Leader-Managers in the Public Sector

Managing for Results

Michael S. Dukakis, John H. Portz

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781317466338
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Economics
• Subtopic: Economic Theory
• Index: Economics

Highlights the skills and practices necessary for effective leader-managers in the public sector. It begins by clarifying the differences between leadership and management. It then draws on in-depth interviews with seven successful leader-managers in different policy fields to identify six critical skills and practices that are necessary for good leadership and good management in the public sector.

1

Leading and Managing in the Public Sector

The Leader-Manager

In America today the need for effective government has never been greater. At the local level, we want fire and police departments that can protect our property and us, and we demand schools that can provide quality education. From state government, we expect an efficient and well-maintained transportation system, equitable social services, effective higher education, and a safety net for the poor. From our national officials, we expect protection from foreign enemies, and we rely upon a number of programs to ensure our social and economic security.

We look to our government officials to meet these expectations, yet they often fall short. To some observers of the public sector, the critical need is for more effective leadership. From this perspective, we need individuals who can look at the “big picture” and lead others to overcome the challenges we all face. We want leaders with vision who can bring together resources and people to address our common concerns. We look for inspiration, integrity, and purpose in our government officials.

To other observers, the more important need is better management. From this perspective, the key concern is effective and efficient delivery of government services. We need government officials who are skilled in the allocation and oversight of personnel and financial resources. We need effective managers who can implement and deliver the many services that we expect from government at the lowest possible cost.

In fact, both are needed. Rather than a dichotomy between leadership and management, we need public servants who can effectively operate in both realms. We need leader-managers who demonstrate leadership as well as management skills. We need individuals who can bring vision to their work as well as organize resources to effectively deliver services. We need public sector leaders who can inspire others to address the challenges we face, who can be effective managers to implement government policies, and who can do both with a high degree of competence and absolute integrity.

The focus in this book on the leader-manager—one who has both formidable leadership and management skills—is not the typical starting point in the academic literature. Scholars in this area most often note the differences between leadership and management. John Kotter, for example, describes leadership as “the development of vision and strategies, the alignment of relevant people behind those strategies, and the empowerment of individuals to make the vision happen, despite obstacles” (1999, 10). Leadership is about establishing direction for an organization, then bringing together, motivating, and inspiring people to move in that direction (Kotter 1990). In contrast, Kotter notes that management “involves keeping the current system operating through planning, budgeting, organizing, staffing, controlling, and problem solving” (1999, 10). Management skills work through hierarchy and systems, rather than the people and culture that characterize the area of leadership.

Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal present a similar perspective. A leader, they insist, must have the “power” of a “warrior” and the “passion” of a “wizard.” As a warrior, a leader must fight for an organization’s agenda by building a “power base of allies, resources, networks, and coalitions.” Leaders also are wizards who “bring imagination, insight, creativity, vision, meaning, and magic to the work of leadership.” In contrast, managers operate from an “analyst” and “caregiver” perspective. As analysts, managers highlight “rationality, analysis, logic, facts, and data” (2006, 21). As caregivers, managers focus on people, relationships, and collaboration.

While highlighting these differences, scholars also note that the same individual often is challenged to be both a leader and a manager. Kotter, for example, refers to the “manager/leader” who must try to exercise the skills of both. Roy Williams and Terrence Deal conclude that successful organizations “need to develop a new brand of manager-leader; we crave people who have both feet on the ground as well as a lofty vision of the future” (2003, 8). Elliot Jaques and Stephen Clement go a step further, arguing that a distinction between leadership and management is not productive. As they conclude, “all managers carry leadership accountability” (1991, 8). Montgomery Van Wart, in his review of leadership studies, takes a similar position, noting that one of the “enormous challenges of great leadership is the seamless blending of the more operational-managerial dimensions with the visionary leadership functions” (2005, 25).

We agree with Van Wart: public servants today are called upon to be both leaders and managers. To be certain, there are differences between leadership and management. Leadership, as Kotter and others note, typically involves a long-term horizon, while management implies a short-term perspective. Leadership is often cast at a general level of motivating followers, while management highlights the immediate tasks required to meet specific goals. Leadership focuses on building a vision for the future, while management emphasizes the use of resources to meet organizational goals.

To focus on differences, however, obscures the important point that leader-managers must be effective in both domains. Kim Belshé, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency and one of our leader-managers interviewed for this project, captured this critical point:

I see myself as a leader-manager. I view my role as being part leader and part manager. I work to find the reasonable and responsible middle ground between the two roles. It’s not all big vision and articulation of where we need to go, and it’s not all micromanagement. I have a responsibility to be clear as to where we need to go as an organization, but I also need to engage my staff colleagues in the “whys” that underpin our jobs as well as the “hows” of getting there. A leader-manager is someone who can lead the charge to advance the vision and goals.

One way to capture this perspective of a leader-manager is by a continuum, as in Figure 1.1, in which vertical lines at different points along the continuum indicate different combinations of leadership and management. On the left side of Figure 1.1 (at point A), for example, the combination leans to more leadership and less management. A leader-manager in this area would focus on key leadership tasks, such as developing the vision and direction for an organization or scanning the environment for long-term challenges. Managerial responsibilities continue, but the focus is on activities more commonly associated with leadership. In contrast, on the right side of Figure 1.1 (at point B), a leader-manager is more absorbed in the challenges of management. Directing the allocation of financial, personnel, and other resources to effectively implement a program might occupy most of a person’s time. Leadership skills are still tested, but the emphasis is on managerial challenges.

Leader-managers can lie on different points on this continuum, representing different combinations of leadership and management challenges. Some of this variation can be attributed to the organizational position held by a leader-manager. An agency secretary or department head, for example, is in a position that typically carries heavy leadership demands. In contrast, a position near the middle or bottom of the organization is likely to involve more management activities. In a public school system, for example, a superintendent is typically further to the left on the continuum than a principal would be. A superintendent is concerned with long-term policy issues, while a principal is immersed in managing and operating an individual school. Still, the superintendent, despite a focus on leadership, must be attentive to the management activities that move the school system forward, and the principal plays a leadership role at the school level to provide general direction and guidance for teachers and others in the school community.

Figure 1.1

The Leader-Manager Continuum

A leader-manager’s placement on the continuum can vary for other reasons as well. For example, in the early days of a new gubernatorial administration, top leader-managers may focus on the leadership challenges of charting a new direction for an agency. At a later point, the focus might shift to managerial and implementation challenges. Variation is possible also simply by the skills and inclinations of an individual. Some people are more inclined to focus on typical leadership issues, while others prefer managerial challenges. This might be true even for leader-managers holding the same position in an organization. One school principal, for example, might focus energy on broad leadership activities, such as developing parent and community support, while another principal devotes more time to developing a class schedule and other administrative matters.

In short, leader-managers are both leaders and managers, albeit in different and varying combinations. Indeed, at different times, the same individual might utilize a different package of leadership and management skills. At one stage the ability to present a long-term vision, often associated with leadership, might be most important, but at another point organizational skills, often associated with management, become more critical. The bottom line: to be successful, a leader-manager must be effective in both domains.

These distinctions between leadership and management are important to note, but this project has pointed us in a different direction that emphasizes the common practices that are inherent in both leadership and management. That is, while leadership and management cover some different ground, they are both built upon a set of similar strategies and practices. Both leaders and managers, for example, must foster collaboration and support among key constituencies inside and outside the organization. Lacking such support, success of any kind is doubtful. Both leaders and managers must build effective organizations that can harness the creative skills of those who work in the organization. Designing an effective organization is a key practice for a leader-manager seeking organizational success.

The remainder of this book is focused on six common practices that constitute the foundation for an effective leader-manager. These practices are drawn from our interviews with leader-managers as well as our own experiences. The six practices are:

• Picking and motivating your people—One of the most important tasks of a leader-manager is hiring and motivating staff. Leader-managers need to build a team and develop a common vision that will guide the organization. They need staff that understands the organization’s culture and environment. Leader-managers need to delegate to staff members while also mentoring them to achieve to their highest level.

• Walking around… listening … learning—Leader-managers need to spend time on the “factory floor” of the organization, learning about what makes the organization work and what can make it work better. They need to be excellent listeners, and they need to connect with their staff. They also need to take advantage of opportunities to learn more about their organization and the broader environment. Learning can take place in different venues, from informal conversations to formal coursework.

• Fostering collaboration and support—Building support for organizational goals among constituencies inside and outside the organization is critical to the success of a leader-manager. This requires effective communication that will foster relationships among key individuals and organizations. It requires consensus-building skills. Persistence and timing are important, along with understanding the self-interests of key collaborators.

• Building effective organizations—Leader-managers need to create organizations—and connections among organizations—that will support the achievement of goals. Lines of authority and communication within and across organizations play an important role in the effective delivery of services.

• Communicating with the public—Strategic communications with the public and other outside constituencies are important for an effective leader-manager. The media, in particular, play a key role in setting the public agenda. Strong and effective leader-managers will always face press criticism, but if they manage their media relations seriously and effectively, the media can become an ally in the achievement of organizational goals.

• Demonstrating character and integrity—Leader-managers are role models. Their words and actions exemplify success for others in the organization. The core values of leader-managers are important, as is their integrity in working with others inside and outside the organization.

Leader-managers face many challenges. Increasing public demands, which often conflict, combine with new technologies and an ever-changing social and economic environment to produce a complicated and often daunting agenda for public servants. To meet these challenges, leader-managers are needed who can develop the critical skills and competencies we have outlined. It is a career-long task, and mistakes will be made, but developing this skill set is critical for effective public servants at all levels of government.

The next chapter introduces seven leader-managers who demonstrate these key practices. The individuals we interviewed represent a range of experiences as leader-managers in the public sector. To these seven, we add our own experiences as additional examples of leader-managers. The chapters that follow provide details and examples of h...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• 1. Leading and Managing in the Public Sector: The Leader-Manager
• 2. Introducing Our Leader-Managers
• 3. Picking and Motivating Your People
• 4. Walking Around … Listening … Learning
• 5. Fostering Collaboration and Support
• 6. Building Effective Organizations
• 7. Communicating With the Public
• 8. Demonstrating Character and Integrity
• 9. Conclusion
• Interview Transcripts
• References
• Index
• About the Authors