Articles And Presentations By Don Dunoon

The first offering here is a video download of a presentation (20 minutes) by Don Dunoon on leadership and management to the 2003 NSW Annual Conference of the Institute of Public Administration, Australia. Click here to view video.

The first article, below, is a 25-page paper, the others are shorter pieces of up to 2,500 words.

RETHINKING LEADERSHIP FOR THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Don Dunoon, Australian Journal of Public Administration, 61(3):3-18, September 2002

Leadership and management are best thought of as a matter of competencies. Or are they? The paper challenges the current orthodoxy in Australia on this question, and suggests that leadership and management need to be regarded as reflecting opposing values. The paper also distinguishes between charismatic and collective forms of leadership, and proposes the latter as likely to be of greater value in a public sector context. A challenge for public sector organisations is how to strike and maintain a suitable balance between management for ongoing operations and leadership for deep-reaching change. Strategies for developing shared leadership capability are suggested.

Don Dunoon is grateful for the permission of the National Council of the Institute of Public Administration, Australia, to reproduce this article here.

LEADERSHIP COMMUNITIES: developing leader-managers for the twenty first century, Don Dunoon, Training and Development in Australia, June 2004, Pages 7-9

Imagine the concept of leadership without 'leaders'. It sounds strange, paradoxical. How can you have leadership without leaders? Then think about an organisation in which leadership is a property dispersed or distributed throughout the system, where everyone (or all managers and executives at least) is expected to provide leadership in ways appropriate to their role.

This idea of leadership as a dispersed entity is a valuable starting point for establishing leadership development programs geared to meeting the complex environments organisations now face. A contemporary perspective on leadership suggests people working together to establish current realities, clarify preferred futures, and build energy and momentum to make the vision a reality. From this standpoint, leadership development becomes a challenge of developing communities of leadership practitioners, recognising a need also to ensure that development efforts cater to the needs of individuals.

ENDNOTE, Don Dunoon, Boss Magazine, July 2002, Page: 66 (Australian Financial Review)

This article suggests that the so-called Karpin Report on leadership and management skills in Australia erred in failing to distinguish between leadership and management. Drawing on the work of Harvard professor, John Kotter, the article suggests that leadership and management reflect complementary modes of functioning, reflecting differing underlying values. Whereas leadership is to do with deep change or transformation, the management mode is concerned mainly with maintaining stability and regularity in operations. Being clear about the nature of the difference between the two modes is essential if the change orientation of the leadership mode is not to be overwhelmed by the predictability emphasis of the management mode.

RENEWAL THROUGH ATTENTION TO VALUES, Don Dunoon, Executive Excellence (Aust).May 1997 Page: 19

By treating values superficially, organisations may be underplaying a potent competitive weapon. Look inside any major organization and you will likely find statements of corporate values, often referring to desirables such as "our people", customer service, trust and respect, teamwork, and innovation. It's equally likely that, if you ask employees how much attention is paid to these values, the answer will be along the lines of "not very much". This article looks at the importance of an organisational focus on values and why organisations often fail to achieve such a focus. A broad strategy for becoming more values-centred is outlined.

LEARNING AND THE EXECUTIVE TEAM, Don Dunoon, Management (Aust. Institute of Management magazine), August 1995, Pages: 15-17

Many executive teams are not particularly good at learning. They approach learning in a haphazard way, rather than as a discipline requiring attention and practice. Just as sporting teams need to continually train and practise together, executive teams need to systematically work at "improving their game". Effectiveness in team learning is not something best left to chance. This article discusses some of the issues executive teams face in strengthening their performance, particularly in recognising and testing underlying assumptions or "mental models". Strategies for improving executive team learning are outlined.

THE VIEW FROM BELOW: UPWARD FEEDBACK AS AN AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF TEAM LEADERSHIP SKILLS, Don Dunoon, Training and Development in Australia, September 1993, Pages: 5-7

Upward feedback promotes managerial effectiveness by encouraging managers to become more aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Staff are often well placed to observe a manager's performance in a range of situations, and upward feedback assists managers to tune into the needs of their teams. This article discusses some of the issues arising with upward feedback, and proposes some guidelines for the application of upward feedback systems.

Note that Don Dunoon offers upward feedback and 360-degree feedback through New Futures Pty Ltd.