Programs

Towards Strategic Leadership

Module I: Managing Complexity and Interdependence
27 February - 2 March 2012, Melbourne

Module II: Managing Change
21-25 May, Sydney

 

 

 

“Since completing TSL I have been moved to a new role. I am in situations of having to influence and collaborate across all levels of Government in Australia. The role is tactical, strategic then tactical again!

I often find myself (almost sub consciously) reflecting on the experiences within TSL as I grapple with the issues at hand. The TSL experience for me was one of reflection, learning and appreciating the power of adaptive approaches to ill defined and often rapidly morphing issues. TSL let me observe, assess and attempt approaches that I probably had not appreciated before.”

Program overview

The Towards Strategic Leadership (TSL) program is tailored to the needs of public sector executives, with the quality, rigour and intensity that make ANZSOG programs unique. Attending the program allows participants to more effectively address complex policy issues and multi-problem challenges that cannot be solved by technical solutions driven by one agency or indeed by government acting alone. They are challenged to reach beyond conventional approaches and do the hard work of instigating more far-reaching adaptive change within and beyond their organisations. Participants will be better equipped to work collaboratively across government and in other ‘shared power’ relationships. They are encouraged to develop into a reflective practitioner, a public leader who is able to step back, observe and critically interrogate not just themselves but the relationships, practices and processes they are immersed in. Such reflection is not a distraction from 'the real work' of strategic leadership: it lies at the heart of a leader’s capacity to be an innovative, mindful and nurturing force in the public sector.

Towards Strategic Leadership - 't Hart Interview WATCH

Who should attend?

Towards Strategic Leadership (TSL) is a program specifically designed for people moving from tactical into strategic leadership roles in government, i.e. people facing senior executive responsibilities for the first time.

Participant benefits

After completing this course, participants should:

  • operate successfully at the nexus of politics and administration within the Australian and New Zealand government systems
  • be equipped to effectively analyse and manage complex, intractable policy issues
  • be effective partners in holistic, horizontal, collaborative governance settings and processes
  • have the tools and habits for dealing strategically and reflexively with various forms of contingency, crisis and change in and around their organisations
  • have an increased self-awareness and self-confidence as leaders and team players
  • have learned and experimented with forms of adaptive leadership

Selection process

Applications for TSL are submitted directly to ANZSOG. The program has a maximum of 40 places, so not all applications will be automatically accepted. A selection committee will meet after the closing date to discuss applications and decide on the final cohort. This process will help to ensure that applicants meet all relevant criteria and are at the right level for the program. In addition, the selection committee will endeavour to maintain as much balance as possible across jurisdictions, departments and gender, in order to facilitate the process of cross-jurisdictional learning.

Academic Directors

Prof Paul 't Hart
Prof Paul ‘t Hart of the Australian National University and Utrecht University is the TSL Co-Director and has been teaching the course since its inaugural delivery in 2010. A Dutch Australian living in the Netherlands, Prof ‘t Hart was an Australian resident from 2005-2010 and is now Professor of Public Administration at the Utrecht School of Governance, Utrecht University, Associate Dean at the Netherlands School of Government, and Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at the Crawford School of Economics and Government, ANU. He is an Adjunct Professor at ANZSOG, where he also convenes an Executive Workshop on crisis management and the Leading Public Sector Change subject in the EMPA program.

A former associate dean of the Netherlands School of Government responsible for its MPA and Police Leadership programs, Paul taught and trained thousands of mid-career and senior officials within the public service, military, police and emergency services in The Netherlands, Sweden and Australia. Paul’s research, teaching and training activities focus on public leadership, political-administrative relations, crisis management, policy evaluation and public accountability. A multiple prize-winning author, Paul’s recent monographs and volumes include: The Politics of Crisis Management: Public Leadership Under Pressure (CUP 2005), Observing Government Elites: Up Close and Personal (Palgrave 2007), Governing After Crisis (CUP 2008), The New Eurocrats (Amsterdam UP 2008), Public Leadership (ANU E Press 2008) Dispersed Democratic Leadership (OUP 2009), the Real World of EU Accountability: Which Deficit? (OUP 2010) and How Power Changes Hands: Transition and Succession in Government (Palgrave 2010).

Robbie MacPherson
Co-Director, Robbie Macpherson, is an associate with Social Leadership Australia where he has been working since 2000. He began his career in the corporate sector with a range of major insurance, communications and engineering companies, moving to the non-profit sector in 1995 where he managed youth mentoring programs in Sydney and regional NSW. This work brought him into contact with young people in the juvenile justice system and allowed him to see first hand the complex social issues affecting families, young people and communities. Since joining Social Leadership Australia, Mr Macpherson has designed and delivered a range of innovative leadership development programs in the government, corporate, community and youth sectors as well as working as an executive coach in the corporate sector.

Other Faculty

In addition to Paul ‘t Hart and Robbie Macpherson, a small core of highly experienced experts (including current and former senior public executives) will be involved in delivery of the program. The program will employ a range of learning formats, including interactive case studies, peer feedback teams, and on-site action learning within organisations and communities.

Enquiries

Jane Durlacher
Faculty Liaison and Project Manager, Programs
T: +61 3 9035 3278