Leadership for the greater good: A national conversation about leadership in Australia
After a reversal of trends in 2020, which saw an improvement in perceptions of leadership, leadership perceptions declined throughout 2021.
After a reversal of trends in 2020, which saw an improvement in perceptions of leadership, leadership perceptions declined throughout 2021.
Is there any evidence to suggest people of different ages have different expectations concerning leadership? We answer this question with data collected from the Australian Leadership Index.
In 2020, COVID-19 created a strong focus on leadership, placing increasing pressure on leaders to make decisions for the public interest, particularly at federal and state government level.
The year 2020 will be remembered as one of Australia’s most turbulent. The first months of the year saw many communities devastated by the bushfire crisis. With little respite, Australia soon faced the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a major disruption to the economy and people’s lives. Leadership across all sectors and institutions has been tested as it never has been before.
Overall, our 2019 annual report findings show a significant gap between public perceptions and expectations across all indicators of leadership for the greater good across government, public, private and not for profit sectors. Australian institutions are not living up to the expectations of the general public.
Transparency is a buzzword of modern leadership and governance. In the context of public concern about political and business ethics and low trust in government and business, improving transparency is one way in which leaders can restore public trust in their institutions.
There has been a decline in expectations that institutions should focus solely on creating economic value. Evidence of this trend can be found in research into corporate social responsibility and responsible leadership.
There is growing concern about the social value created by organisations, especially in the business sector. The literature on social responsibility, ethical and responsible leadership is another manifestation of this widespread concern for the social value created by organisations and institutions.
In the space of six weeks, the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden absence of partisanship from the political landscape have ushered in a focus on leadership for the greater good, the likes of which we haven’t seen for years.
The Woolworths Group proclaims it celebrates “family-friendly values”. The company announced yesterday it will separate from its liquor and gaming businesses. This should be welcomed as a bold step showing its stated commitments aren’t just PR gimmickry.
In a survey of 1,000 Australians, 35.4% agreed banking and financial institutions show ‘no leadership for the greater good’. Banks and financial institutions are seen as the most self-serving in the nation, according to a national survey undertaken by researchers at Swinburne University.
The Australian Leadership Index is the largest ever ongoing research study of leadership in Australia, by Swinburne University of Technology.
Click below to receive monthly leadership insights direct to your inbox, along with access to our member-only reports.