The characteristics of effective leadership on a selected sample of the human resources sector in the Serbian Ministry of Interior

Abstract

One of the main goals of public sector reform in the Republic of Serbia is to develop professional capacity and create effective leadership. In general, effective leadership has a very significant role in public sector functioning. In addition, it is also important for the quality of public services that are delivered to citizens and other stakeholders. The aim of this research was to investigate the association between characteristics and behaviours of managers, which are internal factors influencing the process of effective leadership in the public sector. The research was conducted in the organizational units of the Sector for Human Resources of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia on a sample of 50 respondents. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to determine the associations. The results of the research indicated that the authoritarian characteristics of managers are mostly related to directive behaviour of managers, i.e., a high positive correlation was calculated between authoritarian characteristics and directive behaviour of managers (r = 0.784, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the findings demonstrated that the charismatic characteristics of managers are mostly related to the transformational behaviour of managers, i.e., a very high positive correlation was calculated between charismatic characteristics and transformational behaviour of managers (r = 0.913, p < 0.001). The research results can provide guidelines for the development of professional capacity of the public sector and the creation of effective leadership at all levels in order to properly implement reforms.

Assessment and Ranking of the Behavioural Leadership Model in the Process of Implementing Reforms in Public Sector of the Republic of Serbia Using the PIPRECIA Method

“…Fernandez et al, 2010 developed a concept of integrated leadership that is applicable in the public sector, which includes five major models or orientations of leader behaviour such as: task-oriented leadership that corresponds to an authoritarian style; leadership oriented to interpersonal relations, which refers to the participative behaviour of the leader; changeoriented leadership that corresponds to the transformational style; diversity-oriented leadership and integrity-oriented leadership, which implies the leader's orientation to fulfilling legal regulations, standards, fairness to employees and all interested parties' common interests [13]. Bearing in mind the multitude of behavioural models depending on the characteristics of the leader and the requirements of the environment, for the purposes of this analysis we single out the supportive, participatory, directive, charismatic and transformational behaviour of leaders, i.e., managers [36], which corresponds to the concept of integrated leadership in the public sector developed by Fernandez et al (2010). House (1971) considers that the supportive behaviour of leaders is one of the key characteristics of effective leaders [37].…”

“…The behavioural models of leaders and managers that traditionally dominate the work of public organisations are based on "command and control" [52,53]. The directive or commanding style, as well as the transactional style, which have a lot of similarities, are characteristic of large systems where structure is emphasised [36]. Namely, in both styles, the behaviour of employees is strictly controlled through punishments, rewards, guidelines, defined rules, standards, and procedures [48].…”

“…Since the public sector faces certain challenges when implementing reforms, leadership styles based on hierarchy and rank are not the best approach [54]. Consequently, behavioural styles should change in accordance with the challenges and demands of certain situations, that is, they should follow an evolutionary course [36].…”

“…Based on the theoretical background, for the purposes of this research, five models of manager behaviour were selected [36]: participative (A 1 ), supportive (A 2 ), directive (A 3 ), transformational (A 4 ) and charismatic (A 5 ) leader's behaviour. Using the PIPRECIA method, models of leader behaviour were evaluated with the five previously mentioned criteria, and then their ranking was performed.…”