Recent research conducted by George Washington University, Center forExcellence in Public Leadership and LBL Strategies points to this conclusion: The#1 reason strategy fails in the public sector is
lack of leadership in executing the plan. In April 2019, several public and private sector organizations serving thepublic sector at the federal, state and local levels reached out to 5000individuals working in the public sector to query them on the root causes ofimplementation challenges in government agencies. Of those queried, 126 public sector leaders and managers responded to the survey, which translated into a 2.5% response rate with approximately 60% of responses coming from functional managers working in local government.
Lack of leadership andpoor communication were most frequently ranked as primary reasons forimplementation failure. When leaders fail to lead, measure performance andcommunicate effectively, culture erodes and implementation suffers. All leadersmust communicate, communicate and communicate. It begins with leaders andmanagers taking responsibility to share their personal understanding,commitment and long-term view to others within the organization.
To gain this level ofclarity, leaders must first understand the force-field of political andnon-political influences impacting implementation, including structural and culturalconsiderations. These considerations include short political cycles, humanself-interests, stakeholder expectations, lacking required skill sets and theresulting impacts of these influences on administrative and funding cycles.
For a complete overview ofour findings please download our research report, click here.
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