Leadership of the NSO Presentation: SADC Seminar on Organisation and Administration

1. Leadership of the NSO Presentation to the SADC Seminar on Organisation and Administration of NSOs Pali Lehohla Statistician-General, South Africa Luanda, 02 December 2006

2. Leadership • Leadership is a process of proactive social influence intended to change the behavior, beliefs or values of followers • Leadership is collective, relational and purposeful • Models and theories of leadership focus on • Leader as an individual • Leader and the followers • Leader, followers and situation • I will focus on the leader and the situation

3. Leadership Values relationships Low regard for positions Takes large risks Personal and caring Not receptive to the rules of others New ideas – high innovation Non-functional – inspire, motivate Management Values results Relates to positions Takes few risks Somewhat impersonal Conforms to rules of others Status quo – low innovation Functional – analyze, evaluate, solve Leadership vs Management

4. Leadership style

5. Character of a NSO • Data collection • Data processing, analysis and dissemination • Engaging in international comparisons as well as positioning a national statistics office nationally and internationally

6. Production and Utilisation Framework of Official Statistics Top Political Authority Planning Authority Mass Media Specialist Groups Resources Authority Statistical Authority

7. Transition Countries Change in Political system 2 yrs Demand for information Change of institutions 2 yrs Ends leadership Era Change in legal system2 years Change in Information Systems – 2-3 yrs

8. Transition Countries Change in the Information System – 10 yrs Monitoring and evaluation Developmental State Programme alignment in political system Means Leadership Era Demand for information Programme alignment in the legal system Programme alignment in institutions

9. Leadership of the NSO: the context • Keep open relationship with the political authority • Carving space for the role of the NSO: integrity • Positioning the national statistics system • Keeping leadership informed • Political alertness not politically aligned • Technical / intellectual competence • Social awareness • Satarical • Resourcing the agency • Short-term vs Long-term goals, clear goals

10. Creating a shared vision Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. …Henry Ford

11. Creating a vision: a broad vision 5 conditions for successful teams • Direction: a clear and compelling direction for the team and organization • Structure: a focused team with established procedures and norms of conduct • People: technically competent and emotionally intelligent members • Support: members are properly trained and their efforts are adequately rewarded • Development: team performance is reviewed and members learn from their successes and failures

12. Leadership: a personal journey The day I will have peace, I will know that I have lost power. …Simon Bolivir

13. Leadership: a personal journey • Leadership is a very lonely business • Personally trying, dividing, dangerous • What to do during times of crisis • Do not do it alone • Keep the opposition close • Accept the loses • Accept casualties • Accept responsibility for your actions • Act decisively: kill it, and kill it quick • Do not miss the underlying message

14. Leadership: a personal journey The 4-things principle for a leader • Hiring the right people • Make up for your shortcomings in the technical areas • Fire those not aligned to your vision • Taking risks: appreciating failure • You can never deliver a census without risks • Surviving your mistakes • We had problems with our CPI and turned it into an opportunity • When the cow is in a ditch, pull it out first before you start milking it • Delegating as much possible • Get others to help, statistical series are ginomous • Create space for yourself to chart the path for the organisation

15. Leadership: a personal journey Dismantling the legacy of apartheid • Leading the revolution : a collision course sometimes necessary • Determining the fate of the old CSS • Training an urgent priority • Addressing the apartheid space economy • Leadership anticipates: towards the new NSO • Leading change: Bringing in new leadership and Odett • Getting the census done • Getting the provinces to function: the necessary infrastructure • Modernising the office: necessary and appropriate technology • Leading & implementing the vision: tough job at the beginning, fulfilling in the end

16. Leadership: a personal journey The challenges • New leadership again, the storm • Anticipating the storm • Taking positions against the storm • Deploying into and destroying the storm • The new beginning

17. Leadership challenges • Technical challenge • Has to do with tactical choices • The problem is well-defined • The alternatives are clear • The impact is minimal and short-term • Adaptive challenge • Has to do with strategic choices • Sometimes the stakes are high • Ambiguity and novelty characterize the situation • Decision represents a substantial change and commitment of resources and even emotions • These choices occur rather infrequently

18. Decision-making Decision-making: a tool for organisational performance • Focus your team on task conflict, not relationship conflict. • Task conflict is legitimate / cognitive, it strengthens decision: decision effectiveness • Relationship conflict is affective and emotional, it wastes time • Consensus • Not about everyone agreeing: leader may even make a decision alone • “Diversity in counsel, unity in command”— Cyrus the Great • About implementation effectiveness