Leadership Development
Many individuals exercise leadership in the modern city and successful cities foster dispersed leadership releasing energy and talent at all levels. Urban Answers works with senior politicians, chief executives, chief officers, councillors, agency heads, civil servants and community leaders to release talent through a variety of leadership and management development programs.
In all commissions we strive to enhance the skills and effectiveness of all those we work with.
A recent example of leadership analysis and guidance is provided by our study of Civic Leadership for the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance.
Civic Leadership for Auckland
The Royal Commission on Auckland Governance commissioned Urban Answers to prepare a Briefing Paper on ‘Civic Leadership for Auckland: An International Perspective’. Published in July 2008 this report puts forward a new conceptual framework for understanding civic leadership. It adopts a global perspective and examines the changing context for civic leadership as well as the shift from ‘government’ to ‘governance’. Based on a review of the literature and as well as current challenges facing metropolitan areas it puts forwards ‘pointers’ for civic leadership in the Auckland city region.
More Civic Leadership for Auckland
Urban Answers has experience of innovation in:
• Political management
• Member development
• Member/officer relations
• Strategic management for leadership teams
• Partnership working
• Neighbourhood management
• Community involvement
• Working with diverse communities
• Working with central government
In many situations success will depend on improving the quality of government as well as the quality of public services.
This approach – which we describe as new city management – differs from ‘new public management’ as we believe it is essential to treat people as citizens, not mere consumers.
The new city management approach was first outlined by Robin Hambleton in 2002 and is further explored in ‘New Leadership for Democratic Urban Space’, Chapter 12 in Governing Cities in a Global Era - published in November 2007 by Palgrave.
We work with various experienced partners on leadership and management development, particularly Andrew Holder Associates – www.ahaconsultancy.co.uk