Effectively Leading Public Agencies in a Global Environment

第 1 頁, 共 14 頁 Effectively Leading Public Agencies in a Global Environment Robert C. Myrtle 1 If there is one word that characterizes the last two decades it is Globalization. Yet as Shaw (1997) notes that while globalization has a history that is many centuries long it is only recently that attention been focused on globalization its impact on societies and social organizations. Even so, globalization with increased pressures from global institutions like the WTO, IMF and the World Bank for improved governance and transparency; multinational organizations for more efficient and effective provision of public goods and services; and, information technology which provide citizens with information about government performance in other societies, has brought about demands for new skills and new responsibilities for effective public management (Farazmand, 1999; Welch and Wong, 1998, Nalbandian, 1999). Kettl (2001) notes that these forces have created a situation where many governments do not have the right people in the right places with the right skills to manage. Nalbandian (1999) notes that over the last ten years public managers have experienced changes in their current management and leadership roles and responsibilities to include those community building and enablers of democracy. Added to these roles and responsibilities are what Armistead and Pettigrew (2004) describe as guardians of purpose and what Vogelsang-Coombs and Miller (1999) 1 Director, Executive Master of Leadership Program, Professor of Public Administration, USC Price School of Public Policy, and Professor of Gerontology, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California. 1

第 2 頁, 共 14 頁 describe as public administration s responsibilities for the development of local elected leaders awareness and commitment to the knowledge and leadership skills related to a democratic political system. The challenge, as Tolchin (1996) notes is for public managers to ensure a nation s global competitiveness in this increasingly dynamic and transforming environment. Kettl (2001) suggests that in this dynamic environment the challenge is to devise new tactics to manage and administer programs and policies that involve non-governmental partners in the delivery of effective and efficient public services. Armistead and Pettigrew (2004) note that leaders and leadership systems in these competitive environments must be skilled in promoting mutual goals, removing barriers that impede the achievement of these goals and challenging conventional wisdom that leads to inertia and inaction. They note that leaders who are successful in doing so will have increased trust, will be empowered to act in the best interests of the organization and its partners and will lead through the framework of distributed leadership. Skills and Competencies of Global Leaders Alldredge and Nilan (2000) note that the transformational forces impacting on organizations place a premium on the ability of leaders to unleash the skills and the contributions of employees. At the same time these structural changes have placed a premium on the skills and competencies leaders need to influence the performance of their organizations. For many organizations there is an increasing shortage of leaders with global mindsets and cross-cultural leadership abilities (Javidan, Dorfman, de Luque, and House, 2006). 2

第 3 頁, 共 14 頁 But what are the skills and competencies needed to be successful in a global environment? In an effort to find out, the GLOBE Project embarked on one of the most ambitious studies of global leadership (Javidan et al, 2006). Working over ten years, 170 researchers studied the cultural values and leadership practices from over 17,000 managers in 62 different societal cultures. When the analyses were completed, 21 primary leadership characteristics, behaviors and traits were identified. These were further reduced to six global leadership dimensions. These dimensions are depicted in Table 1. Table 1: GLOBE Core Leadership Dimensions Charismatic/Value-Based: the ability to inspire, motivate and expect high performance outcomes based on core beliefs and values. Team-Oriented: the emphasis placed on effective team-building and the implementation of a common purpose among team members. Self-Protective: A focus on the safety and security of the manager. Participative: the degree to which managers involve others in the making and implementation of decisions. Humane-Oriented: the degree of emphasis on supportive and considerate behaviors. Autonomous: the degree to which the manager focuses on individualistic and independent action. 3

第 4 頁, 共 14 頁 The Views of Taiwan and American Public Sector Managers on the Competencies for Effective Global Leadership As important as the GLOBE study was, no differentiation was made between public, nonprofit, and private sector managers. To examine whether public sector managers placed different emphases on the traits, behaviors or competencies associated with leader effectiveness, a 35-item questionnaire drawn from the survey used in the GLOBE study was created. An English only version of the questionnaire was administered to alumni and current students pursuing an executive master degree on leadership (USC, 2011). A second version, with English and Mandarin translations, was included as part of the online registration process for the Sharing Sessions of the Take-Off Program 100, sponsored by the National Academy of Civil Service. Both surveys were completed through an online website made available to both groups of participants. Sixty Taiwanese and eighty-five American leaders of public sector organizations offered their assessments of the traits, behaviors and characteristics that were associated with a person being an outstanding leader. Overall, as noted in Table 2, Taiwanese and American public sector managers shared similar views of the factors that contribute to a person being a highly effective leader. Although there were no statistically significant differences between the demographic characteristics of the two groups, the Taiwanese managers were slightly older and had slightly more respondents who were female. Only two dimensions, Self-Protective and Participative demonstrated any statistically significant differences. Although the average scores were low, Taiwanese managers rated Self-Protective behaviors slightly higher as a factor 4

第 5 頁, 共 14 頁 contributing to a person being an outstanding leader. At the same time, Taiwanese managers rated Participative behaviors as a factor contributing to being an outstanding leader, slightly higher than their American counterparts. Table 2: Taiwan and American Public Managers Assessments of the Characteristics that Contribute to Being an Outstanding Public Sector Leader 7 Point Scale 7 Contributes Greatly to being an Outstanding Leader 1 Greatly inhibits being an Outstanding Leader These patterns are consistent with those reported by Javidan et al. (2006) with two exceptions. In their research Anglo managers valued Charismatic/Value-Based, Team Oriented, Participative, and Humane-Oriented behaviors slightly more than Confucian Asian managers. On the other hand, Confucian Asian managers indicated that Autonomous and Self-Protective behaviors were more likely to be associated with highly effective managers. However both mean scores were relatively low with Autonomous having a score of 4.04 compared to the Anglo managers score of 3.82 and the Confucian Asia managers Self-Protective score of 3.72 was slightly higher than the Anglo managers score of 3.08. 5

第 6 頁, 共 14 頁 Developing the Skills, Behaviors and Competencies for Effective Leadership in a Global Environment by Public Managers Conner (2000) points out that developing potential global leaders requires organizations and individuals to be much more proactive in developing careers. Dodge (1993) notes that approximately 50 percent of learning takes place through work experience, with 30 percent being influenced by interpersonal interactions with supervisors, subordinates, peers and professional contacts. Only 20 percent occurs through formal education and training. Hence developing leaders with a global mindset requires both an organizational strategy for developing high potential managers and an individual strategy focused on taking charge of your career to develop the experiences, the mentoring and the competencies necessary to excel in this globally dynamic environment. In Taiwan, the Civil Service Protection and Training Commission, through the Take-Off Program 100, has taken an important step in providing public sector managers with experiences in an international setting. As important as these experiences are, they can only represent a small part of the developmental processes necessary to become more global in orientation. Chen et al. (2011) point out that the traditional view of careers is changing from one that is organizationally focused to one that is individually created, managed and changed. As a consequence, managers and leaders need to be more proactive in the management of their careers. Doing so requires managers to take charge of their careers, and the first place to begin is to develop your own career plan. Doing so requires consideration to the following areas: 1. Your strongest work related competencies; 6

第 7 頁, 共 14 頁 2. Gaps between what your current or future leadership role demands and your competencies in these areas; 3. Competencies you need to develop; 4. Actions to obtain the education and experience to grow your career in the direction you wish, and; 5. The identification of short-term and long-term career options. How can you become a better leader in a Global Environment? The assessment inventory in Appendix 1 can provide you with insights that can help you in this process. However, do not rely only on your assessment. Have others who know you, who you respect and can trust to provide you with candid feedback, complete this assessment. Then combine the results and look for areas of agreement as well as areas where there is a lack of agreement. Seek out clarification of the areas where there is disagreement and reflect on what you learn not only from what others perceive as your strengths and areas to develop but why different people noted different competencies. These then can become the outline of a career development plan. Test the outline of your plan with your mentors and others whose insights on developing one s career have been useful in the past and then make the necessary adjustments and modifications. Pick three areas that you will work on over the next six to twelve months and periodically evaluate your progress. By taking charge of your career, you make proactive decisions on how best to use your talent and your passions to craft a series of work experiences that bring out the best in you and perhaps even the people that work for you. 7

The Building Blocks of Global Leadership 第 8 頁, 共 14 頁 The foundation upon which all leadership is based is Knowing One s Self. The assessment inventory can provide some initial insights into what others see as your competencies. While this is useful, multiple assessments are essential. Self-assessment inventories, active reflection on critical events affecting your current and past job performance, and the development of several mentor relationships can expand your insights into your unique and valuable abilities. Of course, all work activity takes place in an organizational context so knowing those who work for you, their strengths, their aspirations, the challenges they seek and the activities you can undertake to help them be more effective in their roles is essential. Successful managers and leaders are recognized by the effectiveness of the people who work for them. In the final analysis you will only be as effective as your least effective worker will allow you to be. Investing time and energy into helping those who affect your success become more successful will pay dividends in the long run. One of the biggest weaknesses of many managers is not knowing how their work and the work of their departments contributes to the overall success of the organization. Knowing your organization and the people in different parts of the organization that has an impact on how well you and your team performs is critical to your success. Kotter (1990) notes that really effective leaders build a network of relationships with people in other parts of the organization and, as appropriate, uses these relationships to help ensure that they provide the support their organization needs to do its job. Lastly, to be effective in a global environment, leaders need to know the world around them and how changes in the economic, 8

第 9 頁, 共 14 頁 social, political, and technological contexts may impact their country, their organization and the work of their department and how these changes influence the keys for succeeding in this globally and interconnected and interdependent environment. The assessment inventory in Appendix 1 can offer insights into your competencies and development needs in these four areas. Some Concluding Comments Jokinen (2005) notes that while there has been increased recognition of the need to develop leaders with the competencies to be effective in a global environment, there still exists a significant gap in addressing these needs. She notes that the fundamental competencies associates with those who are effective global leaders are self-awareness, engagement in personal transformation, and inquisitiveness. They have the necessary social skills needed to get the work done through other people and to move people in the desired direction. However, without an appreciation of cultural differences, the ability to manage diversity, and the ability create a culture that transcends cultural differences and the designing of motivational structures that are complementary to the cultural contexts of the workers, effective leadership is not likely to emerge. One of the keys is to recognize that personal experience is one of the most important factors in the development of leaders who are able to succeed in an increasingly globally diverse environment. As such, managers need to be exposed to and provided experiences working in international contexts or through participation in cross-cultural teams or task forces. For as Jokinen (2005) concludes, much of individual development involves learning new things, as well 9

第 10 頁, 共 14 頁 as developing new skills and knowledge. A missing link in this process is the development of global leadership competencies through experiences that may not be made available by remaining in the domestic setting. 10

References T&D 飛 訊 第 137 期 發 行 日 期 :101 年 02 月 16 日 第 11 頁, 共 14 頁 Margaret E. Alldredge and Kevin J. Nilan, 2000, 3M s Leadership Competency Model: An Internally Developed Solution, Human Resource Management, 39(2&3): 133-145. Colin Armistead, and Paul Pettigrew, 2004, Effective Partnerships: Building a Sub-Regional Network of Reflective Practitioners, The International Journal of Public Sector Management, 17 (6/7):571-585. Duan R. Chen, Robert C. Myrtle, Caroline Liu, and Daniel Fahey, 2011, Job and Career Influences on the Career Commitment of Health Care Executives: The Mediating Effects of Job Satisfaction, the Journal of Health Care Organization and Management, 25(6): 693-710. Jill Conner, 2000, Developing the Global Leaders of Tomorrow, Human Resource Management, 39(2&3): 146-157. Bruce Dodge, 1993, Empowerment and the Evolution of Learning: Part Two, Education and Training, 35(5): 3-10. Executive Master of Leadership degree, Sol Price School of Public Policy (http://www.usc.edu/schools/price/programs/masters/eml/) accessed December 29, 2011. Ali Farazmand, 1999, Globalization and Public Administration, Public Administration Review, 59(6): 509-522. Mansour Javidan, Peter W. Dorfman, Mary Sully de Luque, and Robert J. House, 2006, Cross Cultural Lessons in Leadership from Project GLOBE, Academy of Management Perpective, 20(1): 67-90. Tiina Jokinen, 2005, Global Leadership Competencies: A Review and Discussion, Journal of European Industrial Training, 29(3):199-216. 11

第 12 頁, 共 14 頁 Donald F. Kettl, 2001, The Transformation of Governance and Public Affairs Education, Journal of Public Affairs Education, 7 (4): 213-217. John L Kotter, 1990, What Leaders Really Do, Harvard Business Review, 68 (3): 103-111. John Nalbanian, 1999, Facilitating Community, Enabling Democracy: New Roles for Local Government Managers, Public Administration Review, 31(1): 187-197. Martin Shaw, 1997, The State of Globalization: Towards a Theory of State Transformation, Review of International Political Economy, 4(3): 497-513. Susan J. Tolchin, 1996, The Globalist from Nowhere: Making Governance Competitive in the International Environment, Public Administration Review, 56(1): 1-8. Vera Vogelsang-Coombs and Melissa Miller, 1999, Developing the Governance Capacity of Local Elected Officials, Public Administration Review, 59(3): 199-217. Eric Welch, and Wilson Wong, 1998, Public Administration in a Global Context: Bridging the Gaps of Theory and Practice Between Western and Non-Western Nations, Public Administration Review, 58(1): 40-49. 12

T&D 飛 訊 第 137 期 發 行 日 期 :101 年 02 月 16 日 第 13 頁, 共 14 頁 Appendix 1: Leadership in a Global Environment Competency Assessment Inventory Leadership Dimension Not a Strength Sufficient A Strength 1 Awareness of trends long before they impact the organization. 2 Ability to explain organization s purpose to a stranger. 3 Knowledge of the most important concern of each person I lead. 4 I regularly seek feedback about myself from others. 5 I spend time getting to know each person I lead. 6 7 I have a broad network of contacts that provides me with information on emerging trends affecting the organization. People say I am passionate when I talk to others about my organization. 13

T&D 飛 訊 第 137 期 發 行 日 期 :101 年 02 月 16 日 第 14 頁, 共 14 頁 8 I know my weaknesses. 9 I can explain how my organizations capabilities differ from other similar organizations. 10 I am actively working on improving one aspect of myself. 11 I know how each group in the organization affects the work of other groups. 12 I could list the top capabilities of every person I lead. 13 I scan the environment for developments that could pose a risk or threat to my organization 14 I know what people spend most of their time on. Assessment Key: Questions 4, 8 and 10 offer insights into Knowing One s Self ; Questions 3, 5, 12 and 14 offer insights into Knowing Your People ; Questions 2, 7, 9 and 11 offer insights into Knowing Your Organization ; Questions 1, 6, and 13 offer insights into Knowing the World. 14