Session: Central Transformation vs. Local Resilience:

Transformational Government Leadership during Turbulent Times

LEADERSHIP FORTHE TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT

Sofiane Sahraoui, Institute of Public Administration,25 -26 June 2013

Bahrain

UNITED NATIONS PUBLIC SERVICE FORUM WORKSHOP 7

LEADERSHIP FOR THE TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT

LEADERSHIP FOR THE TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT

Anecdotal Context: Jan 14th 2012

• Basic municipal services in Tunisia continued in many parts of the country• Birth, death, residency certificates and authentication

services were offered• Electricity, water, and other basic services continued

uninterrupted• Most central government services came to a halt for

a whole week• Turbulence is better absorbed if more government is

devolved locally

LEADERSHIP FOR THE TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT

Anecdotal Context: Post-14 Jan

• Only basic municipal services continued to run• Garbage collection is irregular• Municipal taxes, building permits, etc. are virtually suspended• Municipal councils axed out after revolution• Municipal elections not to be held before 2014

• Central government back to work• Strong resistance to calls for transformation• Increased bureaucracy and resistance to decentralization• Disempowerment of local government• Minister of State for Administrative Reforms resigned at

the end of June 2012 and was not replaced since

LEADERSHIP FOR THE TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT

Govt. Resilience vs. Govt Transformation

• Local Government resilience ensured the continuity of the State

• Central Government resistance to transformation is hindering the State from fulfilling expectations of people post-14 Jan change• Only quarter of approved investments in the regions were

implemented in 2012• Increased bureaucracy• Roll-back of devolvement to the regions

• How to make government transformative to fulfill post-Jan 14th expectations? To ensure local government enhanced resilience during turbulent times?

LEADERSHIP FOR THE TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT

Is e-Government a Solution?

• e-Government provides a platform to set-up the t-Government but cannot be transformative in itself

• Efficiency effects of e-Government will peak when the government becomes fully transactional

• Beyond the transactional stage, government transformation should occur within Government departments and not within a standalone e-Government entity

• This rupture in the e-government model provision from e to t requires leadership in both sides (e-government and government departments)

LEADERSHIP FOR THE TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT

FROM E-GOVERNMENT TO T-GOVERNMENT

- The challenge ahead is not just to “do IT better” in the context of the past models fordelivery of public services. It is also about “doing IT differently” to support the next phase of public service reform- t-Government is an end in itself and not a means to an end (t-government is government whereas e-government is not)

LEADERSHIP FOR THE TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT

Model of t-Government

• eGov models based on technological capabality

• t-Gov needs to integrate citizens, economic, political, and civil society entities into its value chain (supply chain)

• New governance covenant• Back-office administrative processes are

transformed into front-office pull-based value-added services

LEADERSHIP FOR THE TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT

Cornerstones of t-Government

• Transformational Leadership• Democratic legitimacy• Negotiated effectiveness• Devolved Government• Citizen-centricity/engagement• Shared services culture• Professionalism

LEADERSHIP FOR THE TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT

The Case of T-Government

LEADERSHIP FOR THE TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT

T versus e-Gov

Citizen

Business

Integrated Service Delivery

Process Integration

Shared Service Culture

Management ofChange

TransformationalLeadership

& Professionalism

Tran

sfor

mati

onBenefit Realization

LEADERSHIP FOR THE TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT

Leadership Aspects of the t-Government• How is government transformational?• What strategies can governments develop to enact

t-Government?• What type of leadership is required for the

transformational government?• How to engage citizens and other stakeholders in

the t-government?• Which and how IT platforms (e-government)

support t-government?• Is t-government an automatic trajectory of e-

government?

LEADERSHIP FOR THE TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT

Leadership Aspects of the t-Government

• How do political leaders influence the dynamics between the various stakeholders in a community, the policy structures and the overall direction of the t-government development agenda?

• What are the changes in the governance and government institutions, community decision-making and participation, that leadership has to spearhead to bring to life t-government?

• What leadership styles and how leaders serve as catalysts for transformational government capacity development?

• What policy/Research Agenda is necessary for the t-Government?

LEADERSHIP FOR THE TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT

Leadership Aspects of the t-Government

• How can leaders help create learning environments for the transformational government?

• How can they harness the diversity of views and ideas, and the positive energies within their stakeholder groups?

• What skills do they need to bring their constituencies along to a shared vision about a sustainable future and an agreed plan of action for attaining it?