Leading initiatives across ministries, jurisdictions or sectors
is becoming increasingly important as mounting pressure to deliver
more service for less cost forces governments to integrate their
systems and service delivery functions. These integration
initiatives are more complex than internal projects.
They involve a myriad of stakeholders, and are executed in an
environment of continual change.
This presentation addresses the challenges inherent in leading
complex cross-organizational projects and presents solutions from
the trenches. In 2003, a commissioned study by Starfield Consulting
for the Ontario Government on "horizontal projects" identified
leadership as a critical component. In response to this important
finding,
Starfield undertook an in-depth research initiative to define
the role of leadership in the successful implementation of
horizontal projects.
Starfield's research project delves beyond theoretical
frameworks to explore real-life examples. Extensive interviews with
40 senior leaders in the Healthcare and Public sectors focuses on
identifying and describing the leadership qualities and functions
that are instrumental in achieving success. In addition, it
delivers important details as to how these elements were
implemented in real initiatives.
Initial response to the research from the industry is
enthusiastic, and reflects a sense of need for the information
revealed through the study.
Through this presentation, Starfield Consulting challenges and
guides leaders to take ownership of their initiatives and raise
them up to peak performance. It reveals tools for attaining a real
commitment to results in horizontal environments where leaders may
not possess formal authority over project participants.
The presentation profiles forward-thinking leaders of horizontal
projects who exhibited a transformational leadership style based on
a personal commitment to their vision. It demonstrates how many of
them stepped outside the traditional bounds of their positions and
their industries to create unique solutions to the significant
challenges they faced.
