Following the mob? How diversity as dogma can damage public services

The OECD working paper on ‘Leadership for a high performing civil service: Towards senior civil service systems in OECD countries’ states that diversity among public service leaders is a business imperative that leads to ‘improved governance outcomes’. At best, the empirical evidence for this claim is mixed; at worse—it contradicts the OECD’s claim. This article demonstrates how fraudulent orthodoxy can weaken public service leadership, impair governance systems and undermine accountability structures. If the role of public service leaders is, as the OECD states ‘to keep citizens healthy, safe and economically productive’, evidence rather than ‘following the mob’ should be paramount when seeking to recruit and retain a public service that is fit for purpose. This article offers insights for those with an interest in practical arrangements for leadership, governance and accountability that promote positive outcomes for citizens.