To What Extent Do Public Sector Organizations Need Leaders Rather than Managers - Essay Example

To What Extent do Public Sector Organizations need Leaders rather than Managers? Introduction to Leadership and Management Within the organizational domains, it is important to get a clear cut idea as to what leadership and management entities bring with them. The manner in which these two forces mesh is significant towards achieving the objectives which have been drawn. The goals will only be attained when there is a concerted effort on the part of the leadership regimes and the management realms to sustain pressure; outdo the competition and enact specific measures and policies which will take care of the organizational principles, ethical boundaries, etc. Leadership is defined as that role of the top management which is manifested with the basis of a leader appointed to a certain position. On the other hand, management is defined as the ballgame of the managers. These managers are indeed the lifeblood of any organization since they undertake measures which suggest the long term growth and success of the organizational norms and procedures. Comparing Leadership and Management When one compares the different facets of leadership and management, there is very significant difference that emanates from such discussion bases. It must be understood here that since management has four different functions – planning, organizing, leading and controlling the organizational norms and domains; leadership could either be authoritative, delegative, transactional or transformational. However what is important to decipher here is the fact that leadership and management run hand in hand with each other so that the organization reaps the rewards at the end of the day. The organizational culture develops as a result of the leadership and management dynamics which have been established with the passage of time. The role of top management in harnessing the leadership roles and instilling confidence within the managers’ expertise areas are some of the quintessential points which could be comprehended before the different business undertakings and processes are given the green signal. It is a fact that a healthy organizational culture could be developed if the top management takes corrective steps to take care of the employees as well as the management and if it finds a bridge between their personal issues and the professional domains, all at the same time (Lane 2000). The business activities, processes and strategies would immensely improve if the employee domains are taken care of, rest assured. Thus leadership is usually a one man show whereas management looks after the well-being of the subordinates whilst getting the work done out of them. Even though leadership means the same business, the process is more of a commanding authority. The role of management functions however is to have all the employees on a single platform. After this has been achieved, managers ask the employees to work for the long term growth and development of the organization. New Public Management – A New Notion in Public Sector Organizations The ‘new public management’ is a management philosophy, mostly prevalent within the public sector organizations. It started to develop in the 1980s whereby the public sector organizations with the assistance of the local governments started to modernize their own selves. This was a much needed initiative on the part of the governmental sectors since public sector organizations were going way below the expected mark and there was a dire need to have new reforms within their ranks. Hence the significance of market orientation within the public sector domains would eventually lead towards greater cost efficiency for the local governments and this would cut down on any negative consequences on the different objectives and considerations which have already been envisaged way back in the past by the public sector organizations. The difference with regards to the usual public management theories lies in the fact that the new public management initiative focuses on the outcomes as well as the efficiency levels which could be drawn at an optimal level (Osborne, Ferlie & Mclaughlin 2002). However these initiatives are better understood when there are more than adequate budget availability regimes in place. The new public management looks at the long term scheme of things and does not rely on fixing the short term issues as such. The context is much broader than is addressed by the public management theories of the past. The most significant aspect that the new public management brings to light is the notion of making the customers and the citizens (of the public) as the stakeholders which essentially outlines the fact that due importance is given to the actual beneficiaries, which unfortunately was not the case when the public management theories were in place. Key Elements of New Public Management The key elements of the new public management entail of the role of citizens being at the helm of receiving the utilities and services that are brought forward by the public sector organizations. These significant points touch the very basic essence of the public sector organizations. One of the important points that form the basis of the new public management is that there is breadth of impact as far as the public sector organizations are concerned. What this means is the fact that the effects of the new public management are explicit and one can witness the very same in a broader context. Another important element of the new public management lies in terms of its accountability. The people can scrutinize these public sector organizations in a better manner than ever before. Usually the norm in the yesteryears was to let go of the procedures adopted by these public sector organizations but the same have changed ever since the new public management has come into full effect (Huczynski & Buchanan 2003). A key element which distinguishes itself from the public management theories of the past is based upon understanding how the system of incentives and incentive structures works. Earlier these were not given much importance which led to low employee morale within the public sector organizations and hence productivity was witnessed to a very less extent. The focus however is on deriving the means through which organizational performance could be increased to optimum levels. This forms up as another key element of the new public management dictum. Key Challenges Implied by New Public Management The new public management has changed the very basis of working and eventually understanding the philosophy related with customers and the employees themselves. This has come about due to a host of reasons. First and foremost, the public sector organizations have understood that they cannot exist in seclusion. The private entities will crop up and destroy their market share. Also similar competitive levels will further ransack the business. It would not be long before this monopolistic entity (the public sector organization) becomes into yet another competitor. It is thus best advisable to work hand in hand with the major players that are present within the related industrial levels. This can be achieved when the leaders as well as the managers understand their respective roles in entirety. However this requires a great deal of thought and purpose put into action. Eventually the undertakings would bear rich fruit and reap dividends for the sake of the public sector organization. However the challenges that the new public management has on its hands include the fact that it has to thwart the private level competition through aggressive tactics and business activities (Ashburner, Ferlie, Fitzgerald & Pettigrew 1996). It cannot usurp the rights of the private bodies with the lobbying agendas put into action by the state machinery but what it can do is to offer the best available returns for the customers – in terms of profits, ease of availability – in services, and an overall feel of genuineness as concerns to the performance of the public sector organizations. Other challenges include the fact that there could be massive trigger on the part of the public to switch to private management entities and thus bear the brunt of negative resentment for the public sector organizations. This can mean business going down the drain as well as profits becoming stale for a multitude of reasons (Hood & Peters 2004). As an example, the healthcare facilities of the modern times focus on the delivery of timely service for the sake of patients, without the consideration that a patient is a member of a particular community or otherwise. Such aspects need to be given weight and more so within the domains of the healthcare industry. Challenges of Leadership in New Public Management The leadership domains within these public sector organizations need to pull up their socks whenever the tide is going the opposite way. They need to be wary of the fact that their business undertakings must change. They are accountable in front of the public and hence their initiatives should be based on the belief that anything they do will benefit the general public at large. However this requires a completely new mindset to develop within the midst of the top management sitting at the helm of affairs within these public sector organizations. The role of leadership is immense since it paves the way for future growth and development. Without leadership coming to the rescue, a proactive approach to solve the anomalies and outstanding issues would not be drafted (Drummond 2000). The vision is set when the public sector organization is going through a tough time. The leadership instills confidence and pride amongst the employees whenever they need it the most. However all this becomes pretty difficult to achieve when motivational levels within the employees are at an all time low and thus the role of leadership becomes all the more significant under such scenarios. To quote as an example, poor sanitary conditions in the local community is the responsibility of the civil administrator of the area, who in essence is the leader of the local public sector organization or body. It is his role that will count as the most important one and thus proper understanding on such deteriorating sanitary standards must be given significance. Challenges of Management in New Public Management The management regimes need to extract the best possible work out of the domains of the employees so that the future is made secure. The managers must make sure that the public at large is benefited from all the endeavors and undertakings of the public sector organization. However this can be difficult at times when there are trying circumstances on offer and when the old public management philosophies still rule the roost. Even the private entities (companies) can pose as a problem in the wake of a proper implementation of the new public management philosophy. The managers need to manager their own work as well as keep a stern check on how their subordinates manifest the basis of work, complete it within the allotted time and deliver (Morgan 2000). There needs to be a continuous cycle which keeps track of all the issues which the management regimes must acquire. A solid and clear cut perspective in terms of management perspectives is what is needed in the time and age of today, more so when the stake is that large to hold the entire public within its domains. For example, managing an enterprise under the auspices of the public sector, aimed at dispatching passports for the locals of the area needs to be conducted in a very honest and truthful way. Since there are issues of terrorism and criminals leaving one country to another, proper checking and scrutiny issues need to be taken care of by the managers themselves. They cannot allow their subordinates to permit passports without complete verification procedures to be put in place. The role of managers is much more than that. Conclusion In the end, it would be appropriate to suggest that the wave of new public management is for the betterment of the public and it should not be done away with, under any situation whatsoever. The public sector organizations seem to benefit from such initiatives and more so when the responsibility lies solely with the leadership and management regimes. One must remember that the role of leadership is to instill confidence within the subordinates – the people who work under this leader yet remain loyal towards the organizational goals and objectives (Dudman 2009). Similarly, the managers possess the core competencies within any organization and thus look to focus on the strengths of not only their respective capacities but also the workers who work under them. The art of delegation and working towards a common goal lies on the shoulders of the management. Bibliography ASHBURNER, L., Ferlie, E., Fitzgerald, L. & Pettigrew, A. (1996). The New Public Management in Action. Oxford University Press DRUMMOND, H. (2000). Introduction to Organizational Behavior. Oxford, Oxford University Press DUDMAN, J. (2009). Vital debate still ticking over. The Guardian, 4 March HOOD, C. & Peters, G. (2004). The Middle Aging of New Public Management: Into the Age of Paradox? Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Vol. 14 HUCZYNSKI, A. & Buchanan, D. (2003). Organizational Behavior. London, Prentice Hall LANE, J. (2000). New Public Management. Routledge MORGAN, G. (2000). Images of Organization. London, Sage OSBORNE, S., Ferlie, E. & Mclaughlin, K. (2002). New Public Management: Current Trends and Future Prospects. Routledge Word Count: 2,083 Read More