Integrated Intelligent Research(IIR) International Journal of Business Intelligent

Volume: 01 Issue: 02 December 2012,Pages No.32-34

ISSN: 2278-2400

Strategies and Challenges in Quality Leadership

in the Public Sector
Suganya.G
III BBM- Information Systems, PSG College of Arts & Science

Abstract -To fill the need for leaders and change agents effort to modernize the public service, share the
throughout all levels of federal agencies, public sector challenges of competing goals and inadequate resources.
human resource managers are now called on to develop The discussion will examine the demands made on public
innovativeleadership development programs. Developing service leaders in the new millennium and the strategies
leaders for the 21st century requires attention to they apply to address these challenges. The article also
workforce trends as well as flexibility and creativity. proposes new strategies and practices to promote the
Federal government leadership concerns of public agency development and maintenance of a high caliber of
managers, including creative thinking, collaboration, and leadership in the public sector. Kotter argues that many
cross-organizational team building and leading for change efforts have failed because organizations are
results. busy trying to manage change instead of leading it.
He proposes a comprehensive eight-step action plan
Keywords: Leadership - Leadership in public sector - that emphasizes the need for a vision, the creation
Strategies and Challenges – Quality leadership
and communication of short-term wins and the
empowerment of employees for leaders caught up in
I. INTRODUCTION rapid change situations. Kotter also explains the
difference between management and leadership. The
Effective leadership is integral to organizational
effectiveness. Effective leaders create positive
mandate of management is to minimize risk and
organizational cultures, strengthen motivation, clarify maintain the status quo through procedures, rules
mission and organizational objectives, and steer and regulations.
organizations to more productive and high performing
outcomes. The demands placed on the economies of Stacey refers to the concept of ordinary management
developing countries make it necessary that public where the situation in an organization is characterized by
service attain the economic self-sufficiency it needs for relative predictability and certainty. Furthermore,
autonomy in its operations. However, the economic gains ordinary management is practiced in formal groups that
are realized at a cost. There is always a social cost when require the leader to arrive with particular skills
human beings are reduced to the level of commodities. developed beforehand. The required personality, skills
Thus there will be resistance to modernizing the public and styles, or competencies, can be identified in advance
service by emphasizing efficiency and effectiveness and since they depend upon the situation. In this situation,
the people will have to be reoriented. In most cases the leadership is confined to a concern for securing efficient
cumbersome nature of public service institutions makes performance of known tasks as opposed to effectiveness.
reform of any kind difficult to effect.Emphasis on Change compels managers to engage in a paradigm shift
efficiency and effectiveness has dominated the reform and apply what Stacey refers to as extraordinary
efforts of most developing countries. Various initiatives, management techniques. Extraordinary management
ranging from reducing the size of the public service to enables leaders to operate in uncertainty and to apply
introducing performance management systems, have ingenuity and different techniques to the new challenges
been considered. Leadership plays a crucial role in the that they face in the 21st century. It is a process that
two factors believed to employee satisfaction – utilizing involves ‘questioning and shattering paradigms, and then
employee skills and teamwork – developing and creating new ones. It is a process which depends
sustaining effective leaders for the government of the critically upon contradiction and tension’. Stacey argues
21st century is clearly fundamental. that successful organizations result from leaders who
thrive on chaos and take pride in finding innovative and
This article contributes to the discussion of leadership creative solutions. Finally, organizations in the 21st
excellence in contemporary public sector management in century need more leaders than managers. The challenges
developing countries and in a globalized environment. It facing these leaders include:Leading organizations in an
is built on the premise that developing countries, in their environment of dwindling resources and increased

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Integrated Intelligent Research(IIR) International Journal of Business Intelligent
Volume: 01 Issue: 02 December 2012,Pages No.32-34
ISSN: 2278-2400
demands for quality service, sustainable development that go with management ability. Successful leaders
and retention of skills for organizational continuity continually challenge the status quo by scanning the
environment and are capable of operating in uncertainty
 Cultivating a performance management culture but still achieving results.
with emphasis on results
 Upholding good governance despite a hostile and The trend whereby most organizations are investing
ever – changing environment heavily in the training retraining and development of
 Instituting effective staff retention strategies their employees comes in the wake of the realization that
amid a change fatigue syndrome; and people are the most valuable resource. In designing
 Keeping pace with advances in information leadership development programmes, infusion of specific
technology and workforce renewal. competencies must form the foundation of human
resource management initiatives. It has also become
Furthermore, because of the un adapted reform initiatives imperative that leaders participate in international
and globalization, developing countries in particular have organizations whose core business is training and
to deal with increased poverty, low performing development. This will enable them and other employees
employees, corruption and an acute shortage of financial, to keep track of innovations and current trends in human
material and human resources.One fundamental reality is resource management and to exploit technology as a
that if developing nations are to succeed in their quest for medium for self development. Most developing countries
excellence, it is critical to have a deliberate policy to face challenges about how to plan their workforce to
develop public sector leadership with the potential to ensure continuity at all levels but particularly at the
strike a synergistic balance among all competing goals in leadership levels. These challenges include finding and
a reforming economy. The public sector must assume a retaining qualified employees, staffing for the future and
strategic leadership position for national developmental effective utilization of human resources challenges that
purposes. have become more acute because of an increasingly
mobile and enterprising workforce.
II. STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS PUBLIC
With unprecedented globalization, it is difficult to
SECTOR LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES
differentiate between the skills needed in developed and
developing countries as nations find common challenges
Competency refers here to the set of behavior patterns
in human resources management and development.
that an incumbent needs to bring to a position to perform
Dessler envisages for the 21st century a global workforce
its tasks and functions competently. Specific skills,
with increased organizational uncertainties and different
specialized knowledge demands and attributes that are
training and developmental needs. The public leader’s
considered to be important in performing tasks to the
work has been drastically transformed; hence the urgent
requires standards underpin competencies. Training and
need to prepare leaders with the ability to cope with and
skills development of the current crop of prospective
adopt to change. Strategies for training and developing
public sector managers is especially important because
leaders must take account of the ever - changing
public organizations have traditionally concentrated on
environment by encouraging more thinking outside of the
developing mangers who can operate in an environment
box. Several possible leadership strategies are as follows:
guided by specific rules and procedures.The need for
change raises the question of which managerial or
 Focusing on outcomes
leadership skills are appropriate for the public sector in
the new millennium. To initiate, anticipate, monitor,  Reward and recognition strategies Shared vision
understand, cope with and manage the complex processes  Innovation, creativity and double – loop learning
of change demands various abilities which are difficult to  Organizational networks
analyze and describe, let alone teach. It is probable that
those involved in the training and development of III. LEADERSHIP AND COMPETENCIES
managers will have to look beyond the book and the
formal classroom if they are to make meaningful There are three behaviours that are characteristic of
contributions to organizational change and leadership activities in complex organizational change.
development.Leadership competency in the 21st century Charismatic Leadership – the first one is charismatic
should focus more on cultivating and encouraging the leadership comprised of envisioning, energizing and
attainment of survival skills, which basically enable enabling. Charismatic leaders possess a special quality
leaders to adapt to any situation and still remain flexible. that enables them to mobilize and sustain activity within
These skills are of a technical, human and conceptual an organization through specific personal actions
nature and derive from the fundamental generic skills combined with perceived personal characteristics.

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Integrated Intelligent Research(IIR) International Journal of Business Intelligent
Volume: 01 Issue: 02 December 2012,Pages No.32-34
ISSN: 2278-2400
Instrumental Leadership – involves building competent
teams, clarifying required behaviour, building in
measurements, and administering rewards and
punishments. So that individuals perceive that behaviour
consistent with the change is essential for them to
achieve both their own goals and those of the
organization.

Spreading the gospel of change through leadership –

is a strategy that enables coalition building by identifying
potential allies in the organization and developing their
leadership ability so that they can spread the gospel of
change. Successful leaders involve various stakeholders
made up of their senior team, senior management and
leadership throughout the organization styles and develop
a communication strategy capable of supporting desired
change outcomes.

IV. CONCLUSION

This article has identified major issues impacting on

leadership in the 21st century and explained how a
careful mix of practices and strategies, appropriately
applied, can make a difference in an organization’s
efforts to keep up with the ever-changing environment.
The major conclusion is that people are to meeting
current and emerging challenges; hence the need to
involve them in the reform process and continually equip
them with appropriate skills to facilitate the building of
leadership competencies capable or responding to 21st
century challenges and opportunities. The development
of leadership competencies must not be confined to rank
as defined by the organization’s structure.
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