Understanding Six Water Leadership Roles: A Framework to Help Build Leadership Capacity

Abstract

This paper describes six leadership roles that often feature in processes of change that drive more sustainable forms of water management in developed and developing countries. These are referred to as the champion leader, enabling leader, cross‐boundary team leader, thought leader, strategic leader and trusted advisor roles. The paper also highlights some of the key leader competencies (e.g., skills) and leadership strategies (e.g., behaviours) associated with these roles. Understanding these roles can help to build the leadership ability of emerging water leaders and therefore the capacity of the water sector to drive change. It helps to ‘cut through the complexity’ of leadership development by providing a practical framework to identify which leadership roles are most relevant to a developing leader, and therefore the types of knowledge, skills, leadership models, case studies and leadership strategies to include in tailored leadership development activities. It also helps to identify which roles an emerging water leader is most suited to, and provides a framework to help analyse how people in different leadership roles typically work together to drive major processes of influence in the water sector. This framework is now being used to inform the design of water leadership development programmes around the world.

OECD Principles on Water Governance in practice: an assessment of existing frameworks in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and South America

“…The concept of 'water governance' gained prominence in recent years due to concerns over water as a societal risk, triggered by increased competition of use in a context of change (Woodhouse and Muller, 2016). Scholars have canvassed diverse views of water governance ranging from institutional analysis (Jager et al, 2016), to adapting managerial theories to environmental learning (Pahl-Wostl, 2009), and leadership (Meijerink and Huitmema, 2010;Taylor, et al, 2015). Some scholars question meso-scale policies while advocating global evaluation indicators (Biswas and Tortajada, 2010); others call for context-specific criteria in water governance (Akmouch and Correia, 2016;Correia et al, 1999).…”

Leadership and Self‐Help Initiatives: The Case of Water Supply Services in Morogoro, Tanzania

“…The current study aimed at examining the relationship between community leadership and community members’ self‐help initiatives in water supply services. As a result of the growing water scarcity and its associated problems, understanding the relationship between community leadership and community self‐help initiatives in water supply is necessary to accelerate access to water supply through good leadership practices (Taylor, Arriëns, & Laing, 2015).…”

Water and Energy Nexus: Who and How to Persuade? Analysis of Strategies for Emerging Leaders in Lao PDR to Achieve Integrated Urban Wastewater Management

“…Leaders can be categorised into two types: assigned2 and emergent3 leaders. According to Taylor, Lincklaen Arriëns and Laing (2015), there are sixi common types of water leaders in the non‐executive and non‐political leadership context, meaning those that do not normally have substantial positions of power or authority. This paper focuses on ‘emerging leaders‘, which refers to leaders from both categories (assigned and emergent leaders), who may potentially play any of the six water leadership roles and become more visible and influential.…”