The Limits of Leadership

Abstract

In Public Administration, it is taken for granted that reforms are initiated and conducted by leaders. However, one can wonder whether change is indeed always coming from leadership and whether the concept thereof as the driving force behind change and the panacea for all the problems encountered during reforms is not a bit overrated in recent literature. Th is paper presents the argument that it is not the leaders but the employees in the teams and working groups and the experienced organizational members in particular who are the real carriers of reforms. It goes through the recent and older theoretical literature as well as through known empirical research regarding the matter and suggests that mainly co-workers are able to provide reform in terms of content, direction and practical solutions. Th e conclusion is that leadership is indeed an overrated factor in explaining reforms. Th e emphasis on leadership disregards an old-fashioned but perhaps still relevant concept, namely that working groups / project teams are oft en self-regulating, despite what leaders believe. Although empirical research taking organizational tenure into account is scarce and scattered, there is some evidence that the communities of practice are important for conserving, changing and developing organizational values and norms.In consequence, theorizing about reforms and especially the implementation thereof needs to pay more attention to horizontal relations in the organization -the role of colleagues and especially the role of experienced organizational members.

Integrating public service motivation and self-determination theory

“…Another issue that needs further investigation is the role of leadership vis-à-vis lower-level employees in the promotion of public values (cf. Sobis et al, 2012;Bellé, 2014). How overrated is the role of leadership in the public services?…”

“…Thus, despite its relevance in fostering PSM and self-motivation, transformational leadership should be not seen as a magic bullet. Sobis et al (2012) sustain that the idea of leadership has been overrated in the public services; they argue that visionary leaders are not the only necessary condition to promote change. In fact, experienced employees are frequently more important in transforming public organizations than leaders.…”

South African students call to decolonize science: Implications for international standards, curriculum development and Public Administration education

“…Sobis and De Vries (2017) argue that standards can have side effects, as they involve doing something that comes at a cost and are only a short step away from what is called ‘one-size-fits-all’ solutions, disregarding contextual variation. On the positive side, there might be customer benefits in having quality ensured, as it provides a guarantee that products can be used and bought with confidence and reassurance regarding the health and safety of the workforce.…”

“…Proponents of standards argue that having standards for something enable organisations to focus on innovations where they are not yet in existence, but this focus does not weaken the counterargument. As soon as something is standardized, innovations in that area, or part of that area, and an increase of quality are likely to come to an end (Sobis and De Vries, 2017).…”

Leadership and Public Sector Reform in Asia

“…Of most relevance to the theme of leadership are past studies that describe how reforms emerge. While some focus on broad trends of, say, technology (e.g., e-government and energy trends) or social change (social media and transparency) as driving factors (e.g., de vries, Bekkers, & Tummers, 2016;Pollitt & Bouckeart, 2011), almost all studies also note the role of political elites and bureaucratic actors in leading or picking up reforms and realizing them (e.g., Choi, 2010;Sobis, Berg, & vries, 2012). This book builds on the latter, focussing on the leadership of political executives and bureaucratic actors.…”