A relational perspective on public sector leadership and management

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss critical perspectives on what has become a dominant approach to public sector management and leadership in England and sets out a new conceptual perspective on leadership to improve this situation, namely a relational one.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of key literature on the topics discussed.

Findings

A new relational perspective on leadership and management is proposed, along with epistemological, ethical and practical considerations.

Research limitations/implications

The paper proposes this new approach to leadership and management in the public sector, but no empirical findings are discussed.

Practical implications

The perspective proposes that an explicit consideration of relationships and contextual factors should lie at the heart of leadership and management and all its practice.

Originality/value

This is the first time that a relational perspective on public sector management and leadership has been explicated.

Citation

Clark, M., Denham-Vaughan, S. and Chidiac, M.-A. (2014), "A relational perspective on public sector leadership and management", International Journal of Leadership in Public Services, Vol. 10 No. 1, pp. 4-16. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLPS-03-2013-0006