadership in Fostering
Socio-Economic and Political Development in Africa Tag Elsir Mahgoub Ali
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Public Sector Leadership: The Fundamentals (I)
! Personal Attributes of Leaders ! Effective Implementation Actions:
! Structuring
! Selection, training and acculturating of personnel
! Motivating
! Managing information
! Team building
! Promoting change
! Motives and Traits: ! Effective leaders are:
! Full of drive, energy and ambition
! Tenacious and pro-active in pursuing their goals
The Role of Public Sector Leadership in Fostering Socio-Economic and Political Development in Africa
Tag Elsir Mahgoub Ali
Public Sector Leadership: The Fundamentals (I)
! Personal Attributes of Leaders ! Motives and Traits:
! Effective leaders:
! Want to lead – they do not crave power for the sake of dominating others but for the sake of achieving an overarching goal
! Are honest and have integrity
! Have a high degree of self-confidence
! Are often creative
! Are strategically flexible
! Knowledge, Skills and Ability ! Leaders have:
! Extensive knowledge of their discipline, technology and the organizational environment in which they are working The Role of Public Sector Leadership in Fostering
Socio-Economic and Political Development in Africa Tag Elsir Mahgoub Ali
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Public Sector Leadership: The Fundamentals (I)
! Personal Attributes of Leaders ! Knowledge, Skills and Ability
! Leaders have:
! A variety of skills.
! “People skills”
! Listening
! Communication
! Network building
! Conflict management
! Assessment of self and others
! Problem solving
! Decision-making
The Role of Public Sector Leadership in Fostering Socio-Economic and Political Development in Africa
Tag Elsir Mahgoub Ali
Public Sector Leadership: The Fundamentals (I)
! Developing Future Leaders: Current Trends ! Defining a competence profile for future leaders:
! Competencies required for future leaders could be different from those required for present leaders
! Responsibility, Capability, and Role.
! Must work to predict what forms the future public sector will take, and what challenges will be faced
! Identifying and selecting potential leaders: ! Select future leaders from outside or to nurture them within
the public sector?
! Encouraging mentoring and training: ! Once potential leaders are identified and selected, the next
step is to train them continuously.
! Specialised institutions for leadership development?
! Training courses?
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Public Sector Leadership: The Fundamentals (I)
! Developing Future Leaders: Current Trends ! Keeping leadership development sustainable:
! Developing future leaders takes a long time
! Must develop a comprehensive programme from the whole-of-government perspective
! Allocate more of managers’ time to developing leaders
! Link incentives with performance for better leadership
! Developing Future Leaders: Potential Issues ! Groups of leaders may begin to pursue their own
interests rather than the national interest ! Such groups become closed and insufficiently responsive to
wider changes in society.
! The organisation as a whole must work to build a leadership cadre that is more responsive or representative
Public Sector Leadership: The Fundamentals (I)
! Developing Future Leaders: Potential Issues ! Must identify how to re-orient and refresh existing cadres if
they have begun to get out of step with the society they represent
! Leadership strategies must be based on a clear diagnosis of the national challenges being faced ! Also – the current characteristics of the public sector culture
! Any successful leadership strategy involves culture change ! Very difficult
! Takes place over a long period and in response to a variety of powerful pressures.
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UNITAR Mustofi Fellowship
Hiroshima, Japan 18 – 22 February 2012
Public Sector Leadership: The Fundamentals (I)