Icebergs of Expertise-Based Leadership: The Role of Expert Leaders in Public Administration

Abstract

There is a pressing need for public administration leaders to exhibit expertise-based intuitive leadership traits for developing countries to respond to sustainability challenges. While the importance of explicit and tacit knowledge to underpin expertise-based intuitive decision-making is known, public service leaders of developing countries can lack these traits. It is necessary to explore the reasons for leadership skills gaps in order to define remedial actions, such as better executive development training. This study conducts 28 in-depth interviews with public administration leaders, managers, and executive training professionals in Pakistan to address the challenge of how to build expertise-based intuitive leadership traits in public administration leaders. The main findings highlight deficiencies in domain-specific knowledge and soft skills. Deficits in the formal training of leaders and the negative contribution of cultural preconditions both result in explicit and tacit knowledge gaps that undermine expertise-based intuitive decision-making. An “iceberg of expertise-based leadership” model is conceptualized, extending on previous models, to describe the intangible role that explicit and tacit knowledge play in the visible expression of leadership skills. The relevance of this model for the success of public sector-led initiatives for sustainable development is highlighted.

Do Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems Have the Dynamic Capabilities to Guide the Digital Transition of Short Food Supply Chains?

“…These resources can be tangible or immaterial organizational assets and human capital that allow organizations to enact new value-creation strategies [39]. However, not all organizations and systems are inclined to resource creation and expansion for a variety of reasons, like their inability to anticipate how external changes will affect their effectiveness [40], preference to maintain existing routines [41], fear of changing status [42] and losing their ability to reliably produce and offer their products or services [43], and the lack of knowledge or expertise in building a new resource base [44].…”

Students’ Workplace Readiness: Assessment and Skill-Building for Graduate Employability

“…High academic performance (i.e., knowledge skills) combined with extracurricular activities (that help develop social skills and personal qualities) increase the perceived employability of business graduates in the industry [25]. Hanif et al [26] have identified a strong need for effective training on behavioral and interpersonal skills for project directors and managers. Dubey and Tiwari [27] note a sizable gap in the soft skills possessed by the graduates and those required by the industry.…”

“…It is important to note that a significant number of these skills are directly related to the capacity of the project manager to impact those on their team [56]. Hanif et al [26] write that a deficit in formal training leads to knowledge gaps that undermine effective decision-making. Using Revised BT, LOs were constructed for these specific concepts on the three cognitive levels of the BT, as shown in Table 4.…”

Holistic View of Intuition and Analysis in Leadership Decision-Making and Problem-Solving

“…Intuitive knowing accessed in this way can contribute greatly to high level performance (Kandasamy et al 2016). Hanif et al (2020) investigated the utility of expert intuition within public sector leaders in a developing country, Pakistan. They commented on the relevance of such intuition for sustainable development.…”