Definition and Dimensions of Leadership

Leadership is a tool to move society from one (steady) state to another; it is inherently about change. Leaders play a key role, not only as visionaries and models of integrity in their individual capacity, but also institutionally, in defining, energizing and seeing through reform. An exact definition of leadership is not only a difficult task, but is not necessarily useful. It is, however, valuable to lay out dimensions of leadership for operational action and for assessing impact of the specific interventions.

Vision, Effectiveness and Integrity are at the core of effective leadership. These dimensions of leadership are crucial for small and large scale change and toward achieving capable and accountable states that produce sustainable results. World Bank leadership activities focus on each of these three dimensions:

1. Vision Dimension - Transform a Vision into Reality: capacity to engage various constituencies to produce a shared vision of the future, identify realities to be addressed to reach the shared vision and change.
   
   
   • World Bank support to Madagascar Presidency to create and implement a new PRSP (Madagascar Action Plan 2007-2012). Read more in A Leadership Approach to Achieving Change in the Public Sector, the Case of Madagascar, January 2007
     
2. Effectiveness Dimension – Technical and Managerial Skills: capacity to: (i) diagnose underlying problems/issues; (ii) prioritize among multiple and competing challenges; (iii) find solutions; (iv) mobilize stakeholders; and (v) implement their capacity to govern and build more effective institutions and organizations.
   
   
   • The Rapid Results Initiative has been implemented in three countries in Africa: Madagascar,  Rwanda, and Sierra Leone.
     
3. Integrity Dimension – Embody Values, be a “Role Model”: commitment to serve the public good, to personify individual and professional ethics, and to champion accountability relationships that inspire mutual trust in institutions, communities, and society as a whole.
   
   
   • At the global level, the World Ethics Forum was organized by the World Bank in Oxford (2006)
     
   • At the national level, the World Bank was involved in building Kenya’s ethics infrastructure (codes of conduct, etc), organizing a workshop in Egypt to openly discuss corruption with government staff from the police, intelligence agencies, Central Audit, other key finance departments.