A study of bridging leadership in Thailand produced in cooperation with the Asian Institute of Management. It examines bridging leadership among NGOs, academia, civil society, business, and national government.
The challenge of engaging people in the development planning process in Thailand has increased as the need for new approaches to social development has escalated since the early 1990's. One man, Khun Paiboon Wattanasiritham, has long been a champion of including local people in the planning process. He is perhaps more responsible than any other person for opening up the channels of communication and building the bridges necessary to blend a grassroots dynamic with the state planning aparatus. Khun Paiboon employed a variety of strategies and techniques, and eventually was able to craft a multi-sectoral, collaborative approach to development planning, which has resulted in more widely "owned" and balanced development programs. This case study focuses on his strategic approach and the other variables that shaped the process.
Bridging leadership is a style of leadership that focuses on creating and sustaining effective working relationships among key partners and stakeholders. By "bridging" different perspectives and opinions often found across the breadth of different stakeholders, a common agenda can begin to be developed and shared in order to solve social and economic problems.