THE NEW LEADERSHIP WORKSHOPS

Sitra’s Public Leadership and Management Programme aims to develop leadership and thereby achieve an efficient and human-oriented public administration. The programme also aims to create new forms of leadership thinking in Finland in cooperation with public-sector players.

In 2011, we will implement a workshop process during which we will embark on a journey of discovery into new leadership and envision the future of leadership with public-sector players. The goal of the process is to identify the elements which could provide the basis for developing a new kind of leadership thinking in Finland.

In the kick-off workshop in January 2011, we discussed the identity of public leadership and identified four vertical themes which challenge leadership in the future. These themes were discussed further in theme-based workshops during the spring.

The topics of the workshops were as follows:

1. Managing scarcity 
Challenges: new choices and the difficulties in making choices, resources, managing new productivity and well-being, the impact of a global operating environment 

2. The new dimensions of leadership by partnering 
Challenges: shared leadership, political and professional management, from silos to cooperation, cooperation between regions  

3. The diversifying operating environment and its management
Challenges: the diversification of public activities and the resulting expansion of responsibilities; the multiprovider model; public sector responsibilities and risks; new partnerships between public and private players, including new interfaces and a new division of responsibilities  

4. Managing diversity in public-sector organisations 
Challenges: the ability to listen and tolerance, forging encounters, the young and the ageing population, enabling leadership, multiculturalism, well-being at work, employer branding, incentives  

A final workshop will be held in December 2011 with the aim of identifying the elements of new leadership thinking. The final results of the workshop process will be published at the beginning of 2012.

people

Mervi Porevuo