E X P L O R I N G C O N T E M P O R A R Y P U B L I C S E C T O R L E A D E R S H I P PRESENTATION TO MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR DEIRDRE O’NEILL JAKARTA 10 September 2018
SOME KEY QUESTIONS • What is leadership? • What is public sector leadership? • What are the qualities of a public sector leader? • What are the challenges confronting public sector leaders today? MONASH 2 ARTS
DEFINING LEADERSHIP The capacity at both the individual and institutional levels to: – Identify and define organisational goals and desired outcomes – Develop strategies and plans to achieve those goals and deliver those outcomes National Institute for Governance 2003 MONASH ARTS
LEADERSHIP QUALITIES Energy Commitment Persistence Integrity Intelligence Capacity to inspire Encouragement of these attributes from the organisation National Institute for Governance 2003 MONASH ARTS
LEADERSHIP IN BUREAUCRACIES The bureaucratic model of public administration emerged from the 19 th century. Leadership in bureaucracies was characterised by • Upward focus • Emphasis on hierarchy • Clear lines of reporting • The authority of the office • Well-defined roles and responsibilities • Reliance on rules and process MONASH ARTS
FROM PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION TO PUBLIC MANAGEMENT Over the last 30 years, governments have embraced public sector reforms. There has been a shift from public administration to public management characterised by: • Heightened responsiveness to government • Improved efficiency and effectiveness • Private sector management practices • New forms of financial management • Changes to PS employment • Citizens becoming ‘clients’ or ‘customers’ • Monopoly of bureaucratic power broken MONASH ARTS
CHALLENGES FOR PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERS • ‘Speaking truth to power’ • Facilitating citizen centred delivery at local level • Enabling innovation • Managing the tension between the impetus to act and the perils of doing too little • Networked governance • Joined up government • Community capacity building • Public private partnerships • Greater transparency MONASH ARTS
7 QUALITIES OF LEADERSHIP 1. Focus on vision and clarity about priorities 2. Rational views on what is right 3. Define options and how these can be authorised and implemented 4. Understand how success is measured and who is responsible for what 5. Responsive to political leadership and able to create necessary coalitions 6. Build support through collegiality 7. Understand how solutions can leverage new approaches MONASH 8 ARTS
Case study in contemporary public sector leadership: Jim Betts and the transformation of public transport in Victoria MONASH ARTS
JIM BETTS • Born England 1965 • Former punk rocker and Marxist • Studied 17 th C English history at Oxford • Worked on rail privatisation for John Major’s government • 1999 headhunted to lead privatisation of rail system in Victoria at 34 • 2004 appointed Director of Public Transport • 2008 appointed Secretary, Department of Transport • 2013 appointed CEO of Infrastructure NSW MONASH 10 ARTS
JIM BETTS AND THE PRIVATISATION OF VICTORIA’S TRANSPORT SYSTEM - From 1993, Victoria’s public transport system prepared for privatisation. In 1999 five contracts awarded to three companies for operations of trams and trains. Public sector retains control of assets and performance managed via contracts. - After initial failure, (one franchisee walked away, country trains returned to public management), a new, heavily regulated franchising model with private operators held to strict standards was developed in 2004 - New tender in 2009 brings in new operators - Virtually all public transport in Victoria now franchised MONASH ARTS
JIM BETTS: LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STYLE • Direct communication via quirky and irreverent fortnightly staff bulletin • Encouraged bold thinking and taking responsibility for mistakes • Not bound by ideology or convention • Self-discipline, mastery of detail, appetite for work, toughness • Ability to work with both sides of politics – not intimidated by political masters • ‘Jim is the classic iron fist in a velvet glove’ MONASH ARTS
JIM BETTS: LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT ETHOS • On private vs public: - ‘What matters most is not who owns an industry but the service it provides … what matters is what works’ • On managing staff: ‘To keep the passion going and to paint the big picture.’ • On his role as CEO: ‘It’s a big role and it can be daunting. But if you spend your entire life avoiding responsibility and risk, then you end up doing nothing. The point is to change the world, it’s not to shuffle bits of paper.’ MONASH 13 ARTS
MODERN PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERSHIP • More than management – but PS leaders must be good managers • Must balance innovation with conservation • Must balance risk and prudence • Must collaborate, partner and negotiate to remain relevant • Must avoid guru-based prescriptions and mantras • Must foster resilient institutions • More conspicuous when absent • Can’t be measured but can be fostered - not merely serendipity MONASH ARTS
LEADERS VS INSTITUTIONS ‘We need to put leadership into perspective. More, stronger or ‘better’ leadership by individuals will not remedy the current crisis of public governance in many Western countries. Today, as much as in any other era, we need prudent leaders and strong institutions that ensure the dynamic power leaders can wield is both harnessed and checked.’ ‘t Hart 2009 MONASH 15 ARTS
CONCLUSION • Leaders must be able to look over the horizon to identify opportunities and threats decades ahead • Leaders must construct practical options for action that are flexible and open to change • Leaders must bring people with them MONASH ARTS
Q U E S T I O N S ? F o r f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n c o n t a c t D e i r d r e . O N e i l l @ m o n a s h . e d u
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