Against a backdrop of irresponsible leadership and ethical misconduct in our institutions, there is a growing need for leadership that serves the greater good.
The Australian Leadership Index is a new national survey that provides a comprehensive picture of leadership for the greater good in Australia.
Made possible by the generous support of the Graham Family Foundation, the Australian Leadership Index is nationally significant for a number of reasons.
It is the largest ever survey of leadership for the greater good. Each quarter, the Australian Leadership Index surveys 1,000 people across Australia about their beliefs about leadership for the greater good by Australian institutions.
This information is used to measure and track how the Australian community views the leadership of institutions across the government, public, private and not-for-profit sectors.
Our results also reveal how institutions differ in terms of leadership for the greater good, as well as the drivers of these perceptions, and what leaders can do to show more leadership for the greater good.
By making all our data freely available via this data portal, the Australian Leadership Index provides Australians with a powerful new tool to help bring forth the leadership we need for the future we want.
What is leadership for the greater good? What are the responsibilities of leaders, and what should they be, in order to show leadership for the greater good?
From a community perspective, leadership for the greater good occurs when the leaders of our institutions create social, environmental and economic value for their stakeholders and the wider community in a manner that is transparent, accountable and ethical.
In other words, leadership for the greater good is reflected in the
type of value leaders create,
how they create value, and
for whom they create value.
However, the precise meaning and community expectations of leadership for the greater good varies across institutions and sectors.
For example, the drivers of beliefs about leadership for the greater good in the government sector are distinct from the drivers in the business sector. Similarly, the drivers of beliefs about leadership for the greater good in the public sector are distinct from the not-for-profit sector.
Ultimately, leadership for the greater good involves leading with the wider public interest in mind.
The Australian Leadership Index provides powerful new insights into community beliefs about leadership and reveals what leaders can do to show leadership for the greater good.
The purpose of the Australian Leadership Index is to measure and track community beliefs about the practice of leadership for the greater good by Australian institutions.
Questionnaire design
Th Australian Leadership Index comprises 250 questions about the practice of leadership for the greater good by Australian institutions. The first set of questions are about the meaning of leadership for the greater good. The second set are about the value that institutions create, how they create value, and for whom they create value. The third set are about overall impressions of leadership for the greater good.
Sectors and institutions
The survey focuses on 12 institutions from the government, public, private and not-for-profit sectors. The government sector is represented by the federal government and state and local governments. The public sector is represented by the institutions of the health, education and justice sectors. The private sector is represented by small and medium enterprises and national and multinational corporations. Finally, the not-for-profit sector is represented by charities, trade unions and religious institutions.
The survey journey
The survey is administered quarterly to a nationally representative sample of 1,000 Australian residents. After answering some warm-up questions about leadership for the greater good, respondents answer a series of questions about their perceptions and expectations of leadership for the greater good by four randomly assigned institutions. Finally, after having reflected deeply on the leadership of these four institutions, respondents share their overall impressions of leadership for the greater good in Australia.
The project team comprises researchers with expertise in leadership, large-scale survey design and administration, and advanced data analytics.
Dr Sam Wilson is a Senior Lecturer in Management in the Swinburne Business School.
He has a PhD in social psychology from the University of Melbourne. Dr Wilson teaches leadership development to postgraduates in the Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship and conducts research with a range of industry groups. His research interests range from studies of beliefs about responsible leadership to psychological studies of mental health and wellbeing among entrepreneurs.
Dr Jason Pallant is a Lecturer in Marketing in the Swinburne Business School.
He has a PhD in marketing from Monash University. Dr Pallant teaches Data Empowered Marketing to postgraduates in the Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship, and conducts marketing research with industry partners in a range of consumer-facing industries. His research interests lie primarily in understanding the drivers of consumer perceptions and behaviour, and how these evolve over time.
Dr Tim Bednall is a Senior Lecturer in Management in the Swinburne Business School.
He has a PhD in organisational psychology from the University of New South Wales and is a registered organisational psychologist. Dr Bednall teaches HR Analytics, Critical Thinking, and quantitative research methods to postgraduates in the Swinburne Business School. His research interests include workplace learning, employee innovative behaviour and advanced quantitative research methods.