Researcher: Dr Samuel Wilson and Professor John Fien

The Swinburne Leadership Survey is the flagship research program of the Swinburne Leadership Institute that examines Australian’s beliefs about the nation’s leaders and citizens. Conducted in late 2014, the Swinburne Leadership Survey is a benchmark study and underpins our goal of contributing to the renewal of Leadership for the Greater Good in Australia.

The aim of the Swinburne Leadership Survey is to benchmark public opinion about:

• The trustworthiness and competence of leaders across different social and economic sectors
  
• The responsibilities of leaders in contributing to the Greater Good
  
• How well national political leaders are delivering on these responsibilities
  
• How Australians would like our leaders to address our major challenges
  
• The roles ordinary citizens can play as change agents or local leaders of change for the Greater Good
  

The Survey provides Australians with a rigorous snapshot of leadership in Australia and, over time, a powerful tool to measure the direction in which Leadership for the Greater Good in Australia is heading.

The inaugural Swinburne Leadership Survey and Index of Leadership for the Greater Good will be released in April 2015. The 2014-15 Swinburne Leadership Survey is a benchmarking study. The Swinburne Leadership Institute will conduct the survey annually in order to trace changes in Australian perceptions of leadership across different social sectors and to explore the factors that influence these perceptions.

The survey found that political leaders ranked below all other categories of leaders – business, union, religious, and community leaders - in terms of perceived trust and competence. Community leaders were far more highly thought of than the others on these two counts.

Community leaders were also seen as the most concerned about the wider needs of society and to take a long term perspective on problems. Conversely, political leaders were seen as more motivated by their own and vested interests than the greater good. They were also criticized for not balancing short term and future perspectives. Only trade union leaders scored worse on these criteria.

On a positive side, the survey tells us what Australians are looking for: We want leaders whose actions show us:

• That they are making decisions that are in the interests of all Australians and not letting the unintended consequences of any policy decision to unfairly impact on any one social group
  
• That they care for the long-term future of the country, including the needs of future generations of Australians, not just their chances of re-election; and at the same time
  
• That they are maintaining the infrastructure and environmental and governmental systems—the ‘commons’—upon which all economic and social development depends
  

Download the full report here.

Please contact Swinburne Leadership  on +61 3 9214 5717  or leadershipinstitute@swin.edu.au  if your organisation would like to participate in the tailored briefings program or would like to partner with the Institute in helping shape and develop the on-line platform or the design and implementation of the 2015 Swinburne Leadership Survey.