Changes in the scale and scope of the public services we are able to afford in Wales are leading to reforms that will have an impact on an unprecedented scale.
The most recent Institute of Welsh Affairs (IWA) debate saw Leighton Andrews AM, Minister for Public Services, set out his vision for the future leadership of Wales’ public services. Chair, Professor Laura McAllister played a key part in the debate as a member of the discussion panel that followed the Minister’s keynote speech.
Here, Professor McAllister gives her thoughts on the evening and the implications for sport.
These are critical and in many ways uncharted times for public services in Wales. The debate on public services has so far been dominated by proposed changes to the structure of local government. Whilst this is important there is a much wider and more important debate that needs to be had, and how our public services are led will be a key element of this. The future of sport and leisure needs to be a central part of this debate if we are to create a Wales that is healthy and confident. To do this we must contribute and shape the direction of public policy, not passively wait for others to shape the future for us. At we can be confident that in some areas we are ahead of the game, in other areas we are going to have to refocus our efforts.
During his contribution the Minister offered a preview of what to expect in the White Paper that the Welsh Government will publish tomorrow (Tuesday 3rd February). The White Paper will rightly look at the role of our public service organisations and how leadership might be improved in the future. I strongly agree with this as an area of focus. I believe that the quality of leadership is central to the future success and sustainability of public services in Wales. Any public sector organisation that views this debate as being about others or not relevant to them are burying their heads in the sand. It is imperative that everyone across the public sector responds to the direction of travel and looks to lead their organisations positively during these times of change.
I believe good leaders inspire through their vision, thrive on challenge and put the positive impact they have on the communities they serve as their central guiding motivation. It is this principle that I believe is sometimes easy to neglect. It is all too easy to get caught up in the daily processes we have to navigate but the reality is that Welsh citizens tell us time and again that what they want are excellent services first and foremost. It is our duty to serve them, not to put our organisations first.
In sport we have a clear vision, which has been enthusiastically taken up by the wider sector. Getting every child hooked on sport and being a nation of champions provide us with common goals. However, the questions I constantly ask myself is - are we effectively working with others inside and outside of the sector to deliver these aims? Are we seeing the leadership across the sector to dismantle geographical, cultural, social and sporting barriers to achieve the maximum results for all people in Wales? These are not easy questions to ask or answer.
For example, do we have a joined up approach to developing physically literate children, regardless of the sport they play or their ability? Have we built the links with schools and colleges that will stand the test of time? Real leadership recognises where there is common ground and seeks to drive joint working to deliver more in a time of less resource.
Paul Williams, on the IWA panel, summed it up for me when he said that the public sector should not be satisfied with second best regardless of the financial challenges. The mendasar purpose of all our work and the decisions we make must be to provide people with a high quality service. At this means creating opportunities for everyone to enjoy a high quality experience of sport.
This is why we have based our work on the future delivery model for community sport not on what structures we have in the future, but around what will services will look like for individual citizens. From this point we can work back to what are the most efficient and effective ways of delivering sport. Yes, it’s going to be different and along the way we are going to have to make some difficult decisions, but that is the nature of strong leadership in challenging times.
Change will happen with or without us. The strongest leaders and organisations will embrace this fact and take advantage of the opportunities that sit in front of them. Now is not the time to shy away from the tough decisions by being conservative and opposing change because ‘that’s not the way we’ve done it in the past’. We need to be bold and use the best evidence available to us to make the right decisions.
We should look to our organisations and identify opportunities for our teams to collectively develop as leaders through the provision of clear succession planning and by being confident that at all levels we have people delivering and inspiring others. All of us in leadership positions are temporary custodians and it is our role to make positive advances and secure these for the future. Sadly, all too often we see someone make a huge difference in a senior post, but once they leave the organisation reverts back to ineffective ways of working. This cannot be seen as good enough. Effective succession planning is a key part of leadership. Are we effectively identifying those who could be the next leaders in sport? Are we challenging them and providing them with the right opportunities to learn from others, be they in the private, public or third sectors? These are the questions we should all be asking ourselves in the public sector.
Finally we must as a matter of urgency look at the diversity of our decisions makers and leaders, in sport and across the wider public sector. Progress has been made on this issue, but it is nowhere near the pace that I would like to see. At we have put considerable time and effort into recruiting a more diverse board. As a result of this I believe that we have a considerably stronger and better board now. The purpose of our drive in this area is not to meet targets or quotas (although I’m not opposed to either due to the glacial progress I see), but in recognition that a wider experience creates a better debate, which leads to better scrutiny and decisions. This is about having a business that reflects the experiences of its customers. I am fed up with people telling me they are unable to attract different people to their boards or leadership teams. My answer is they haven't thought about it intelligently and shown the right energy for driving diversity and therefore improve their teams. It can’t be achieved overnight or easily. It takes effort, time and an unshakeable commitment to changing an organisational approach. In essence it takes leadership.
I am unashamedly passionate about improving leadership in sport and the wider public sector. We can have all the process and structures we want, but if we do not have people in those positions with a clear vision, prepared to take risks and with a diversity of experience that brings different leadership styles I cannot see how we can move beyond the level of delivery we currently experience.
For the sport sector I think we have started on this pathway, but we need to quicken the pace. The world around us is changing and the threat is that we get left behind. No one should feel that the debates about the future of leadership in the public sector is something for governments and public sector bodies, it will impact on us all. We must rise to the challenges we face and set about developing leaders prepared to take Wales forward towards a healthy, confident and sustainable future.
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar