The ADM’s Sponsorship Mandate

Assistant Deputy Ministers (ADMs) are at the epicentre of federal transformation. They are the leaders responsible for ensuring that ministerial direction and deputy ministerial vision translate into tangible, lasting organizational outcomes. While Ministers set policy and Deputies manage the departmental enterprise, ADMs bridge political direction with operational execution by sponsoring transformation at scale.

Unlike Directors General (DGs), who focus on integration at the branch level, ADMs are accountable for embedding transformation across portfolios. This blog explores the ADM role in sustaining transformation sponsorship—balancing political responsiveness with bureaucratic continuity, providing visible leadership, and ensuring that change is not only launched but institutionalized.

The ADM as Institutional Sponsor

ADMs sponsor transformation in ways that are unique to their position in the hierarchy:

• Policy-Operations Integration: They align strategic direction with program delivery, ensuring reforms are not only designed but also implementable (Savoie, 2015).
• Stewardship of Resources: They allocate funding, people, and time, thereby enabling transformation to take root.
• Organizational Legitimacy: Their visible and sustained endorsement signals to staff that reform is serious, not optional.
• Continuity Across Political Cycles: While Ministers may change, ADMs provide a steady hand that sustains reform across shifting mandates.

Urgency and Patience at the ADM Level

For ADMs, sponsorship requires mastering the paradox of urgency and patience:

• Urgency:
  • Ministers and Deputies expect quick wins that can demonstrate momentum.
  • Staff watch ADMs closely for cues about whether reform is a “must-do.”
  • ADMs must drive visible progress to maintain credibility and protect reforms from political risk.
• Patience:
  • Institutional reforms unfold over years, often beyond a single ministerial mandate.
  • ADMs must temper expectations by emphasizing that transformation is a marathon, not a sprint (Kotter, 2012).
  • They must shield staff from burnout while sustaining focus over the long term.

ADMs who manage this tension effectively give transformation the space to breathe, adapt, and endure.

Sponsorship Responsibilities of ADMs

1. Set and Communicate the Narrative
   • ADMs must articulate the “why” of transformation in ways that connect to both political imperatives and operational realities.
   • They must repeat and reinforce this narrative consistently across forums, meetings, and communications.
2. Mobilize Middle Management
   • ADMs sponsor DGs and Directors, empowering them to lead reforms in their domains.
   • Without ADM sponsorship, DGs risk fragmentation or deprioritization of reforms.
3. Enable Resources and Structures
   • Reforms falter without sufficient capacity. ADMs ensure transformation boards, working groups, and project teams are properly resourced.
4. Maintain Political-Bureaucratic Balance
   • ADMs navigate between political urgency and bureaucratic stability, ensuring reforms meet ministerial expectations while remaining institutionally viable.
5. Demonstrate Visible Commitment
   • Staff interpret ADM visibility as a signal of seriousness. If ADMs show up only intermittently, sponsorship credibility erodes.

Challenges Facing ADMs

1. Ministerial Turnover
   • Frequent changes in ministers can destabilize transformation. ADMs must sustain reforms through continuity of sponsorship.
2. Competing Priorities
   • Crises, audits, and operational demands can crowd out transformation. Sponsorship requires deliberate prioritization.
3. Cultural Resistance
   • Deep-seated cultures may resist reform. ADMs must lead by example, embedding change in both formal and informal practices.
4. Short-Termism vs. Long-Term Vision
   • Political timelines demand visible results within months, while institutional transformation may require years. ADMs must manage both.

Effective ADM Sponsorship Practices

1. Embed Transformation in Governance

ADMs should ensure transformation is not treated as an “add-on project” but integrated into departmental governance structures. Transformation boards chaired by ADMs signal legitimacy and permanence (Lindquist & Wanna, 2011).

2. Use Symbolic Leadership Wisely

Public endorsements, site visits, and direct communication reinforce the seriousness of reform. Symbols matter: an ADM who regularly attends reform meetings sends a clear message.

3. Balance Quick Wins with Structural Reform

Delivering early wins builds momentum, but embedding structural reforms ensures sustainability. Both are essential for long-term credibility.

4. Build Cross-ADM Coalitions

ADMs often work across portfolios. Cross-departmental or inter-ADM coalitions can overcome silos and spread best practices.

5. Sponsor People, Not Just Projects

True sponsorship extends beyond initiatives—it means developing leaders who can sustain reform. Coaching and mentoring DGs and Directors ensures reform capacity cascades downward.

Case Example: ADM Sponsorship in Digital Transformation

In one department, a major digital transformation was launched to modernize client service delivery.

• Narrative: The ADM consistently framed the initiative as essential for improving citizen trust in government.
• Governance: The ADM created a transformation board, chaired personally, ensuring accountability at the highest level.
• Quick Wins: Early projects (e.g., digitizing forms) demonstrated immediate progress.
• Long-Term Reform: Simultaneously, the ADM pushed for structural investments in IT systems and staff training.
• Visible Presence: The ADM attended monthly updates, signaling personal commitment.

The result was a reform effort that survived two ministerial turnovers and became institutionalized as “the way we do business.”

Risks of Weak ADM Sponsorship

When ADMs fail to sponsor transformation, risks multiply:

• Fragmentation: DGs and Directors pursue disconnected initiatives.
• Invisibility: Staff perceive reform as a low priority.
• Volatility: Reforms collapse when ministers change.
• Erosion of Trust: Without ADM commitment, staff disengage from the transformation effort.

Research shows that the presence or absence of visible senior sponsorship is the most consistent predictor of transformation success or failure in public organizations (Fernandez & Rainey, 2006).

Supporting ADM-Level Sponsorship

Organizations can enable stronger ADM sponsorship by:

• Leadership Coaching: Helping ADMs refine sponsorship behaviours.
• Cross-ADM Learning Networks: Creating communities to share sponsorship strategies.
• Institutional Anchoring: Embedding transformation mandates into ADM performance agreements.
• Dedicated Support Units: Providing ADM offices with transformation advisors to sustain focus.

Conclusion: ADMs as the Institutional Guardians of Transformation

ADMs are the institutional guardians who bridge political will with bureaucratic continuity. Their sponsorship is essential to move transformation from announcement to embedded reality. By balancing urgency with patience, embedding transformation in governance, and sustaining reforms across political cycles, ADMs ensure that change is not only launched—but lasts.

When ADMs embrace their role as sponsors, transformation gains momentum, legitimacy, and staying power. Without their sponsorship, reforms risk becoming temporary initiatives that fade when attention shifts.

What’s Next?

Institute X partners with ADMs to strengthen sponsorship capabilities, ensuring transformation is embedded across portfolios and sustained beyond political cycles.

References

• Fernandez, S., & Rainey, H. G. (2006). Managing successful organizational change in the public sector. Public Administration Review, 66(2), 168–176.
• Kotter, J. (2012). Leading Change. Harvard Business Review Press.
• Lindquist, E., & Wanna, J. (2011). Delivering Policy Reform: Anchoring Significant Reforms in Public Sector Organizations. ANU Press.
• Savoie, D. J. (2015). What Is Government Good At? A Canadian Answer. McGill-Queen’s University Press.