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The Leadership Dilemma
in a Democratic Society:
Re-energizing the Practice of Leadership for the Public
Good
By The Public Sector Consortium
Page 1 of 7
In July of 2001 a group of representatives from the National Security Agency
(NSA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC), Veterans Affairs (VA), National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA), Health and Human Services (HHS), Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), Reserve Officers Association of the U.S. and the
Graduate school, USDA, began to meet monthly for the
purpose of re-energizing the practice of leadership for the public good.
Since July 2001 this group has asked itself many questions and continues to
ponder possible answers. One central question - Is there a natural conflict
between our elected constitutional process and structures, which directly
affect the practice of leadership for the public good? This leads to other
important questions: can we describe these structures in ways that would
help us learn together and begin the journey of creating more ideal public
sector workplaces, how can we overcome the barriers inherent in our system
of governance, that may no longer serve us well, who cares about the
practice of public sector leadership?
We began by telling stories that described the inherent leadership dilemmas
that each of us experienced in our workplaces. The agencies noted in the
first paragraph represent only a small percentage of the agencies whose
stories were told. Most of the participants have over 25 years of public
sector experience, and many have worked in multiple agencies. Our stories
evolved into themes, which were then developed into systems maps. We believe
the accompanying maps illustrate the current structures that have evolved
from our perceived national values and system of governance. The maps
reflect our collective experience and are designed to help us enlarge the
perspective as others enter the dialog.
The first map describes the leadership dilemma in a democratic society which
results from a two party system competing for political gains and short-term
results. The second map captures the
lack of integration of new and existing
programs, which decreases agencies’ clarity of purpose and undermines the
capacity for leadership and effective public service. The third map
describes the inherent leadership dilemma for Senior Executives who are not
political appointees but pressured into a focus on short-term, and often
politically driven agendas. The fourth map attempts to capture
compliant
cultures born from the need for short-term results and continuous leadership
shifts necessitated by our election cycles. Finally our fifth map describes
the escalating complexity resulting from the manner our elected officials
respond to societal needs. This escalating complexity poses a barrier for
both civil servants trying to serve, and citizens trying to participate.
We are interested in creating forums for dialog throughout the country
because we believe that every citizen has a role to play in ensuring our
democratic system thrives. Our goal is to create a greater understanding of
the governmental structures, and collectively improve the larger system that
serves us. We invite you to use the maps in your own environment to engage
anyone who cares about the importance of leadership, the health of the civil
service and the quality of public service all Americans deserve.
The Leadership Dilemma in a Democratic Society
A. The constitution assures that Government represents the will of the people by
requiring elections. In an election, a candidate needs to differentiate
him/herself through a campaign. The will of the people is satisfied through
the election.
B. Once chosen the elected official
through his/her appointees, is charged with fulfilling campaign promises,
frequently through establishing new initiatives. The need to differentiate
quickly drives a need for short-term results that can be reported to the
public who elected the official.
C. The campaign against incumbents
creates distrust of career civil servants who are perceived as keepers of
the status quo and thus suspected of resisting new initiatives. This
distrust leads to suspicion regarding attempts to educate the appointed
official and reduces the speed and effectiveness of the learning curve in
both groups. The slower learning curve, disparate views of stakeholders and
complexity of government systems inhibits the leader’s ability to manage the
difficult integration of new initiatives with ongoing efforts. The inability
to manage the complex system leads to focus on a few high visibility
initiatives that can be managed by the new incumbents and reported back to
the voting public.
D. Without the integration of new
initiatives within the organization’s existing work, the new efforts become
additive and the highest priority. These new initiatives become the key
focus of top ranking career civil servants leaving the rest of the on-going
work to supervisors and managers. This increases the need for improved
leadership at lower levels. Re-direction of resources to support new
initiatives, and the lack of upper management focus on their efforts reduce
management’s morale, and productivity. This leadership dilemma impacts the
agency’s ability to produce effective long-term results. This further
impacts the perception of career employees.
Summary of Map 1
©2003
The Public Sector Consortium.
Reproduced by GovLeaders.org with permission.
