Third Sector FuturesDialogues hosted by TSRC

A strategic lead for the third sector?Some may lead but not all will ever follow…

Rob Macmillan and Heather BuckinghamThird Sector Research Centre

University of Birmingham

14th February 2013

About ‘Third Sector Futures’

Five headline issues:1.The worst of times?2.No longer a ‘voluntary’ sector?3.Is the third sector so special? What is it worth?4.Is the third sector being overwhelmed by the state and the market?5.A strategic lead for the third sector?

Process:•Discussion papers, on line discussion and seminars –

– Guardian Q&A 19th•Sounding board and further feedback•Autumn 2012 to Spring 2013•http://thirdsectorfutures.org.uk/•Please join the discussion!

‘Oh, hello… is that the voluntary

sector?’

Key themes: leadership across diversity

• A single sector? – conceptually and politically• Diversity and hybridity – fractures and fuzzy edges

• ‘Hyperactive mainstreaming’ and a ‘strategic unity’• Overlapping fields - a fragile and fragmented alliance

• Other players in the field….• Leadership in/of the sector – and the power of narrative

Emerging perspectives from research on national third sector leadership

Some concerns…

• Is it possible to speak for such a diverse sector?

• London/SE bias in national leadership

• Field specific leadership more important than sectoral leadership

But…

• Important role for national leadership in speaking into policy and public debates on behalf of TSOs:

– Local TSOs lack time and resources to influence policy

– Risk of self-censorship due to funding relationships

Emerging perspectives from research on national third sector leadership

Consequently, representation and legitimacy need to be taken seriously…

•Varied strategies and claims about representation (e.g.

membership organisations)

•Representation vs. principle/value -based leadership

•Importance of character and experiences of leaders

•Role of accountability and resonance

Strength in numbers: a new basis for third sector leadership in difficult times?

• Strategic advantages of ‘third sector’ label under New Labour

• Will the sectoral narrative/identity dissipate as opportunities to engage with and access resources from state diminish?

• Or could a new basis for agreement be found, around shared priorities amidst diversity:

– Promoting wellbeing and social justice

– Speaking truth to power

Questions for discussion

1. Might an increasingly fragmented sector lose its political influence when arguably it is even more necessary?

2. Was the third sector’s apparent ‘strategic unity’ a product of the Labour government’s policy and financial commitment to the sector?

3. Without that commitment and support has the need for such a ‘strategic unity’ now disappeared, or has it intensified?

4. To what extent does the sector need a leadership that is given authority by leaders’ values, knowledge and experience, compared with a leadership supported more by democratic mandate?

5. Is there a London bias in third sector leadership – and does it matter?

6. Should leaders base their views on evidence about the contribution of the sector, or should they be promoting sector values?

7. Are existing leadership structures and sources of legitimacy in the sector fit for purpose, or do we now need something different?