Excellence in leadership is instrumental in serving the public interest. Effective leaders merge the principles of good governance and sound management to foster integrity, innovation, and accountability. They see the... [ view full abstract ]
Excellence in leadership is instrumental in serving the public interest. Effective leaders merge the principles of good governance and sound management to foster integrity, innovation, and accountability. They see the big-picture possibilities of connecting regions, nations, sectors, spheres, levels, roles, functions, and generations. Then they produce evidence-based policy, service, and results.
There is no time like the present for new public servants to aspire to a new brand of leadership in a changing public service environment. And ‘there is no present like the time’ to learn from a legacy of selfless service and to inform the leadership requirements ahead. What is the new baseline that the next generation needs to know to serve the public good with distinction?
The Unpanel will frame the educational essentials and teaching implications of the New Public Leadership (NPL) emerging. A three-phase research project on Next Generation Leadership is envisaged. Each phase is aligned with an upcoming IRSPM conference:
• 2017 Budapest (Hungary) – Needs and Priorities;
• 2018 TBA (TBA Europe) – Values and Ethics; and
• 2019 Wellington (New Zealand) – Aspirations and Development.
The 2017 Unpanel focuses on what new public servants need to be effective on the job and in their career. Twenty-five part-time Master of Public Policy, Administration and Law students at York University (Canada), many of whom are Millennials who are new public servants, are being asked to anticipate and prioritize the learning needs. They have been asked to write original articles by December 2016 as part of coursework in PPAL 6000 Public Management. The best will be published or posted by Canadian Government Executive magazine and will be synthesized in a discussion paper.
The following Questions, Ideas, and Concerns will guide Unpanel deliberations:
1. What needs do new public servants value most in their work and education?
2. How do governments recruit, develop, and retain top talent to refresh the public service?
3. How do public service culture, context, and policy affect training and development opportunities?
4. What can governments gain from directly engaging public management schools and students?
5. What is the fit between employer expectations and how schools prepare new public servants?
6. How important are internships as an interchange for schools, governments, and public servants?
7. How are moral and ethical dilemmas shaping a new brand of leadership?
8. How can retired public servants and/or leading academics support the NPL?
9. What can be done to formalize the body of scholar-practitioners (pracademics)?
10. How can new public servants reimagine citizen and stakeholder engagement to renew government?
11. How are governments actively engaging new public servants in workforce transformation projects?
12. How are governments leveraging the digital skills and fresh insights of new public servants?
13. How are governments embracing agile, citizen-centred design thinking in transformation projects?
14. How are governments enabling creative, collaborative ideas that positively disrupt service delivery?
15. What is good practice i.e., what works well, where and why?
