‘We’re doers, not thinkers,’ was the reaction of a UK government head of department to the idea of long-term strategic analysis. It was a reaction that would have resonated in many humanitarian organisations, focused – as so many are – on the ethos of practicality, immediacy and response. This is not to say that the humanitarian sector is not becoming increasingly aware of the changing environment in which it operates, and that a growing number of humanitarian organisations see the need for deeper understanding about the dimensions and dynamics of future crisis drivers and ways to address them. Rather, there is a growing unease, a deepening uncertainty throughout much of the sector about how to relate long-term organisational purpose to immediate operational needs and organisational survival.

It is in this context that strategic leadership will play an ever more important role for the humanitarian sector. The aim of strategic leadership is to foster and promote a purpose – based on abiding goals and values – that will transcend the pressures of immediate operational objectives and organisational requirements, while at the same time providing a guiding framework for them. The difficulty of this sort of leadership is compounded by the uncertainties and complexities that are hallmarks of the 21st century. In this sense, the wish of the 19^th-century Prussian commander von Moltke that his strategic objectives would survive even the most chaotic moments of the ‘fog of war’ is more than apposite.

The study on Strategic Leadership in the Humanitarian Sector is intended to provide practical insights into ways to foster strategic leadership and to develop the enabling environment that will enhance the impact of such leadership. The second phase of this study was completed in January 2010, and the penultimate version will be reviewed in November 2010.

You can download the project outline below: