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Talk:Leadership in Governance Series
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Part 1: Making the Case for Leadership Support
In late 2007, the Global Leadership Initiative (GLI) Research Project set out to register globally the importance of leadership support for improving governance and achieving development outcomes. The GLI Research Project is supported by a working group of donors including DfID, CIDA, The French Government, UNDP (BDP), and the World Bank. It documented projects and episodes of leadership support services in developing countries, and across different contexts to improve our understanding of how the services have made a difference, what has worked and why.
Leadership Matters
It takes strong leadership to sustain economic growth, reduce poverty and improve lives.
Political leaders must be able to envision the road ahead and inspire others to mobilize consensus and capital, engage and arouse their governments and other stakeholders to embrace change and deliver results that persistently prioritize the public good .Leadership matters most at critical stages of political and economic transitions: (i) in fragile or conflict-affected states, when populations’ needs are urgent, but government’s capacity to deliver is weak; (ii) in new governments where ambitions and expectations run high and visible results are key to maintaining momentum for change; and (iii) when major reforms require changes in leadership roles at all levels, as well as changes in attitudes, behaviors, practices and priorities.
Good leadership is vital for securing development. Important aspects of this include: accountability for a common vision committed to serving the public good over private gain; broad participation in the political process; the ability to inspire others to take responsibility and engage as leaders in their own right. Leadership support should strengthen these qualities, supporting change in both individuals and organizations.
There is no universal method for developing leadership qualities, such as selflessness, impartiality, competence and incorruptibility. Yet, external partners working with governments can help to strengthen leadership capacity at critical junctures in a political or economic transition and this can make a difference.
Leadership Support Services: What has Worked
The Global Leadership Initiative Research Project defines leadership as the process of intentionally mobilizing ideas, meaning, people and resources for a purpose. Good leadership then, is a means to an end rather than an end in itself. Most of the cases documented by the GLI describe a process of providing leaders or leadership teams with the tools and methods to help them achieve specific goals, such as improvements in service delivery, and new mechanisms and practices for greater transparency and accountability within governments.
Three aspects of leadership are taken into account for the study:
- Leaders: Policymakers and decision makers at political and operational levels of government and civil society (at local, sub-national, national, and global levels) who act as drivers/agents of change, individually and as members of groups.
- Dimensions of Leadership: (i) Vision: The ability to envision the way forward and convey this to others-- to inspire, motivate and mobilize others to achieve a shared vision; (ii) Effectiveness: Demonstrating a capacity to achieve results; and (iii) Integrity: A commitment to serve the public good and act with accountability.
- Leadership Support: Externally-supported interventions provided through different learning events that seek to enhance leadership among policy makers and decision makers in government and civil society to initiate and manage the process of change at critical junctures of a political or economic transition.
The study found that leadership support services vary depending on the capabilities sought by leaders in the context of their political and economic environments. Common approaches to delivery include: training, coaching, mentoring, technical advice, study tours, peer-to-peer learning exchanges, high-level consultations, workshops and action-learning approaches such as the rapid results approach.
For example in Afghanistan the challenge was to build up the strategic planning and decision making capabilities of the Civil Service at three levels: emerging professionals, senior professionals and top officials, to meet the targets of the government’s Leadership Development Strategy. Fifty top civil servants participated in a three-day highly interactive workshop to build up their capabilities for making strategic choices and managing change (supported by UNDP project). Evaluations indicate some progress was made in the workplace performance of the top ranking civil servants, but this has been largely overshadowed by the on-going situation of insecurity.
Ideally, participants emerge from leadership support interventions with new perspectives, attitudes and enhanced capabilities to lead the process of change. In Burundi, high-level leadership consultations and rapid results pilots were combined to enable political leaders, at national and sub-national levels, to gain practical command of results-based management principles through hands-on learning. Leaders that participated in the process are now better equipped to translate vision into action, to build confidence and teamwork and consensus for the way forward. Through one pilot 250,000 textbooks were delivered to rural schools in time for the first day of school, for the first time. Similar pilots have been formally endorsed by the Council of Ministers and scaled up across 11 other ministries. They have also been used to accelerate the work program and prioritize the key outcomes of Burundi’s Economic Governance for Reform Program.
Gaps remain in our understanding of how leadership support works in various circumstances, from both demand and supply perspectives. While there is demand for support from political leaders this has not always been well articulated, and consequently the response from external partners has at times been ad hoc or opportunistic. In the Burundi Leadership Training Program and a similar intervention in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a former US ambassador to the African Great Lakes region intervened with donor support to introduce interest-based negotiation with the hope of improving relationships and trust among key competing groups. Although well-meaning and well-executed, the programs have found it difficult to show concrete results. Similar approaches have been taken in East Timor and Papua New Guinea, with inconclusive results.
On the supply side, there is a need to learn more about leadership support activities in key service areas (e.g. coalition building, strategic communications, and building leadership networks). Few interventions conduct systematic needs assessments in the formulation phase and there is little in the way of systematic monitoring and evaluation throughout. More information is needed to improve our understanding of what leadership support services are most appropriate under what circumstances, and this will be the aim of the next phase of the research project. While more investigation and enquiry is needed to address these gaps, there are also some common threads apparent in the results of the first phase of research.
In the next issue we will explore critical lessons learned in the phase I of the GLI Project. UNDP/BDP/DGG is a member of the Working Group for the initiative. For additional query, please do not hesitate to contact Monjurul KABIR: Monjurul.kabir@undp.org, UNDP/DGG Focal Point for the GLI.
Bakhodur Eshonov, UNDP Uzbekistan (Part 1)
Dear colleagues,
This is a kind of reaction to Part one of the Global Leadership Initiative article: Making The Case for Leadership Support.
The theme of the role of leadership has been drawing more attention recently. One of the major statements of the recently launched “Growth Report” by so called Growth Commission is particularly related to the role of leadership.
There are growing debates around some conventional approached for economic reform/policies in developing countries (and these debates have activated within the context of the current financial crisis and the measures being undertaken by governments in developed states). The debates seem to involve on a greater extend the issues related to the role of state, governance and leadership. We are talking more and more about political economy of modernization of state, nation, society, economy. The presentation of the leading author of the Growth Commission Report Mr.Spence provides with some intriguing findings:
http://www.growthcommission.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=96&Itemid=169
The issue is particularly important for the countries in our regions with comparatively young states, nations and governments. The issues of governance and leadership comes at the front of the national development agenda particularly i) since the immediate problems with economic decline of 90th have been overcome, and ii) a new generation is expected to replace “soviet/post-soviet” leaders (for better or worse) . Plus major transformation of social stratification (including unavoidable urbanization) will be linked to changes in the patters on governance institutions.
I wish we could benefit from this global initiative, and hope as well, that at some point we would be able to come with our inputs into these global debates (as we are also thinking now on a number if dimensions related to this issue, particularly related to urbanization).
Best,
Bakhodur Eshonov,
Project Manager, Support to Reform Process in Uzbekistan
Kumlachew Aberra, UNDP Afghanistan
I am a glad to see the picture of one of the training sessions of our Emergent Leadership Programme (ELP) training was selected to reflect the broader initiatives that are underway to enhance leadership at different levels.Thank you for recognizing the efforts that are underway in Afghanistan to build leadership capacity, and the little progress made in spite of the difficult security environment. I look forward to your next issues of Leadership and Innovation in Governance series to learn more about lessons and experiences.
Please note that the CSLD project is the UNDP project that supports the Government of Afghanistan to implement its Civil Service Leadership Strategy. The project has been in operation since May 2005. So far nearly 500 senior civil servants have participated in three streams of leadership training programmes. These three streams are Top Leadership Programme (TLP), Senior Leadership Programme (SLP) and Emergent Leadership Programme (ELP). The durations of each stream of training were:
TLP – 3 weeks, conducted overseas; about 50 participants
SLP and ELP – 4 weeks, divided into four separate workshops to allow participants to implement the lessons learned in their working environment. Close to 450 participants took part in these two streams.
All the detailed information is available in our 2007 Annual Project Report. The picture I mentioned above was the cover picture of that report.
I thought it would be good to bring this to your attention.
Best Regards,
Kumlachew Aberra
Part 2: Maximizing the Impact of Leadership Support Interventions
In late 2007, the Global Leadership Initiative (GLI) Research Project set out to register globally the importance of leadership support for improving governance and achieving development outcomes. The GLI Research Project is supported by a working group of donors including DfID, CIDA, The French Government, UNDP (BDP and BCPR), and the World Bank. It documented projects and episodes of leadership support services in developing countries, and across different contexts to improve our understanding of how the services have made a difference, what has worked and why.
The study suggests that successful leadership support services share the following characteristics:
1. A high level of customization in response to the socio-political context: There is no one size fits all approach to leadership, and the same holds true for leadership support. While various approaches to delivery such as workshops, coaching, and mentoring are used interchangeably, the capabilities and competencies sought by developing country partners determine the content of the interventions. In the Philippines, support from advisors in managing the politics of change enabled leadership teams in the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to engage constituencies and build a wide base of consensus for government-wide procurement reform. Technical advisors in procurement reform and others who were skilled in the process of implementing policy change built legitimacy for reform with tools that offered support to strategic communications and political advocacy and raised awareness, mobilized public support to help build coalitions within government and civil society around the need for greater transparency and accountability and integrity in government.
2. A clear results orientation: Leadership support interventions that link expected learning outcomes to higher level development objectives are more likely to achieve measureable results. Rapid-results pilots in Burundi, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Sierra Leone, and Yemen have helped leadership teams set goals and priorities, mobilize consensus, engage and inspire their governments to implement change and deliver on promised results.
Consider the case of Kenya. In 2003 when the new government launched the Economic Recovery Strategy on Employment and Wealth Creation (ERS) 2003-2007 in an effort to deliver on campaign promises, improvement in service delivery was an urgent priority. Participants of rapid-results pilots found that by achieving the incremental goals aligned and derived from the Economic Recovery Strategy, the results on the ground became a leading indicator of a deeper aspiration—namely, to enhance capacity in the ministries/departments for making change happen.
3. Support from high-level champions: The importance of political leadership in committing to and driving change is paramount. The link between leaders and results is powerful and reciprocal. Political leaders gain credibility and legitimacy, and valuable political capital when they are able to produce visible and meaningful results quickly. At the same time political leaders play a central role in institutional and state formation, reform and sustainable good governance.
For example, when Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance (MOF) saw the urgent need for an integrated financial management information system (IFMIS) in the early 1990s, one Vice Minister stepped forward to champion the cause. With support from donors the leadership team honed the technical, managerial, and change management skills of other stakeholders and together they built up the legitimacy and momentum of the reform effort and mobilized resources within the agency and more broadly. Information technology advisors and advisors on the process of institutional change brought tools and methodologies to keep the process on track. New coalitions were built and eventually, the Prime Minister backed the proposal. Once fully operational, the IFMIS will improve and integrate core treasury, budget management and other financial functions.
In another example, Rwanda’s local mayors enter into a performance contract (known as Imihigo) with the President to formalize their relationship of responsibility and accountability for reforms and improvements in service delivery at the local level. In 2003 in Sierra Leone, the President sought to decentralize budgetary and decision-making authority and rekindle local government traditions to gain legitimacy for his new government. The use of rapid-results pilots helped local government officials better understand their leadership role in implementing improvements in service delivery and this moved local government leaders to work harder, creating a virtuous cycle of learning, results, and innovation.
4. A multi-faceted and interactive approach: Regardless of the context or entry point, a high degree of interaction with a combination of approaches is important for success. A good example of this is the World Bank-supported Leadership and Management Program in Madagascar (2003). The program grew out of an effort to meet the diverse needs of the President’s leadership team. High-level consultations introduced the Cabinet to the President’s vision of a results-oriented government and rapid-results pilots helped articulate and cascade the results framework throughout the government from the ministries to the Chef de Region down to the mayors—creating ownership, fostering consensus and teamwork for the Government’s vision—and its annualized plan known as the Madagascar Action Plan. Over time the program developed into an integrated approach to leadership support, incorporating a broad range of services which addressed both personal and professional aspects of leadership. It included off-site training in public management, a self-management seminar on the art of living, and coaching in transformational leadership through intensive adaptive leadership training/coaching, cabinet retreats and rapid-results pilot projects.
5. A broad-based approach to inclusive development: Recognizing that it takes multiple champions at multiple levels to drive change and achieve sustainable results, participatory approaches to stakeholder engagement are often an important element of leadership support. A number of leadership support programs target leaders from across society including government, the private sector, and civil society to build broad networks of leadership. Examples include: UNDP’s Global HIV/AIDS Leadership Development Program, the Aspen Institutes, Nigerian Leadership and African Leadership Initiatives, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ (WWICS) Leadership Training Programs in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and The Club de Madrid’s African Women’s Leadership Project, which aimed to strengthen the role of women in political leadership in Sierra Leone and build confidence in women leaders. These programs focus on building leadership and collaborative capacity, and networks of change agents, and are based on the premise that collaborative capacity and relationship building cannot be taught in a classroom, but must be experienced first hand to make a difference.
6. Clear negotiation spaces in which agents of change can build support and consensus: A new mayor in La Paz, Bolivia (1985) championed the financial turnaround and the fight against corruption with donor support—helping to mobilize resources and technical expertise to drive the reform process forward. Within three years of taking office, the city’s revenues increased by more than 300 percent, investment in the capital city increased by nearly 800 percent. A key element of this success was the leadership team’s ability to create clear negotiation spaces in which agents of change could build support and consensus. Coalitions were built with the involvement of city workers in the diagnostic process, growing a cadre of outstanding young professionals, and drawing on peer advisors from Curitiba, Brazil (a centre of good practice in municipal management). Today the former mayor of La Paz shares the lessons of his experience with municipal leadership from around the world through the on-line, “Corrupt Cities” multimedia learning program on leadership and integrity.
Impact of leadership support interventions is maximized when policies, incentives and organizational arrangements support the developing country partner’s agenda for change, and when interventions are well timed and respond to a clearly articulated demand.
Seeking to transform Kenya’s Parliament into a more effective agent of reform—better equipped to hold the President accountable—opposition Members of Parliament requested donor support for the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) to strengthen the representative, legislative and oversight functions of the committee system. Kenya’s Parliamentary Strengthening Program (2002) provided workshops and study tours to raise awareness about the budget process, leading to an increase in oversight, greater scrutiny of public expenditure and a measurable increase in the number of amendments proposed by committees and ratified by Parliament.
Several factors contribute to the sustainability and institutionalization of gains from leadership support:
• Successful pilots are scaled up across government functions
• Institutional constraints are identified within projects and then addressed at the institutional level, so the benefits are more broad-reaching.
• Small scale successes are widely communicated to unleash a demonstration effect.
• Good practices are disseminated throughout government.
Leadership is about using authority and power to challenge political and operational constraints, understanding the drivers of change and engaging the right levers at the right time to overcome obstacles and let change happen. Once governments embrace a program of change and reform, leadership support services can assist teams in realizing their goals by delivering results.
UNDP/BDP/DGG is a member of the Working Group for the Global Leadership Initiative. For additional queries and information, please do not hesitate to contact Monjurul KABIR at Monjurul.kabir@undp.org, UNDP/DGG Focal Point for the Global Leadership Initiative.
