Public Sector Leadership Research in Australia and New Zealand: A Critical Assessment of the Current State of Play

Abstract

Van Wart’s (2013) public sector leadership study contends “it is hard to argue that the field is fully mature”, and, “fragmentation and conflicting nomenclature continue to be a problem, but at a more sophisticated level”. This literature review builds on this study with a two-fold approach. First, it assesses the recent research developments in the field across the New Zealand and Australian region. Second, it attempts to facilitate a dialogue between the scholarly and practitioner communities. The results reveal the disintegrated and disconnected state of the field. Finally, it calls for collaborative research amongst the scholarly research community across the Tasman, and a collective focus and responsiveness to address this continued divergence in the field.