Trials, Tribulations and Promise of Measuring Leadership, Management and Governance: Lessons Learned to Date and Provoking Thought for the Future

Leadership development initiatives have been implemented in various settings to improve service delivery and governance. However, measuring the effectiveness of these initiatives remains a challenge. The Leadership, Management and Sustainability (LMS) Program, implemented by Management Sciences for Health, aimed to address this challenge through strategic evaluations. LMS Strategic Evaluations: Findings from Phase I The LMS Program conducted Phase I evaluations to assess the linkages between leadership and management and service delivery improvements. Key findings included the importance of leadership in strengthening management and governance. Effective leadership was found to enable self and others to set direction, face challenges, and achieve results. The evaluations also highlighted the role of leadership in mobilizing others to envision and realize a better future. The LMS Program used the Leading and Managing Results Model to guide its evaluations. This model emphasizes the importance of planning and using resources efficiently to produce intended results. The Challenge Model was also used to identify and address challenges in service delivery. For example, the Salima District Health Office Team in Malawi used the Challenge Model to set a measurable result of increasing Couple Year Protection (CYP) from 247 to 2500 by September 2009. The Challenge Model helped the team to identify the current situation, challenges, and potential solutions. The team recognized the need to increase the number of women of childbearing age taking family planning (FP) methods from 21% to 30%. However, they faced challenges such as limited knowledge of FP methods by clients, long distances for many clients, and regular stock outs of FP commodities. Linkages between Leadership and Management and Service Delivery Improvements The LMS Program evaluations found that effective leadership and management are critical to improving service delivery. Leadership enables self and others to set direction, face challenges, and achieve results. The evaluations also highlighted the importance of planning and using resources efficiently to produce intended results. The Challenge Model was used to identify and address challenges in service delivery, and the Leading and Managing Results Model was used to guide the evaluations. The Role of Leadership and Management in Strengthening Good Governance Lessons Learned in Mainstreaming and Scale-Up of Leadership and Management Capacity