The modern public sector confronts myriad crises, which demand sound decision-making in turbulent systems. More and more contemporary problems reveal long-held systemic injustices, inequity, and the inadequacy of public policies to create genuine social change. Still, modern society considers pluralism and diversity as unimpressive and toxic. Public administration must prioritize the ethnic mosaic to contribute to practical and effective global policymaking. Transformational leadership proposes a cultural metamorphosis focusing on approach and values to achieve institutional effectiveness. This framework is relevant to contemporary public leadership as it concentrates on moral and ethical markers, dynamism in the global economy, culture as the backdrop of change, innovation through ingenuity and intellectual motivation, and optimal performance through public service inspiration. This chapter explores the potential of transformational leadership to promote diversity in the public room and build a just and impactful society.
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Policymakers are challenged by the demand to make some of the toughest policy decisions in the history of modern society. In recent decades the public policy sector has struggled with inaction, where policymakers fail to act to tackle public concerns (McConnell & t' Hart, 2019). Moreover, current crises have revealed inequity and deficiencies in public policies safeguarding marginalized populations, reflecting a climate of uncertainty among policymakers (Blyth, 2002; Boin & Hart, 2022; Bali et al., 2022; Capano et al., 2022). Extensive crises exacerbate social and economic disparities and the state's fiscal capacity (Béland, Jingwei He & Ramesh, 2022). One relevant example is the COVID-19 pandemic which led to widespread loss of income, lack of access to healthcare, isolation, lost opportunities, and increased global poverty among vulnerable populations (Sumner et al., 2020).
The pandemic alone led to a glaring increase in inequalities. OECD (2021) found that women's employment and income were impacted significantly, especially mothers, ethnic minorities, and people with low education and income faced a greater risk of infection and mortality, while youth unemployment increased by over 26% in OECD countries. The drive for diversity, equity, and inclusion is fuelled by a history of exclusion of these voices critical to the decision-making processes that directly impact them.
Though some progress in diverse representation in Canada's policy leadership is perceptible, many institutions still face the underrepresentation of women, minorities, and Indigenous leaders (Griffith, 2020). In the United States, while federal institutions incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion in their strategic plans, employees of color represent only 32% of the professional workforce and are underrepresented in the executive branch (Partnership for Public Service, 2020). The European public dismissed diversity as an asset to their region. Merely a third of the populations in Sweden (36%), the UK (33%), and Spain (31%) consider diversity as profitable (Pew Research, 2016). Moreover, France, Germany, and the Netherlands primarily regard pluralism as unimpactful. More than half of Greece (63%) and Italy (53%) view diversity as destructive (Pew Research, 2016). These prevalent mindsets signal persistent inequality and bias in the global space.