Leadership for Sustainable Development
EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE PUBLIC
SECTOR
Jhaveri, Arunkumar Ganpatlal, Ed.D. Seattle University, 2006. 104 pp.
Supervisor: John Jacob Gardiner, Ph.D.
The purpose o f this study was to determine the extent to which the principles o f
sustainability and sustainable development were integrated by public sector leaders, as
part o f their effectiveness in the design, development, and implementation o f critical
public policy decision-making process, affecting not only the current generation but also
future generations. The dissertation research was focused on selected local and regional
government leaders in the Seattle/King County area o f the State o f Washington.
The research methodology used for this dissertation was a modified Delphi
process with limited two-step application o f in-person interviews with selected
public sector leaders, followed by their suggested respective case study examples o f
sustainable public policy decision-making processes.
As part o f the qualitative research protocol, nine pre-selected public sector
leaders were interviewed via a specially prepared questionnaire as well as through one-
on-one personal meetings. Although the focus o f this research was to sample the extent o f
sustainable leadership skills and traits o f the local and regional government leaders in the
Puget Sound region o f the State o f Washington, other public sector leaders from around
the country were also interviewed to increase the sample o f the database. The rationale behind the five questions posed to the leaders being interviewed was to identify any
missing links or voids in their respective styles of leadership with or without the effective application o f the emerging sustainable development tools and resources.
The primary findings about sustainable leadership qualities that emerged from the
interviews were that the leaders were somewhat aware o f the sustainability principles and
directly incorporated the triple bottom-line and triad o f sustainable development into their
respective governance responsibilities: economic prosperity, environmental stewardship,
and social justice.
The selected three case studies emerging from this study exemplified the distinct
long-term societal benefits o f effective leadership for sustainable development in the
public sector.