The Ateneo School of Government

Leadership Framework

LEADERSHIP IN PUBLIC SERVICE

Masters in Public ManagementLa Union September-October 2008

The Ateneo School of Government

Leadership Framework

he Ateneo School of Governments Public Sector Leadership Program is a key strategic thrust that is anchored on the three institutional goals of the School.

These goals are: 1. Develop a cadre of leaders in the public sector who have a command of the political, technical, ethical elements of governance towards the achievement of excellence in the public service 2. Promote innovation, reform and excellence in the national and local institutions of government 3. Enlighten leaders in business and nongovernment sectors on the unique dynamics of government in order to facilitate and mainstream popular participation in governance This paper presents the first attempt of the ASOG to articulate the framework that informs and drives its interventions to approximate ethical, powerful and reform focused leadership for good governance in public service. This chapter will present the ASOG Leadership framework following this flow:

born, not made. As the dictum goes, no amount of education, training or experience could a leader make. The Trait Theory that says leaders must have traits for people to admire and be recognized as born leaders followed this great man theory. The trait perspective states that leaders could be made, but only if they have in-born potential. After some time, these two theories lost ground among the students of leadership. In the 1950s and 60s the popular studies in Ohio, USA focused on two behaviors of leaders: consideration for subordinates and initiating structure and discipline. Follow up research in the United States specifically in Michigan and Texas showed that employee-centered leaders are better liked but performance was often high or higher with a jobcentered leader. Also, a high concern for performance or production coupled with low concern for people shows an authority-compliance leadership while high concern for people plus Leadership Perspectives The idea of leaders and leadership has captured high concern for production results in a leader the imagination and interest of our society. In who is firm but also a friendly coach. virtually every culture, myth and legend as well The other theory on leadership was the Conas fiction and nonfiction literature are full of ac- tingency Theory or transactional approach also counts about heroes and great leaders. The better known as situational leadership focusing study of leaders and leadership started from the on the relationship between leaders and followso-called Great Man Theory that says leaders ers. Here, leaders are said to be more effective if are divinely inspired and thus leaders were they recognize what followers want from their

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work and if performance warrants provision for these needs. Thus, there is an exchange of rewards, a quid pro quo between leader and followers that transforms crass utilitarianism and brings it to a potentially more purposive goal for a higher collective good. In the late 70s the Charismatic Leadership Theory emerged. It is said to be similar to the great man theory except that the leaders do not need to be gifted with charisma from the gods. Hallam (2001) notes that the charismatic leader typically uses powerful rhetoric, but the leaders rhetoric style must fit the culture of the followers and their specific context. If the culture endorses an authoritarian style, then the leader speaks with a strong voice and employs decisive action. If the culture calls for a nurturing style, then the charismatic leader speaks with a soft voice and exhibit sensitivity.

in the collective intelligence of employees at all levels. This is because these employees need to use one another as resources, often across boundaries and learn their ways towards the solutions. He describes adaptive work as clarifying a conflict in values or bridging the gap between the values that we stand for and the current conditions under which a group or organization operates.

hen one has problems or one faces a challenge for which there is no technical remedy or a problem for which it will not help to look to an authority for answers because the answers are not there that problem calls for adaptive work. Leaders must be able to help others see the need and find the desire and be able to take on new roles, new relationships, new values, new behaviors, and new approaches to work. y 1978, the transformational theory of One of the latest theories on leadership springs leadership was much discussed. The from the work on emotional intelligence (EI). leader is described as one who visualThis perspective on leadership emphasizes the izes and articulates a realistic vision of a better task of leaders in creating resonance a reserfuture. Transformational leaders are those who voir of positivity that frees the best in people could implement major and sweeping organi(Goleman, et. al 2002). At the root of this thinkzational changes. Heifetz, in Harvard distining is the primacy of emotions more specifically guished leadership as one where people lead emotional intelligence being intelligent about others through adaptive behavior changes. emotions. The work harnesses much from brain These leaders often face enormous resistance; research and neuroanatomy. Most especially, therefore, they must find inner strength and use primal or resonant leadership as it is called, that to communicate from their inner self to the builds on the breakthroughs in brain research inner selves of others. According to Heifetz, showing why leaders moods and actions have adaptive problems are often systemic problems enormous impact on those they lead. It also with no ready answers. sheds light on the power of emotionally intelliFurthermore, Heifetz underscores that solu- gent leadership to inspire, arouse passion, and tions to societys challenges (he calls adaptive keep people motivated and committed. challenges) reside not in the executive suite but

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Major studies on leadership indicate several trends and two of these are: 1) Culture plays an important role in saying what is appropriate or inappropriate leadership; corollary to this is that unique conditions of each period of time will call forth different kinds of leaders whether the conditions are abundance or economic hardship, war or peace, technological revolutions or spiritual rebirth. 2) Competence and responsibility are two key attributes of leaders that transcend culture. Competence ensures that leaders could be counted upon (emotionally as well as professionally) to know how things are done correctly while responsibility emphasizes trustworthy leaders, exhibiting high levels of integrity in handling matters justly and honestly. These two fundamental attributes find strong resonance in our search for public leaders in the governance of Philippine society today.

human resource development are examples of agency focused interventions while, policy reform and local development strategies are included in the more structure-oriented approaches. In promoting best practices in governance, the ASOG balances both the agency and structure focused interventions in its offerings aimed at supporting the development of public sector leaders and professionals.

Philippine Context of Leaders in Public Service

The milieu of Filipino leaders in public service is imbued by a predominantly proprietary regard to positions of leadership and power. Political power is seen as something that could be acquired, bought, hoarded and spent by those who wield it. Our public leaders often consider themselves as legitimate because they have power rather than they having power because they have legitimacy. Elections are won on the basis of dole outs, patronage, popularity, or name reLeadership as Agency call; where the choice of political leaders In sociological terms, agency and structure are two generic approaches by which human society through elections has less to do with policy and program outputs or integrity. is said to have tried to deal with social change. Thus, patronage and coercion instead of soStructure can be defined as a duality, which includes both constraining rules and enabling re- cial responsibility and accountability govern the sources, whereas agency refers to the purposive relationship between the leader and the subordinates and also between the leader and the citiactions of social actors (Giddens, 1984). zens. The subordinates and the citizens are folFrom the agency perspective leadership is lowers who are instructed, directed, cajoled, one of the key approaches used to understand and improve societys handle on change. On the sweet-talked, or influenced and inspired to comply and agree. other hand, institutional, organizational and Filipinos in general equate leadership with community development are different dimenauthority and following Heifetz description of sions of the structural perspective. Keeping in authority orientation to leadership, they expect mind that there is a porous boundary between their leaders to serve five basic social functions: agency and structure, education, training, and

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(1) set direction, (2) afford protection, (3) provide orientation to roles and place, (4) take charge of controlling conflict, and ensure maintenance of norms.

Dilemma: How can demands of public office and personal values be aligned?

Rationale
As a professional and quality institution of learning, the ASOG recognizes the complex challenge of assisting the public sector, its institutions and its leaders to respond creatively, competently, and effectively to the complex demands for leadership. ASOG articulates its leadership paradigm in the context of the challenges posed by the demands of globalization, international competitiveness, equity, structural and social reform, as well as broad based participation of citizen groups in charting the course development and growth of the country. ASOG is rooted in the Ateneos mission of education and formation. The school is geared towards the formation and training of public sector leaders and professionals. These are the civil servants and public leaders who will advocate and champion the cause of good governance. ASOG regards good governance as the science of decision-making and the exercise of power and authority so that society is able to manage its development processes and resolve social conflict. Good governance is characterized by transparency, accountability, rule of law, integrity and competence. Osborne & Graeblers definition of governance aptly express ASOGs idea when they stated that governance is the process whereby we come together to make decisions about our collective futures and government is the instrument we use to undertake this process. ASOGs concept of governance pertains to four ideals that have direct counterpoints in the schools support to public servants:

ilipino public officials face fundamental dilemmas of power as they maneuver their way in realpolitik. Four of these dilemmas are: 1. Mobilization and use of resources especially money Reality: Money is needed to run for public office. Except for the extremely rich ones, all politicians must search for money. Dilemma: Money is not free - those who will give it want something in return. How does the official deal with this problem? 2. Personal loyalties and alliances Reality: Running for office/staying in office requires alliances, whether formal (via political parties) or informal. Dilemma: Alliances require give and take. How could the public official determine the parameters of this give and take relationship? How can he/she be in control of the relationship? How is the issue of compromise handled and managed? 3. Expectations from constituency and the bureaucracy Reality: Some expectations can be unreasonable and unaligned. Dilemma: How can expectations be managed? 4. Alignment and balance between values and dominant practices of public office Reality: Public office demands certain things from the persons in office, who have certain values and beliefs.

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ASOG believes that good governance and responsible leadership are twin pillars on which public service must stand. These pillars undergrid the use of power for the public good. ASOG is convinced that there is no systematic and integrated structure to scout, recruit, train, field, support and assess the role and contributions of leaders in politics. Our leaders in the public sector come from a wide range of disciplines and persuasions. While the diverse backgrounds enriches Philippine politics, there remains inadequate anchors, roots and mirrors to orient leaders about fundamental value orientations and development perspectives. Many of our leaders in public service are unable to find solid guideposts for performance measures and overall competencies as leaders in public service. Leaders have nowhere to turn if and when they wish to access assistance and support in their search for a better practice of reform oriented and dedicated leadership in governance. ASOG believes that most leaders who are public servants are operating in the political wilderness of power transactions marked by a cycle of frenzied mobilization of wealth or resources and struggles for higher positions. It would be irresponsible to neglect these leaders. They must not be left to fend for themselves. At best they need to be provided with a place, a venue, a structure and on occasion a refuge where they could share insights with like-minded peers, sharpen their skills, hone their competencies and grow in their commitment to service and self-mastery.

ment to active service, with a solid command of technical, political, organizational and ethical practices of good governance, so that they could grow towards authentic leadership and excellence in pubic service.

Leadership Principles
The following principles are the key conceptual anchors upon which ASOG builds its framework on leadership in governance and the public sector. Leadership takes shape and is exercised in relationships, it is a two way process of mutual influence. Leadership is not an inborn gift or talent; it does not reside in a person but it is embodied and manifested through people relating with each other. There are leaders essentially because there are followers. Thus, leadership exists primarily in relationships and in the perceptions and appreciation of followers. Leadership conveys power and the notion that we expect a leader to influence through non -coercive means either through persuasion or inspiration in order to produce some degree of cooperative effort as well as to pursue goals that transcend narrow self-interests (Bolman & Deal, 1991). Leadership guides people to cope with complexity, ambiguity and uncertainty. Leadership unfolds and operates in a context, a specific culture, period, and situation that influences both what leaders need to do and what they are able to do. Leadership is greatly shaped by the nature of followers, the goals and the circumstances. There are basically four dimensions of leadership: structural, political, symbolic and human development processes. Bolman and Deal (1991) explains that

Goal
ASOG aims to develop a cadre of leaders in the public sector steeped in the values and commit-

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The basic competencies of leadership are available in small as well as large arenas. The egy, environment; implementation, expericore competencies of leadership in governance mentation, adaptation Human Development leaders believe in peo- and the public sector are needed whether one ple and communicate that belief; they are visible leads a public school teacher or as the president and accessible; they empower, increase partici- of the country. These competencies are: Perpation, collective ownership, support, share in- sonal Mastery, Service, and Learning in Action. formation, and move decision making across and down to the organization Core Competencies Political leaders clarify what the agenda, what the leader and constituent members want Service and what they can get; they assess the distribu- The ASOG is animated by the Ignatian value of tion of power and interests; they build linkages immersing oneself, serving and laboring in the to other stakeholders; use persuasion first, then world in order to transform it. One is an authentic leader only in so far as one is able to negotiation and coercion only if necessary truly insert oneself into the Filipino human con Symbolic leaders view organizations or indition. This condition is marked by great imbalstitutions as a stage or theater to play certain ance in the distribution of power and resources roles and give impressions; these leaders use and in the capacity to make choices towards a symbols to capture attention; they try to frame quality of life. Transforming the human condiexperience by providing plausible interpretation demands that a leader be inspired to serve tions of experiences; finally they discover and and gain intimate knowledge and deep undercommunicate a vision and thereby provide instanding of the everyday life of the people one spiration serves. Greenleaf (1970) describes servant lean Philippine society today, wise and badership by a natural feeling of wanting to serve. lanced use of power is a key defining eleThen conscious choice brings one to aspire to ment of authentic leadership for good golead so that those served grow as persons and vernance in the public sector. The two funthey, while being served, become healthier, damental types of power as mentioned above wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely are positional and personal. Positional power emanates from the authority that comes with an themselves to become servants. And the question that must be answered is what is the effect office, the official role. On the other hand personal power does not come from holding a title on the least privileged in society; will they beneor being endowed with rights, privilege and in- fit, or, at least, not be further deprived? Starting from a situation where one assumes fluence from an authoritative agency, rather from an inner source within the person through leadership as a result of a position of authority, the way to authentic leadership is to match ones a specific capacity, faculty, aptitude or compe-

Structural leaders focus on structure, strat-

tency.

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positional power with personal power through personal mastery and praxis. To serve and immerse oneself in the human condition of ones followers or constituents is the fire that hones and sharpens the leaders. It is in direct interaction with people that leaders acquire compassion and establish presence. Presence and Compassion are two of four powers of leadership together with wisdom and intention. Kyle (1998) defines compassion as the passion to suffer with people. Through compassion the leader develops empathy as he confronts difficult and challenging situations. With empathy leaders develop an intimate awareness of the inner contradictions, pains and problems that burden their constituents. Learning in Action While service is the means by which leaders insert or immerse themselves into the human condition of their constituents, learning in action is the pattern of engagement and practice marked by the iterative cycle of action-reflection -action. Heifetz refers to this as the capacity to move back and forth between the field of action and the balcony. For him getting on the balcony is the image of a leader establishing distance in order to reflect. This way, leaders gain perspective and are able to learn about their own pattern of leadership development By getting on the balcony a leader is able to uncover critical perceptual, behavioral and even psycho-emotional blocks to a fuller access to ones creativity. Praxis allows one to stretch oneself beyond the common norms of the daily routine of work. Through praxis, leaders learn how to better manage themselves and facilitate others learning about how to face challenges and grow while coping with adaptive work. Critical

thinking and strategic action are the twin building blocks of praxis. Critical thinking (CT) is both a skill and a disposition. It is a tool of inquiry, which involves a set of higher order cognitive skills. Furthermore, according to Facione (1990) CT is purposeful, self-regulatory judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as explanation of the evidence, concept, methodology, criteria, or context considered in making judgments. While not synonymous with good thinking, CT is a pervasive and selfrectifying human phenomenon. The work of Facione further elaborates that as an affective disposition, CT is manifested by the ideal critical thinker who is habitually inquisitive, well-informed, trustful of reason, open -minded, flexible, fair-minded in evaluation, honest in facing personal biases, prudent in making judgments, willing to reconsider, clear about issues, orderly in complex matters, diligent in seeking relevant information, reasonable in the selection of criteria, focused in inquiry, and persistent in seeking results which are as precise as the subject and the circumstances of inquiry permit. When the cognitive skill and the affective disposition weld with ethical behavior, CT becomes a liberating force and a powerful resource for personal and civic maturation. Political leaders who are good critical thinkers are more likely to become mindful of their thoughts and decisions. This mindfulness render them more capable of strategic action that involves motivating, organizing and orienting citizens towards a purpose and a course of action that is of social value. In the process of galvanizing the peoples attention and mobilizing them, the leader then is able to elevate collective force

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of the people and their context into a more participatory and productive level of development and virtue. ASOGs framework on leadership development takes critical thinking as the integrating competency that lays the foundation for strategic action. Intrinsic to the support provided by the School through leadership development is a rigorous training in good critical thinking that combines CT skills with a standard of ethics in good governance. While nurturing CT skills and dispositions, a leader in public service constantly arrive at insights that serve as fodder to authentic reflective learning about ones leadership and effective action. Even as the leader immerses her/himself into the local and particular conditions of the citizens, he is able to be part of them and yet stand apart. In entering public service, the Filipino leader is then able to adapt and steadfastly face the dilemma and contradictions of political leadership while enjoying the triumphs of finding solutions to the various problems of national or local development. Critical thinking is a skill and a disposition that will help leaders integrate and immerse in the world of politics and politicking yet maintain a distance so that as he blends into the life of public service he is able to transform himself and at the4 same time raise the standards of leadership in public service. And because leadership is not value free, for ASOG the public leader must at least be an enabler challenging citizens to reconcile gaps and conflicts in the values people hold and the realities they face. Then the citizens are guided through a creative, participatory collective problem-solving process that advance the social capital of democracy and equity led development.

Personal Mastery Personal mastery is self-possession. Senge (1999) emphasized that leadership requires a personal mastery that goes beyond competence and skills, although it is grounded on competence and skills. It goes beyond spiritual unfolding or opening, although it requires spiritual growth. Leadership means approaching ones life as a creative work, living life from a creative vantage point as opposed to a reactive viewpoint. Senge further states that instead of looking for saviors, we should be looking for leaders that will challenge us to face problems for which there are no simple, painless solutions problems that require us to learn new ways. Kyle (1998) on the other hand referred to such mastery when he wrote, leading is not primarily about doing something but rather about being something. He further explains that the development of leadership is about becoming conscious of both the power within oneself and the power inherent with the position one holds. The fundamental challenge of being a leader is the integration of personal power with ones positional power. It is imperative for leaders to have courage and self-mastery in the praxis of authentic leadership as they immerse themselves in the human condition to serve others. Leaders must engage people in confronting challenges, testing and distilling their values, broadening perspectives and altering patterns of behavior. However, as leaders undertake these activities they need to gain wisdom in action, which in turn is the magical combination of skill and knowledge through intensive experience. Leadership then moves from practice to art where personal mastery is manifested in the subtle but powerful exercise of control through focus.

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The intensity of such focus further hones self - discipline, intense focus on task and commitment to the time and energy required to fulfill whatever is required of a leader. Thus, a leader is in a constant search of excellence.

Leadership Roles and Characteristics

Following the framework, ASOG identifies five sub competencies: (1) Anchored flexibility, (2) Strategic action, (3) Calibrated provocation, (4) Participative Decisiveness, and (5) Commitment to social justice and humanization of social institutions. The Schools Leadership Framework identifies three roles of leaders: (1) servant, (2) enabler, and (3) artist. 1. The Leader as Servant is committed to social justice. He stands with the poor and has a critical understanding of reconciliation with justice. 2. The Leader as Enabler exercises participative decisiveness: He creates platforms for people to discuss and debate core issues and values while ensuring that these problems are directly addressed. He also engages in informed strategic action that results from a deep, systemic study of the both deeply rooted and manifest problems and short-term as well as longterm options. 3. The Leader as Artist practices calibrated provocation: she has the ability to provoke or catalyze action as part of a larger plan, designed to promote problem solving and confidence building of citizens. The leader is also anchored yet flexible having political savvy that is firmly fixed on the values of integrity, honesty and service. In order to concretize these qualities, the leader needs to be competent in four categories: technical, organizational, political and ethical. The School sees the latter two as soft categories that integrate the other two hard categories. Attachment 1 is a matrix that de-tails the

Leadership Power Tools

ASOG subscribes to the four powers of leadership compassion, intention, presence and wisdom. Self-mastery as a fundamental competency of ASOGs leadership framework emphasizes that the challenge of being a leader is about integrating and balancing personal power with ones positional power. Meanwhile, the core competency on learning in action points to the importance in leading as a practice that has to be worked on every day. And service is a conscious choice about the purpose of leadership. Intention is the tool of self-discipline that focuses on task completion. It entails commitment to time and energy required to achieve objectives set by the institution together with the leaders and members. Wisdom is the tool that moves practice to art. Thus that which has become technically good now transforms itself into art when the combination of control, experience and expertise to transform situations, solve problems and create opportunities. Compassion is the tool of empathy and emotional intelligence resulting in creativity. Presence is the tool of companionship that anchors people, groups or institutions in context and purpose that beyond ones self thus infusing one with a compelling social vision.

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knowledge, skill and attitude (KSA) sets for each and come in dialogue about leadership dilemcategory. mas in local development. A situation analysis tool has been developed for identi-fying, weighApproach to Leadership Development ing and managing dilemmas faced by local chief The School adopts two approaches in its leader- executives. ship program: 1. The Reflective approach. Self-knowConclusion ledge is required for leadership. Leaders have to The dearth of authentic leadership in public serthink through their own set of values so as to in- vice remains a challenge for us in the Philippines still fundamental ethics in their decision-making perhaps because we have looked at it as a cost in their personal and professional lives. They effective fast food to be delivered home in the have to find their own moral com-pass to move shortest possible time. We have always looked constituents in the direction of core values such outside ourselves at different fast food joints for answers to our questions on leadership as integrity, social justice, honesty etc. development. 2. The Dialogue approach. Leaders can ASOG s commitment to good governance has learn from one another through highly interactive discussions using actual experience with led the school to the more fundamental task of current as well as former public officials who are leadership development in the public sector. The schools response to the crisis of leadership in known for their advocacy and achievements in governance is to offer compa-nionship and suppublic sector reform and managing the port to incumbent and po-tential leaders in pubbureaucracy. In the pilot training that ASOG conducted in lic service as they jour-ney into the shadows and brilliant light re-sulting from the exercise of the partnership with the Centre for Local Government of the University of Technology in Syd- powers of leadership in public sector governance. ney, Australia, the key strategy was to get the participants (mayors and LGU officials) to reflect