Supporting Employee-led Networks as a leader

Employee-led Networks (ELNs) and their members can provide cultural richness, diverse perspectives and valuable subject matter expertise to teams, projects and to the mahi of the wider agency.

The Public Service Act 2020 strengthens and supports diversity and inclusion commitments. Supporting ELNs is one of the five Papa Pounamu priority areas agencies are working towards across the Public Service.

Executive Sponsors champion ELNs at the executive and senior leader level. They provide strategic guidance and systems context for ELNs. They work with and alongside ELNs to help them realise their vision and achieve their goals and outcomes.

Here we outline the purpose of the cross-agency and agency Employee-led Network Executive Sponsor.

Four key ways people leaders can support networks

Set them up for success

ELNs are most successful when they have visibility and representation at all levels and areas of your agency. 

How to set ELNs up for success:

Encourage executive sponsorship

• Include ELNs in diversity and inclusion strategies, plans and reports
• Allocate ELN-specific resources, for example, an annual network operating budget
• Tautoko (support) and encourage participation in ELN activities
• Include participation in ELNs in professional development plans
• Create opportunities for ELN members to share subject matter expertise and collaborate on agency-level mahi
• Get involved in ELNs. ELNs are for people leaders too! 
  
  

Objectives for sponsorship can include

• increase the reach and impact of ELNs to maximise opportunities to contribute to the maturing of diversity, equity and inclusion across the Public Service
• increase visibility and profile of ELNs for continued growth and engagement
• ensure the purpose and activities of ELNs align with the strategic direction and values of the Public Service.

Functions

The Executive Sponsor has two important functions: to provide strategic guidance and to provide functional support.

Strategic guidance examples:

• regularly update and champion the achievements and activities of the ELN to senior Public Service leaders
• at an agency-level, be a conduit between the network and senior leadership teams and at a cross-agency level, be a conduit between the network and Public Service Leadership Team (PSLT) and its governance groups or committees (e.g., Papa Pounamu and Rainbow CEs Champion group or other Pou Leads)
• find, create and enable opportunities for ELNs to contribute to or develop system-focussed work
• guide and advise the ELN to ensure alignment to Public Service strategic goals, outcomes and values i.e., political neutrality, conflicts of interest and role clarity as Public Service representatives
• guide and advise the ELN regarding context and political nuances of operating in the Public Service
• encourage and enable opportunities for collaboration between ELNs.
  
  

Functional support:

• review, endorse and support ELN activities and initiatives outlined in their annual plan
• review and endorse the ELN foundation documents eg terms of reference and annual reporting
• stay up to date with other ELNs and cross-agency ELN activities and strategic direction, i.e., read and note any cross-agency ELN reports.
  
  

Adding value through involvement in ELN activities

The Executive Sponsor should take an active and visible interest in the business and activities of the network. Visible involvement in activities raises the profile and visibility of the ELN, shows active allyship, and reinforces the value that ELNs bring to the Public Service.

Suggested involvement and activities:

• meet regularly with the ELN governance group/steering committee
• attend high-profile hui e.g., ELN annual business meetings
• provide a ‘listening ear’ to the goals and aspirations of the network
• value the feedback and ideas from ELNs.
• participate in ELN activities such as:
  • speaker events
  • conferences
  • workshops
• look for and make use of opportunities through senior leader peers to maximise reach and impact of their ELN across the Public Service.
• contribute to and endorse reports (e.g., annual report), policies and communications
• encourage, support, and enable collaborative, intersectional work between the ELN and other organisation and cross-agency ELNs
  
  

Qualities of an Executive Sponsor

An Executive Sponsor is ideally a senior executive leader. They may be a member of the ELT or SLT of the agency or at the cross-agency level a member of Te Ohu Tumu Whakarae i te Ratonga Tūmatanui | Public Service Leadership Team (PSLT) and/or a Public Service executive leader seeking to enrich or develop their

leadership skills through sponsorship of a network.

An Executive Sponsor should be a senior leader who has an interest in the network and whose role and professional values align with the kaupapa (purpose) of the network.

Lived experience as a member of the population group the ELN represents is beneficial but not mandatory. Awareness, understanding and empathy for the needs and aspirations of the people of the ELN is essential.

An Executive Sponsor practises and models inclusive leadership. They understand how they can use active allyship to advance the interests of the network for greater reach and impact across the Public Service.

How to select an Executive Sponsor

The ELN can identify and approach a prospective candidate, or the potential Executive Sponsor can reach out and offer sponsorship to the ELN.

When an ELN invites a senior to become the Executive Sponsor it’s useful if they provide them with relevant information to assist them with an informed decision. Examples of helpful information are:

• Terms of Reference
• Strategic Plan or Priorities
• Annual Plan
• Clear expectations about the support they are seeking from the Executive Sponsor.

Once the preferred Executive Sponsor has accepted the invitation, the ELN records the appointment in their Terms of Reference and communicates it to PSLT and the wider Public Service. They may also communicate this through their internal agency, the Executive Sponsor’s agency, Te Kawa Mataaho social media and/or other internal agency communication channels.

Cross-agency ELN funding

A nominal budget is available to cross-agency ELNs who make up the Tui Raumata group which they can use for activities such as running events and developing resources. Public Service Leadership Team members and their organisations which are committed to the Papa Pounamu Diversity and Inclusion priorities) contribute to the ELN budget by way of annual levy. Te Puna Huihuinga Kaimahi administers the budget and the ELN Programme Director approves ELN funding requests.

Where the budget does not cover the reasonable costs of an activity, ELNs sometimes seek further support from their Executive Sponsor. Agreement to provide additional funding is at the discretion of the Executive Sponsor.

Organisations ELN funding

Different organisations have different models for funding for network activities, this is something the Sponsor can help networks navigate.

Carolyn Tremain

Carolyn Tremain, CE Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment – Executive Sponsor of the Cross Agency Rainbow Network (CARN).

Carolyn is a visibly supportive Executive Sponsor. She attended and spoke at the CARN conferences 2021; she endorsed the work of CARN in a 2021 Diversity Works Awards video, and she has attended Rainbow CE (Papa Pounamu sub-committee) meetings in support of papers presented to the committee by CARN. Carolyn looks for opportunities to champion the work of CARN publicly and to her senior executive leader peers. This excerpt is her foreword from the CARN Annual Report 2022.

Mervin Singham

Mervin Singham, Chief Executive Te Tari Mātāwaka | Ministry for Ethnic Communities – Executive Sponsor Pan-Asian Public Servants’ Network (PAPSN)

Mervin is passionate about employee-led networks and has sponsored PAPSN since mid-2021. He meets with the network governance group, supports and enables them to run their events and looks for opportunities to highlight the intersectionality between networks. Like Carolyn, he never misses an opportunity to champion PAPSN and the importance of employee-led networks to his senior executive leader peers. This excerpt is his foreword in Whakapakari – the Te Kawa Mataaho newsletter for Public Service Leaders (March 2022)

He Rauemi Whaihua | Useful resources

Guides and information

Rainbow Inclusive Language Guide

Pronouns use in email signatures

Cross-agency ELN weblinks

Groups and professional networks

Diversity and Inclusion Executive Leads

Diversity and Inclusion Community of Practice

Tui Raumata (cross-agency ELN leads)

Note: Please contact us to connect with any of these groups