Three in ten public sector workers think their senior management lack a clear vision for their organisation, more than twice as many as in the private sector, new research by Ipsos MORI reveals. Just over half think that their leaders have a strong vision for their service, compared to two-thirds in the private sector (56% vs 66%). So why do staff feel this way? It’s worth noting that public services have to work under particular constraints, tend to be larger and often have a different working culture to private companies. Government itself is also responsible – most private sector boards are free, within legal constraints, to run their business as they see fit. But in public services, new government initiatives and changes in policy are frequent, making it harder for leaders to set a clear direction.
Despite this, private and public sector staff do want the same attributes in their leaders. When asked to identify the characteristics that make a great leader, the most important skills according to both sectors are listening to staff and being a good communicator.
However, while nearly half of public sector workers say listening to staff is one of the most important skills, only a quarter feel that their own boss does listen to them. A strong vision also shouldn’t be kept under a bushel. Unfortunately, while 39% of public sector workers say that being a good communicator is one of the most important skills for senior management, only 27% report that this applies to their own boss.
Great leaders are able to articulate what their organisation stands for, and where it is going. The research shows that, with some notable exceptions, this is a key area for improvement for the public sector.
And this is just as important for Whitehall as for frontline public services. Leadership, along with strategy and delivery, is one of the three key components of the Capability Reviews that are assessing the performance of central government departments. Setting direction for the department and articulating a compelling vision for the future is one element being assessed. Of the seven departments assessed so far, only three are described as “well-placed” on this metric.
A new leadership framework has been set up by the government to answer this challenge, but it seems clear that public sector leaders will increasingly be judged on the vision they can bring to their organisation.
47% v 26%
The proportion of public sector workers who say that listening to staff is one of the most important skills a leader should have and the percentage who say their boss currently does listen
29%
The proportion of public sector workers who think that their senior management team lacks a clear vision for their organisation, more than twice as many critics as in the private sector (13%)
77%
The percentage of public sector workers who say that they have the training they need to do their job effectively, higher than the private sector where only 67% agree. Younger workers – people aged under 24 – are also much happier with their training than older ones
14%
The percentage of British workers in the public and private sectors who say that the leader of their organisation encourages staff to be innovative, even if some ideas don’t work
13%
The proportion of public sector staff who say their organisation does not put the needs of its customers first – twice as many as in the private sector (7%). Public sector workers who think that they work for a customer-focused organisation are much more likely to be advocates of the organisation and the services that it provides
48%
The percentage of British workers who feel inspired by their line manager. Middle-aged employees are the most critical
About the survey
This original research was conducted by the Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute on behalf of Serco. The aim is to provide insight into the key questions that those within public services are dealing with.For the leadership research 932 British adults in full or part-time work (including self-employed) were interviewed on Ipsos MORI’s Social Issues Omnibus. Respondents were interviewed face-to-face in their homes between 19-25 January 2007. Results are weighted to the profile of the population.
Ben Page is Chairman of the Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute and Gideon Skinner is Research Director
