This GLOMACS 'Political / Administrative Alignment in the Public Sector’ training course will help you to navigate the ambiguities between political decision makers and management. You will gain contemporary insights to the political/administrative interface, ‘real time’ leadership strategies and practical tools to enhance your personal leadership success.

Failure to ensure clear roles, accepted ‘rules of engagement’ and well-designed processes leads to conflict rather than cooperation.  Join a timely discussion with colleagues to enable you to contribute to enhanced organizational and governance effectiveness in public service agencies.

This GLOMACS training seminar will highlight:

• The Public Service Paradigm – balancing efficiency and effectiveness
• The Core Government Functions – strategy, policy, services and systems
• The Political Realm – mandate of elected and appointed officials
• The Administrative Realm – responsibilities of managers and staff
• Leadership at the Apex – roles of Chief Elected and Appointed Officials
• The Interface – preventive and remedial relationship strategies

At the end of this GLOMACS training seminar, you will learn to:

• Recognize evolutionary aspects of contemporary public services
• Differentiate the political and administrative realms
• Appreciate the overlapping political and administrative roles
• Assess governance and administrative effectiveness
• Develop political / administrative alignment strategies
• Analyze and develop strategies to manage contemporary challenges

A highly interactive learning environment enables participants to:

• Explore contemporary organizational and government models
• Learn global best practices for governance & administrative excellence
• Apply diagnostic tools to identify ‘real time’ challenges facing participants
• Facilitate group solution seeking processes
• Present strategies to enhance political / administrative interface

The return on organizational investment involves participants being able to:

• Facilitate efforts to improve political / administrative alignment
• Develop policies and guidance for good governance and administration
• Coach others on the roles and responsibilities of elected officials and staff
• Help individuals and groups to find effective solutions
• Enhance their personal capacity to make a leadership difference in their organization

Participants will realize enhanced leadership capabilities to successfully:

• Assess and identify personal leadership aims for attention
• Navigate the political / administrative interface for a favorable organizational fit
• Facilitate group solution seeking to produce valued outcomes
• Align leadership style with organizational expectations
• Adapt leadership approaches as required for different situations
• Nurture effective organizational relationships

Elected and appointed civic officials in local, regional and national government such as:

• Current, newly appointed and aspiring Principal Appointed Officers
• Senior Managers interacting elected officials
• Professionals responsible for public service delivery
• Elected officials and Chief Executive Officials  
• Appointed Board and Commission members

DAY 1

Public Service Paradigms

– the prevailing effectiveness / efficiency paradox for public services is explored through government reform movement. This module is a building block for examining both the political / administrative interface and the essence of many contemporary public service challenges. 

• Understand contemporary organizational effectiveness theories
• Apply organizational models to the study of government institutions
• Reconcile effectiveness and efficiency aspects of public services
• Understand emerging government paradigms
• Articulate the impact of reform efforts on government leadership
• Appreciate different leadership styles and approaches
• Identify contemporary issues and opportunities facing government
• Facilitate group solution thinking to government challenges

DAY 2

The Core Government Functions

– the traditional notion of very ‘separate roles’ is replaced by a ‘overlapping role’ model reflecting ‘real time’ nature of political / administrative relations in the core government functions. A Framework is proposed as a diagnostic tool to identify activities and criteria to assess governance and administrative success.

• Understand the historical aspects of role separation
• Articulate conditions leading to the need for collaborative roles   
• Compare key elements of the dichotomy and duality models
• Utilize a framework to examine the political / administrative interface
• Communicate key sustainable government activities
• Develop clear expectations for good government
• Assess governance/administrative effectiveness
• Employ strategies to enhance organizational success

DAY 3

Political Realm

– the roles & responsibilities of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and elected officials are identified and examined in terms of key government functions. The Core Functions Framework is used to identify roles and expectations of elected officials.

• Understand the key roles within the political realm
• Identify the internal responsibilities of elected (or appointed) officials
• Explore the external role of individual elected (or appointed) officials
• Examine the role of chief executive officials (elected or appointed)
• Define key skills and knowledge for successful elected officials
• Determine key abilities and behaviours of successful elected officials
• Conduct an administrative review for efficiency and effectiveness
• Develop preventive and remedial strategies for governance excellence

DAY 4

Administrative Realm

- the roles & responsibilities of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and staff are identified and examined. Participants use the Core Functions Framework to identify roles and expectations of management.

• Understand the key roles within the administrative realm
• Identify the internal responsibilities of managers
• Explore the external role of managers
• Examine the role of chief administrative officer (CAO)
• Define key skills and knowledge for the CAO and managers
• Determine key abilities and behaviours of successful managers and CAO’s
• Conduct an administrative review for efficiency and effectiveness
• Develop preventive and remedial strategies for administrative excellence
  

DAY 5

Leadership at the Apex

– the ‘Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) situational fit’ and ‘Chief Executive official (CEO) source of influence’ are explored to understand the leadership imperatives of these two roles beyond positional authority. Participants will interview a CAO or CEO to get at the key qualities and competencies of effective civic executives.

• Review contemporary power models
• Analyze the ‘source of influence’ for CEO’s
• Explore contemporary leadership theories
• Articulate the ‘situational fit’ conditions for a CAO
• Understand the CAO/CEO relationship dynamics

Political / Administrative Interface (PAI)

– preventive and remedial strategies are shared to deal with and/or prevent relationship dilemmas between elected officials and staff. Participants will focus on personally observed ‘real time’ challenges. 

• Examine problem solving approaches and dilemmas
• Analyze the root cause of PAI relationship challenges
• Facilitate solution seeking approaches
• Propose appropriate preventive and remedial PAI strategies

Personal Follow-up

– take away ideas, tools and strategies to make a leadership difference. Participants will prepare a personal re-entry action plan. 

• Review leadership learning tactics
• Develop personal leaning aims
• Identify ideas to share with colleagues
• Determine strategies to implement in personal workplace

In Association With

Oxford Management Centre

A GLOMACS - Oxford Management Centre collaboration aimed at providing the best training services and benefits to our valued clients.

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