Public Sector Leadership

Introduction

Public leaders around the world are increasingly held accountable for outcomes they cannot achieve through their own organisation alone. Challenges such as social inequality, climate adaptation, migration, economic development and public-sector reform involve multiple authorities, sectoral expertise and community interests. Conventional command-and-control approaches are insufficient. Leaders must work across organisations whose representatives may operate under different mandates and incentives, hold unequal levels of authority, information and resources, and disagree about both the nature of the problem and the desired outcome. Changes such as new appointments or organisational restructuring, political feasibility, shifts in public values or technical recommendations, often occur following elections but also unexpectedly. The result is a highly challenging leadership reality. 

Additionally, there is often a gap between detailed procedures  and what work environments requires. Specific public leadership skills are needed to diagnose complex and adaptive challenges, understand systems, interests and power relations, and work constructively with elected and appointed officials. Other challenges that public leaders face are to translate technical evidence into meaningful policy choices, and to facilitate collective decision-making beyond hierarchical authority. Furthermore, they need to maintain trust and continuity when people and political priorities change, and uphold integrity and accountability in ambiguous situations. Developing these capabilities requires sensing, probing and repeated practice. This training is designed to equip participants with adequate tools and concepts, providing a space for experimentation, guided reflection and peer exchanges.  

After this course, participants will receive a professional certificate of completion from The Hague Academy for Local Governance.

*Professionals employed by a local government or by a local NGOs on the DAC list of ODA-recipient countries (OECD) may qualify for a reduced course fee. Contact us for details.

Ultimately, this course helps a diverse international cohort of public leaders turn fragile multi-agency partnerships into trusted, evidence-informed learning systems that can deliver results across institutional and political boundaries. The course equips managers and decision-makers with facilitative skills for collective progress. 

Experience

The course is designed for public and non-profit governance practitioners from a variety of national and local backgrounds. It includes a visit to a municipality and ministry in the Netherlands. The study visits offer first-hand insights on public leadership in practice and opportunities to exchange experiences. Based on the tools, concepts and international experiences shared, participants will draw lessons relevant to their own context. Participants will engage in a political-administrative negotiation simulation, stakeholders map activity, strategic visioning exercise, difficult-conversation role plays, and discussions based on participants’ cases. 

The five-day programme offers space for individual reflection, with participants’ own cases serving as a continuous thread. The trainers create a stimulating environment in which participants can practise specific leadership skills, test stakeholder engagement strategies and receive feedback. Furthermore, participants receive support in the development of individual back home action plans that are suitable to politically sensitive settings. An optional follow-up online session on participants’ cases will be hosted six to eight weeks after the course.