Global Leadership for Sustainability: Essential Competencies for Leading Transformative Multi-Sector Partnerships

Abstract

Multi-sector partnerships (MSPs), as a collaborative approach to address complex social issues, have been documented in the literature for nearly forty years. Transformational MSPs, which accomplish system-wide change, are integral to accomplishing Sustainable Development Goal 17. While MSP research has uncovered some factors that ensure partnership success, leader competencies for these inter-organizational phenomena are underexplored. The purpose of this paper is to identify the leadership competencies necessary for leading a successful transformative MSP and, in doing so, propose that global leadership for sustainability (GLfS) not only encompasses these competencies but also incorporates and extends current approaches to the leadership of transformative MSPs. For context, we present an overview of the existing multi-sector partnership literature, highlighting how the field has evolved and the critical phases of its development, including a definition of a transformational MSP. This leads us to examine various leadership models that, taken together, specify the necessary and partner development competencies for leading transformative MSPs. We then demonstrate how the GLfS model can be used to facilitate the success of transformative MSPs for achieving system-wide change focused on sustainable development and the triple bottom line. Finally, we conclude by re-examining MSP themes and identifying avenues for future theory, research, and practice.