Book Review: Mission Driven Bureaucrats – Empowering People to Help Government do Better

For many of us, one of the crucial changes we want to see in the system is for specific public servants to become more skilled, knowledgeable, and responsive to the needs of the women and girls they are mandated to serve. According to Dan Honig, for that meaningful change to occur, public servants must be empowered themselves. This is the core argument of his book, Mission Driven Bureaucrats: Empowering People to Help Governments Do Better.  

In the book, Honig presents a compelling argument for transforming the way public servants are managed using an approach he calls “managing for empowerment.”  He contrasts this approach with the more traditional method of “managing for compliance,” which relies heavily on monitoring and external incentives to ensure accountability. He argues that such a system, while aiming for accountability, often fails to trust and uplift public servants. This lack of trust can trickle down, causing public servants to treat citizens with the same suspicion and rigidity they experience from their superiors.

Managing for empowerment provides autonomy, fosters competence, and strengthens connections with peers and the organization’s mission. He asserts that public servants excel when they are trusted and empowered, leading them to form genuine commitments to their work and the people they serve. This paradigm shift, he argues, transforms accountability from a mere compliance measure into a deeper, intrinsic commitment to beneficiaries.

Honig acknowledges the concerns about losing accountability without stringent compliance measures. However, he clarifies that the distinction between empowerment and compliance isn’t about the presence of accountability, but rather its nature. He poses critical questions: Are employees motivated solely by external rewards and punishments, or are they driven by a sincere dedication to their roles and responsibilities?

Ultimately, Honig’s message resonates intuitively: the management style one experiences significantly influences one’s motivation and behavior. If we seek to enhance the responsiveness and effectiveness of civil servants, particularly in addressing the needs of women and girls, we must advocate for a government management style that empowers its employees. Honig’s book provides substantial evidence that managing for empowerment can indeed lead to better outcomes in public service.

Honig, D. (2024). Mission Driven Bureaucrats. In Oxford University Press eBooks. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197641194.001.0001