Abstract
Bromell asks: Who do I need to be and become, and how do I need to behave, to work well in public life with people who want and value different things? This introductory chapter sets out the challenge of public leadership when working with diverse publics. It distinguishes between leaders and leadership and summarises some recent thinking about public leadership and New Public Management/New Public Governance managerialism in public administration. Bromell welcomes a recent shift of focus in public policy education from training analysts to cultivating leadership, introduces the use of competencies and competency frameworks, and proposes to draw on political theory and social ethics to frame a limited set of interpersonal competencies (soft skills) as ethical competencies (hard soft skills) for public leadership in contexts of pluralism.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
Section 4.1 explores how the West came, through conflict and violence, to respect individual liberty in the political management of difference, specifically religious difference.
- 2.
- 3.
Within political liberalism, there are, of course, debates about how best to manage diversity, particularly ethno-cultural diversity. Five basic models are: nationalism; assimilationism; liberal pluralism (“the melting pot”); integration; and multiculturalism (“the tossed salad”). See further Levey (2007) and Kukathas (2012). Some theorists distinguish multiculturalism from interculturalism, but as Levey (2012) shows, this is a distinction without a difference.
- 4.
- 5.
- 6.
On June 26, 2019, the New Zealand Government announced wide-ranging reforms to unify the public service, with legislation to be introduced to repeal the State Sector Act 1988 and replace it with a new Public Service Act.
- 7.
On leadership and public value theory, see especially Moore (1995, 2013), Bozeman (2007), Bozeman and Johnson (2015), Meynhardt (2009), Benington (2015), Bryson, Crosby, and Bloomberg (2014), Bryson, Crosby, and Bloomberg (2015), Crosby, ‘t Hart, and Torfing (2017), Hartley, Alford, and Hughes (2015), Van Quaquebeke, Graf, Kerschreiter, Schuh, and van Dick (2014) and Crosby and Bryson (2005).
- 8.
Cf. Bass and Steidlmeier (1999), who suggested that the ethics of leadership rests on three pillars: “(1) the moral character of the leader; (2) the ethical legitimacy of the values embedded in the leaders [sic.] vision, articulation, and program which followers either embrace or reject; and (3) the morality of the processes of social ethical choice and action that leaders and followers engage in and collectively pursue” (p. 182).
- 9.
On Fukuyama’s proposal, see further Sect. 6.2.1.1.
- 10.
Examples of how interpersonal competencies are being incorporated into public policy education include the public policy and public/global leadership programmes at Fukuyama’s own Stanford University (Stanford University, n.d.), the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (Harvard Kennedy School, 2018), the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan (University of Michigan, 2011), Herzing College, Canada (Herzing College, 2017), and the Australia New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG, 2018).
- 11.
Competency or capabilities frameworks do not necessarily imply or require individualistic or “heroic” models of leadership. They need not focus on individual leader development at the expense of leadership as a distributed relational process. See further Bolden and Gosling (2006).
- 12.
On competencies and public service, see further Cooper (1987), Ellström (1997), Virtanen (2000), Bowman, West, Berman, and Van Wart (2016), Macaulay and Lawton (2006). New Zealand’s Policy Project, an initiative of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, has developed a “policy skills framework” (DPMC, 2019; Washington & Mintrom, 2018). While oriented towards policy analysis and advice of the more traditional, economics-dominated sort, it does include competencies in engagement and collaboration, agility and political savvy.
- 13.
Macaulay (2009) argues that while ethical public leadership may start with codes of professional standards and ethics, it does not end there: “Compliance mechanisms such as codes of conduct may certainly help administrators behave in an ethical manner (or at least in a manner preconceived as ethical by the people who instituted the compliance mechanisms), but this will not necessarily make anybody make moral choices” (p. 34). See also Macaulay and Arjoon (2013).
- 14.
Macaulay and Lawton (2006, p. 702) note a convergence between virtues and competencies: “Competencies embody certain virtues, whereas virtues require competence in order to successfully implement them.” Virtues, they argue, must have a fundamentally practical application and be publicly demonstrated and measured, or they are effectively meaningless (p. 708).
- 15.
See, for example, Peterson and Seligman (2004), who classify 24 specific strengths under six broad virtues that consistently emerge across history and culture: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance and transcendence.
- 16.
By “seeing”, Jackson and Parry include watching movies and TV shows that illustrate effective and ineffective leadership. “Seeing” also involves observation of others’ leadership.
References
Albertazzi, D., & McDonnell, D. (2008). Introduction: The sceptre and the spectre. In D. Albertazzi & D. McDonnell (Eds.), Twenty-first century populism: The spectre of Western European democracy (pp. 1–11). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
ANZSOG. (2018). Towards strategic leadership. Australia New Zealand School of Government. Accessed June 5, 2019, from https://www.anzsog.edu.au/education-events/towards-strategic-leadership
Bass, B., & Steidlmeier, P. (1999). Ethics, character, and authentic transformational leadership behaviour. Leadership Quarterly, 10(2), 181–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(99)00016-8
Benington, J. (2015). Public value as a contested democratic practice. In J. Bryson, B. Crosby, & L. Bloomberg (Eds.), Creating public value in practice (pp. 29–48). New York: Taylor and Francis.
Bolden, R., & Gosling, J. (2006). Leadership competencies: Time to change the tune? Leadership, 2(2), 147–163. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715006062932
Bowman, J., West, J., Berman, E., & Van Wart, M. (2016). The professional edge: Competencies in public service. Abingdon: Routledge.
Bozeman, B. (2007). Public values and public interest: Counterbalancing economic individualism. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Bozeman, B., & Johnson, J. (2015). The political economy of public values: A case for the public sphere and progressive opportunity. The American Review of Public Administration, 45(1), 61–85. https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074014532826
Bromell, D. (2010). The public servant as analyst, advisor, and advocate. In J. Boston, A. Bradstock, & D. Eng (Eds.), Public policy: Why ethics matters (pp. 55–78). Canberra: ANU E Press.
Bromell, D. (2017). The art and craft of policy advising: A practical guide. Cham: Springer.
Bryson, J., Crosby, B., & Bloomberg, L. (2014). Public value governance: Moving beyond traditional public administration and the New Public Management. Public Administration Review, 74(4), 445–456. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12238
Bryson, J., Crosby, B., & Bloomberg, L. (Eds.). (2015). Public value and public administration. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Burns, J. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper & Row.
Burns, J. (2003). Transforming leadership: A new pursuit of happiness. New York: Grove Press.
Ciulla, J. (2005). The state of leadership ethics and the work that lies ahead. Business Ethics: A European Review, 14(4), 323–335. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8608.2005.00414.x
Collins English Dictionary. (2012). Soft skills (digital ed.). Accessed June 5, 2019, from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/soft-skills
Cooper, T. (1987). Hierarchy, virtue, and the practice of public administration: A perspective for normative ethics. Public Administration Review, 47(4), 320–328. https://doi.org/10.2307/975312
Crosby, B., & Bryson, J. (2005). Leadership for the common good: Tackling public problems in a shared-power world. San Francisco, CA: Wiley.
Crosby, B., & Bryson, J. (2010). Integrative leadership and the creation and maintenance of cross-sector collaborations. The Leadership Quarterly, 21(2), 211–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2010.01.003
Crosby, B., & Bryson, J. (2018). Why leadership of public leadership research matters: And what to do about it. Public Management Review, 20(9), 1265–1286. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2017.1348731
Crosby, B., ‘t Hart, P., & Torfing, J. (2017). Public value creation through collaborative innovation. Public Management Review, 19(5), 655–669. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2016.1192165
Currie, G., Grubnic, S., & Hodges, R. (2011). Leadership in public services networks: Antecedents, process and outcome. Public Administration, 89(2), 242–264. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.2011.01931.x
Currie, G., & Lockett, A. (2011). Distributing leadership in health and social care: Concertive, conjoint or collective? International Journal of Management Reviews, 13(3), 286–300. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2370.2011.00308.x
DPMC. (2019). Policy skills framework. Wellington, NZ: Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Accessed June 5, 2019, from https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/policy-skills-framework-january-2019
du Gay, P., Salaman, G., & Rees, B. (1996). The conduct of management and the management of conduct: Contemporary managerial discourse and the constitution of the “competent” manager. Journal of Management Studies, 33(3), 263–282. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.1996.tb00802.x
Dunleavy, P., & Hood, C. (1994). From old public administration to New Public Management. Public Money and Management, 14(3), 9–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540969409387823
Ellström, P.-E. (1997). The many meanings of occupational competence and qualification. Journal of European Industrial Training, 21(6), 266–273. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090599710171567
Finch-Lees, T., Mabey, C., & Liefooghe, A. (2005). “In the name of capability”: A critical discursive evaluation of competency-based management development. Human Relations, 58(9), 1185–1222. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726705059121
Fukuyama, F. (2018a). Identity: Contemporary identity politics and the struggle for recognition. London: Profile Books.
Fukuyama, F. (2018b, August 1). What’s wrong with public policy education. In The American Interest. Accessed June 5, 2019, from https://www.the-american-interest.com/2018/08/01/whats-wrong-with-public-policy-education/
Fund for Peace. (2018). Fragile states index 2018. Accessed June 5, 2019, from http://fundforpeace.org/fsi/
Gill, D. (Ed.). (2011). The iron cage recreated: The performance management of state organisations in New Zealand. Wellington, NZ: Institute of Policy Studies, Victoria University of Wellington.
Grint, K. (2005). Leadership: Limits and possibilities. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Gronn, P. (2002). Distributed leadership as a unit of analysis. The Leadership Quarterly, 13(4), 423–451. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(02)00120-0
Hartley, J. (2018). Ten propositions about public leadership. International Journal of Public Leadership, 14(4), 202–217. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPL-09-2018-0048
Hartley, J., Alford, J., & Hughes, O. (2015). Political astuteness as an aid to discerning and creating public value. In J. Bryson, B. Crosby, & L. Bloomberg (Eds.), Public value and public administration (pp. 25–38). Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Harvard Kennedy School. (2018). About us. Accessed June 5, 2019, from https://www.hks.harvard.edu/more/about
Herzing College. (2017, September 13). Becoming a public policy analyst: Five key skills to succeed in policy leadership. Accessed June 5, 2019, from https://blog.herzing.ca/becoming-a-public-policy-analyst-5-key-skills
Holt, J., & Perry, S. (2011). A pragmatic guide to competency tools, frameworks and assessment. Swindon: British Informatics Society.
Hood, C. (1991). A public management for all seasons? Public Administration, 69, 3–19.
IPANZ. (2018). The future public servant in New Zealand: A discussion paper. Wellington, NZ: Institute of Public Administration New Zealand. Accessed June 5, 2019, from https://ipanz.org.nz/Article?Action=View&Article_id=150131
Jackson, B., & Parry, K. (2018). A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about studying leadership (3rd ed.). London: Sage.
James, P. (2006). Globalism, nationalism, tribalism: Bringing theory back in. London: Sage.
Jones, R. (2015). Leadership. Accessed March 3, 2019 from https://www.nzcpr.com/leadership/
Klikauer, T. (2015). What is managerialism? Critical Sociology, 41(7–8), 1103–1119. https://doi.org/10.1177/0896920513501351
Kruger, J., & Dunning, D. (1999). Unskilled and unaware of it: How difficulties in recognizing one’s own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(6), 1121–1134. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.77.6.1121
Kukathas, C. (2012). Anarcho-multiculturalism: The pure theory of liberalism. In G. Levey (Ed.), Political theory and Australian multiculturalism (pp. 29–43). New York: Berghahn Books.
Larbi, G. (2003). Overview of public sector management reform. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, Discussion Paper 112–1999, updated 2003. Accessed June 5, 2019, from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTROADSHIGHWAYS/Resources/338993-1115316483571/3-public_sector_mgmnt_reform.pdf
Lawton, A., & Macaulay, M. (2009). Ethics management and ethical management. In R. Cox (Ed.), Ethics and integrity in public administration: Concepts and cases (pp. 107–119). Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.
Levey, G. (2007). The antidote of multiculturalism. Griffith Review, 15. Accessed June 5, 2019, from https://griffithreview.com/articles/the-antidote-of-multiculturalism/
Levey, G. (2012). Interculturalism vs. multiculturalism: A distinction without a difference. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 33(2), 217–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/07256868.2012.649529
Lucia, A., & Lepsinger, R. (1999). The art and science of competency models: Pinpointing critical success factors in organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer.
Maak, T., & Pless, N. (2006). Responsible leadership. London: Routledge.
Macaulay, M. (2009). The I that is we: Recognition and administrative ethics. In R. Cox (Ed.), Ethics and integrity in public administration: Concepts and cases (pp. 26–39). Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.
Macaulay, M., & Arjoon, S. (2013). An Aristotelian-Thomistic approach to professional ethics. Journal of Markets & Morality, 16(2), 507–527.
Macaulay, M., & Lawton, A. (2006). From virtue to competence: Changing the principles of public service. Public Administration Review, 66(5), 702–710. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00635.x
Meynhardt, T. (2009). Public value inside: What is public value creation? International Journal of Public Administration, 32(3–4), 192–219. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900690902732632
Mintrom, M. (2003). People skills for policy analysts. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Mintrom, M. (2012). Contemporary policy analysis. New York: Oxford University Press.
Moore, M. (1995). Creating public value: Strategic management in government. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Moore, M. (2013). Recognizing public value. Boston, MA: Harvard University Press.
O’Reilly, D., & Reed, M. (2010). “Leaderism”: An evolution of managerialism in UK public service reform. Public Administration, 88(4), 960–978. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.2010.01864.x
OECD. (2014). Competency framework. Accessed June 5, 2019, from https://www.oecd.org/careers/competency_framework_en.pdf
Osborne, S. (2006). The new public governance? Public Management Review, 8(3), 377–387. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719030600853022
Ospina, S. (2016). Collective leadership and context in public administration: Bridging public leadership research and leadership studies. Public Administration Review, 77(2), 275–287. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12706
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Plante, T. (2004). Do the right thing: Living ethically in an unethical world. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
Preston, N. (Ed.). (1994). Ethics for the public sector: Education and training. Leichhardt, NSW: Federation Press.
Rhodes, R. (2016). Recovering the craft of public administration. Public Administration Review, 76(4), 638–647. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12504
Rost, J. (1991). Leadership for the twenty-first century. New York: Praeger.
Ryan, B., & Gill, D. (Eds.). (2011). Future state: directions for public management in New Zealand. Wellington, NZ: Victoria University Press.
Schick, A. (1996). The spirit of reform: Managing the New Zealand state sector in a time of change. Report prepared for the State Services Commission and the Treasury. Accessed June 5, 2019, from http://www.ssc.govt.nz/spirit-of-reform
Stanford University. (n.d.). What is public policy at Stanford? Accessed June 5, 2019, from https://publicpolicy.stanford.edu/about/what-public-policy-stanford
‘t Hart, P. (2014). Understanding public leadership. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
University of Michigan. (2011). Public policy. Accessed June 5, 2019, from https://careercenter.umich.edu/article/public-policy
Van Quaquebeke, N., Graf, M., Kerschreiter, R., Schuh, S., & van Dick, R. (2014). Ideal values and counter-ideal values as two distinct forces: Exploring a gap in organizational value research. International Journal of Management Reviews, 16(2), 211–225. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12017
Van Wart, M. (2013). Administrative leadership theory: A reassessment after 10 years. Public Administration, 91(3), 521–543. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12017
Virtanen, T. (2000). Changing competences of public managers: Tensions in public commitment. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 13(4), 333–341. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513550010350300
Washington, S., & Mintrom, M. (2018). Strengthening policy capability: New Zealand’s Policy Project. Policy Design and Practice, 1(1), 30–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2018.1425086
Winston, K. (2003). Moral competence in the practice of democratic governance. In J. Donahue & J. Nye Jr. (Eds.), For the people: Can we fix public service? (pp. 169–187). Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
Winston, K. (2008). What makes ethics practical. John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Faculty Research Working Paper RWP08–013. Accessed June 5, 2019 from https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=976556
Winston, K. (2010). Moral competence in public life. SSA/ANZSOG Occasional Paper, 4. Melbourne: ANZSOG. Accessed June 5, 2019, from https://www.anzsog.edu.au/resource-library/research/moral-competence-in-public-life
World Bank. (2018). Fragility, conflict & violence. Accessed June 5, 2019, from http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/fragilityconflictviolence
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bromell, D. (2019). Introduction: Ethical Public Leadership. In: Ethical Competencies for Public Leadership. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27943-1_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27943-1_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-27942-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-27943-1
eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)