Inter-sector senior leader transitions: experience and outcomes

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-93
Author(s):  
Robert McLeay Thompson ◽  
Christine Flynn
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Senior Leaders ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Organizational Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Senior Leader ◽  
Public Sector Leadership ◽  
The Cost

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the experience of senior leaders who move into the public sector from other sectors of the economy, a process referred to in this paper as inter-sector senior leader transitions. This is a little researched area of public sector leadership yet has significant implications for fundamental public sector reform. Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs an interview design to elicit senior leaders' stories of their transition into the public sector. Findings – The data suggest that successful senior leader transitions are more likely when a set of conditions is met; the leader transitions into CEO role, rather than levels below CEO, ministers provide inter-sector transition support, senior leaders develop responses to stress, senior leaders reject high formalization, their change processes focus on building capacity, and senior leaders confront dysfunctional organizational relationships directly. Research limitations/implications – The research relies on a relatively small sample. However, access to senior managers at this level can be difficult. Nevertheless, those senior managers who participated were very willing to share their stories. Practical implications – If public sector organizations are to realize the value of successful leaders from other sectors, they need to invest in structured processes that facilitate the transition. A laissez-faire approach is not viable given the cost of such transitions. Originality/value – The paper focuses on a little researched area of leadership experience which has significant implications for the development and change of the public sector.

“Representative bureaucracy as a leadership issue: the Canadian case”

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-410
Author(s):  
Tim A. Mau
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Representative Bureaucracy ◽  
Gender Representation ◽  
Administrative Leadership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Leadership ◽  
Federal Public Service

PurposeThe public administration literature on representative bureaucracy identifies several advantages from having a diverse public service workforce, but it has not explicitly focused on leadership. For its part, the public sector leadership literature has largely ignored the issue of gender. The purpose of this paper is to rectify these limitations by advancing the argument that having a representative bureaucracy is fundamentally a leadership issue. Moreover, it assesses the extent to which representativeness has been achieved in the Canadian federal public service.Design/methodology/approachThe paper begins with a discussion of the importance of a representative bureaucracy for democratic governance. In the next section, the case is made that representativeness is fundamentally intertwined with the concept of administrative leadership. Then, the article provides an interpretive case study analysis of the federal public service in Canada, which is the global leader in terms of women's representation in public service leadership positions.FindingsThe initial breakthrough for gender representation in the Canadian federal public service was 1995. From that point onward, the proportion of women in the core public administration exceeded workforce availability. However, women continued to be modestly under-represented among the senior leadership cadre throughout the early 2000s. The watershed moment for gender representation in the federal public service was 2011 when the number of women in the executive group exceeded workforce availability for the first time. Significant progress toward greater representativeness in the other target groups has also been made but ongoing vigilance is required.Research limitations/implicationsThe study only determines the passive representation of women in the Public Service of Canada and is not able to comment on the extent to which women are substantively represented in federal policy outcomes.Originality/valueThe paper traces the Canadian federal government's progress toward achieving gender representation over time, while commenting on the extent to which the public service reflects broader diversity. In doing so, it explicitly links representation to leadership, which the existing literature fails to do, by arguing that effective administrative leadership is contingent upon having a diverse public service. Moreover, it highlights the importance of gender for public sector leadership, which hitherto has been neglected.

A relational perspective on public sector leadership and management

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Clark ◽  
Sally Denham-Vaughan ◽  
Marie-Anne Chidiac
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Leadership And Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Sector Management ◽  
The Public ◽  
Relational Perspective ◽  
Explicit Consideration ◽  
Public Sector Leadership ◽  
First Time ◽  
Management And Leadership

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss critical perspectives on what has become a dominant approach to public sector management and leadership in England and sets out a new conceptual perspective on leadership to improve this situation, namely a relational one. Design/methodology/approach – A review of key literature on the topics discussed. Findings – A new relational perspective on leadership and management is proposed, along with epistemological, ethical and practical considerations. Research limitations/implications – The paper proposes this new approach to leadership and management in the public sector, but no empirical findings are discussed. Practical implications – The perspective proposes that an explicit consideration of relationships and contextual factors should lie at the heart of leadership and management and all its practice. Originality/value – This is the first time that a relational perspective on public sector management and leadership has been explicated.

Job satisfaction among senior managers and employees

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 410-425
Author(s):  
Jose Manuel Lasierra
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Public Employees ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Public Sector Managers ◽  
Private Management

Purpose Using selected personal and job-related variables, the purpose of this paper is to analyse job satisfaction among public sector senior managers and employees and then compare both cohorts with private-sector managers and employees. Design/methodology/approach The authors apply a General Linear Univariate Model with interactions that allows us to detect the influence of the independent variables based on the baseline reference value. Findings Results indicate that public employees differ considerably from employees in the private sector, while public sector managers’ behaviour and preferences are very similar to those of private-sector managers. Research limitations/implications One main conclusion is that the management function of senior managers is basically the same, whether they are in the public or private sectors, and, thus, private management techniques, such as new public management (NPM), can be applied to the public sector. The main shortcoming of the study is that a qualitative analysis does not allow us to observe the impact of ethical aspects that could guide value-oriented management. Practical implications Difficulties in management by public-sector managers may arise from public employees’ perceptions regarding the application of private management practices. Social implications High job-satisfaction ratings by public managers may indicate that, in spite of their lower wages compared to the private sector, there is no reason to conclude that a suboptimal staffing of public managers might occur that would jeopardise public services. Originality/value The authors are unaware of precedents that analyse differences between the public and private sectors in comparing employees and senior managers. Uniquely, the authors use a very large sample to draw conclusions. This paper can guide public senior managers who work in public administration.

Public sector leadership development in Bangladesh: present state and future prospect

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Mohabbat Khan ◽  
Md. Shahriar Islam
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Future Prospect ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Present Condition ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Government ◽  
Public Sector Leadership

Purpose – The story of the Bangladesh public sector is not a happy one as it has often failed to uphold efficiency and equality in delivering services to the people. Hence leadership has a critical role to play to ensure equality, effectiveness and efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the present condition and future prospect of leadership development in the Bangladesh public sector by focusing on the efforts initiated both by the government of Bangladesh and international organizations during the last ten years. Design/methodology/approach – This paper has reviewed available literatures on theories of public sector leadership development and its application in Bangladesh to identify the state and future prospect of public sector leadership development utilizing available theories. Findings – The analysis shows that partisan politics, dominance of generalists, absence of long-range feedback and monitoring systems and lack of efficient and knowledgeable trainers are the major impediments to public sector leadership development. International organizations provide proposals, frameworks, technical assistance along with funds to develop the public sector leaders but in implementing the schemes they have a very limited role in the implementation process. Research limitations/implications – This paper does not offer much empirical evidence on public sector leadership development in Bangladesh, but creates the platform for further research on public sector training and leadership development with empirical data. Significant variables can be drawn out of this piece of work to design future research on this very important issue. Originality/value – This paper will help the interested individuals involved in the public sector leadership development in Bangladesh to understand the divergence between the efforts put in by the government and international agencies in developing public sector leadership.

Mediocre and harmful public sector leadership

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 274-286
Author(s):  
Esme Franken ◽  
Geoff Plimmer
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Critical Incident ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Toxic Leadership ◽  
Career Support ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Sector Leadership

Purpose Leadership matters in public contexts. It influences employee development and, in turn, the effective delivery of public services. Harmful leadership limits the fulfilment of both these requirements. Although there are many studies of public leadership, few explore aspects of poor leadership focusing on leading people, in the unique public sector context. The purpose of this paper is to explore the public sector environment as one that can enable harmful leadership, and identifies what those aspects of harmful behaviours are. In particular, it focuses on common, day-to-day forms of harmful mediocre leadership rather than more dramatic, but rarer, forms of destructive or toxic leadership. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted over three phases. In study one (N=10) interviews using the critical incident technique identified harmful behaviours. Study two (N=10) identified perceived causal processes and outcomes of these processes. Study three was a validation check using two focus groups (n=7) and two further interviews (n=6). Findings Four dimensions of harmful behaviour were found: micromanagement, managing up but not down, low social and career support and reactive leadership. Several pathways to harm were found, including lessened employee confidence, motivation, collaboration, learning and development. Research limitations/implications This research is limited by a small sample and data collected in one public sector system. But its implications are still meaningful. The research identified some ways that harmful leadership can occur, that is missed in existing studies of harmful leadership, which tend to focus on more toxic forms of harm. The role of NPM and other reforms as important shapers of current leadership behaviours are also discussed. Practical implications To address these behaviours further investment in leadership development, selection and performance management is recommended. Social implications Social implications include the hindering of effective service delivery and limited ability to deal with increasingly dynamic and complicated problem. Originality/value Public sector leadership studies are often rose tinted, or describe what should be. Instead, this paper describes what sometimes is, in terms of day-to-day mediocre but harmful leadership.

The spirited leader: the potential of spiritual intelligence to improve leadership

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 109-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Hyson
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Leadership Skills ◽  
Spiritual Intelligence ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Staff Performance ◽  
Public Sector Leadership

Purpose – Spiritual intelligence (SQi) plays a vital part in deepening leadership effectiveness and staff performance in the public sector. Spiritually intelligent leaders (SQLs) use SQi to develop leadership skills beyond just emotional intelligence. Design/methodology/approach – Studies of the characteristics of those commonly recognised as outstanding leaders consistently identify skills and qualities relating to the spirit or soul. The SQi metric identifies 21 such attributes and the ways in which they can be developed at five levels of competence. Their conscious deployment of four cornerstone skills keeps them focused and effective, motivates their staff and produces more effective results. Findings – This paper provides concrete explanations of the attributes of the SQL and expands on how these are key antidotes to dealing with the most frequently reported common leadership dilemma: demoralisation and loss of meaning. Originality/value – This paper will be of immediate value and practical application to those in public sector leadership roles who wish to develop their own leadership skills and the commitment of their staff.

Internal marketing and customer-contact employees’ attitudinal outcomes

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 124-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arleen Hernández-Díaz ◽  
Theany Calderon-Abreu ◽  
Maria Amador-Dumois ◽  
Mario Córdova-Claudio
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Internal Marketing ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Public Higher Education ◽  
Customer Contact ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public

Purpose Higher education institutions, particularly in the case of public universities, face the challenge of creating more value in an environment of increasing requirements and limitations. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relation of internal marketing (IM) with employees’ attitudinal outcomes, which aim to stimulate and retain motivated and customer-conscious contact employees. Design/methodology/approach Survey data of 94 customer-contact employees in a public higher education institution were analysed using partial least squares path modelling to explore and predict key target constructs. Findings The results demonstrate the relationship between customer-contact employees’ service empathy (SE), institutional IM initiatives and employees’ attitudinal outcomes in the public sector, specifically higher education institutions. Research limitations/implications The current study relies on self-reported data and a small sample of customer-contact employees working only on enrolment-related areas. Further studies should be designed for theory confirmation and generalizability of the results. Practical implications Top managers in public higher education institutions must encourage organizational identification through IM initiatives, such as well-established internal communication procedures. Academic management should continuously train and retain customer-contact employees that have developed SE and a sense of belonging to the organization. SE must be incorporated in the job descriptions and training of customer-contact employees. Originality/value The study contributes to the limited literature on the use of IM and SE in the public sector, specifically higher education institutions.

Relationship between CSR motivations and corporate social performance: a study in the power industry in India

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Moumita Acharyya ◽  
Tanuja Agarwala
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Corporate Social Performance ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Power Sector ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Public And Private Sector

PurposeThe paper aims to understand the different motivations / reasons for engaging in CSR initiatives by the organizations. In addition, the study also examines the relationship between CSR motivations and corporate social performance (CSP).Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from two power sector organizations: one was a private sector firm and the other was a public sector firm. A comparative analysis of the variables with respect to private and public sector organizations was conducted. A questionnaire survey was administered among 370 employees working in the power sector, with 199 executives from public sector and 171 from private sector.Findings“Philanthropic” motivation emerged as the most dominant CSR motivation among both the public and private sector firms. The private sector firm was found to be significantly higher with respect to “philanthropic”, “enlightened self-interest” and “normative” CSR motivations when compared with the public sector firms. Findings suggest that public and private sector firms differed significantly on four CSR motivations, namely, “philanthropic”, “enlightened self-interest”, “normative” and “coercive”. The CSP score was significantly different among the two power sector firms of public and private sectors. The private sector firm had a higher CSP level than the public sector undertaking.Research limitations/implicationsFurther studies in the domain need to address differences in CSR motivations and CSP across other sectors to understand the role of industry characteristics in influencing social development targets of organizations. Research also needs to focus on demonstrating the relationship between CSP and financial performance of the firms. Further, the HR outcomes of CSR initiatives and measurement of CSP indicators, such as attracting and retaining talent, employee commitment and organizational climate factors, need to be assessed.Originality/valueThe social issues are now directly linked with the business model to ensure consistency and community development. The results reveal a need for “enlightened self-interest” which is the second dominant CSR motivation among the organizations. The study makes a novel contribution by determining that competitive and coercive motivations are not functional as part of organizational CSR strategy. CSR can never be forced as the very idea is to do social good. Eventually, the CSR approach demands a commitment from within. The organizations need to emphasize more voluntary engagement of employees and go beyond statutory requirements for realizing the true CSR benefits.

Performance measurement and management in the public sector: state of the art and research opportunities

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrizia Garengo ◽  
Alberto Sardi
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Business Management ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Conceptual Structure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Opportunities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Organisations

PurposeSince the 1980s, performance measurement and management (PMM) has been described as an essential element of new public management (NPM) reforms. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the current state of the art and future research opportunities for PMM in public sector management.Design/methodology/approachThe paper carried out a bibliometric literature review using two main techniques named (1) performance analysis and (2) science mapping techniques. It investigated the academic research area describing the main publications' trend, the conceptual structure and its evolution from 1996 to 2019.FindingsThe results highlighted the growing relevance of PMM research in public organisations and confirmed a great interest of the business, management and accounting literature on PMM in public sector management. Furthermore, the results also described a conceptual structure of the public PMM literature analysed and its evolution being too generic to answer public organisations' needs. The results identified five main research gaps and research opportunities.Originality/valueAlthough the adoption of rigorous bibliometric techniques was recognised as being useful for assessing the academic research study, the paper describes the business, management and accounting literature contributing to new theoretical and practical future opportunities.

Ethical leadership

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahad Shakeel ◽  
Peter Mathieu Kruyen ◽  
Sandra Van Thiel
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Organizational Behavior ◽  
Ethical Leadership ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Recent Criticism ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Measurement Instruments ◽  
Leadership Theories ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer a review of the selected literature in ethical leadership synthesizing findings from 45 articles selected from journals on leadership, public administration, organizational behavior, psychology and ethics. Design/methodology/approach Four themes are addressed: the conceptualization of ethical leadership theories, the existence of popular measurement instruments for ethical leadership, findings on ethical leadership in the public sector and outcomes of ethical leadership in terms of benefits and negative consequences. Findings The definition by Brown et al. (2005) is the most frequently used definition, even though recent criticism states that this definition may be too narrow. Ethical leadership is usually measured by means of a survey; however, there are at least three different questionnaires in use. In the public sector, ethical leadership has been linked to both positive outcomes and negative consequences. Research limitations/implications This paper only includes selected academic articles and does not include published books. Originality/value Based on our findings, the authors present recommendations for future research, among others into a broader conceptualization of ethical leadership and the use of mixed methods.

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