So what is involved in approaching something wickedly complex and involves many stakeholders with deeply held differing perspectives? Check out this presentation and consider whether the time is right to do something quite different. It might seem risky, but in our experience it is the least risky approach you could take.
Text of Twyfords collaborative governance pathway; when business as usual is never likely to get you there...
Twyfords Collaborative Governance Pathway 1st August, 2014 A new way for leaders and the community of interest to do business together on complex planning processes and wicked problems
Typical Complex Scenarios No agreement on the scope of the plan Lots of uncertainty, disagreement around the data No clear solution Many perspectives and ways to look at the issues Political leaders are very anxious Competing futures Values and ethical considerations important No clear path forward
No one entity alone no individual government (local, state, or national), corporation, or NGO can address the sustainability issues we face. No one has sufficient resources. No one has sufficient understanding. And no one has sufficient credibility and authority to connect the larger networks of people and organisations that real change must engage. Peter Senge The Necessary Revolution
Collaboration moves beyond shared agreements to become a process of shared creation the groups should create an understanding that didnt exist previously and couldnt be arrived at individually. Something is new that wasnt there before, including transformation among the collaborators. Zorich, Diane, Gnter Waibel, and Ricky Erway: 2008. Beyond the Silos of the LAMs: Collaboration Among Libraries, Archives and Museums (PDF)
"In these adaptive cases (ie complex situations), reaching an effective solution required learning by the stakeholders involved in the problem, who must then change their own behaviour in order to create a solution." Collective Impact- Stanford Social Innovation Review John Kania & Mark Kramer, 2011
deciding what can be influenced by the community and what cant determining the scope of the collaboration collectively assessing risks that certain interest groups pose to our plan identifying who has an interest in this plan so we can invite their contribution providing reasonable opportunities for people to provide feedback or input co-designing how we will work with the community of interest on this challenge trying to obtain feedback on the merit of various options we are considering co-creating possible solutions together considering feedback provided by the community & possibly making changes deliberating over possible solutions taking into account agreed criteria
Catherine Howe, @curiousc, via Twitter, 31st July, 2014 Complex multidisciplinary working Unlock collective wisdom Develop shared values No one person has the truth We will all have to walk away from the arrogance of professional knowledge and embrace humility in trying to shape a constantly changing reality Collaboration
Reverse logic Stakeholders support implementation 8 Stakeholders co-develop the strategy or plan Stakeholders agree how they will work together Stakeholders co-define what they want to achieve Sponsors believes collaboration is the way to go Stakeholders understand each others perspectives
Collaborative Governance
Practical tools for the process A decision-maker commitment statement A Complexitometer Appreciative stakeholder mapping tool Dilemma definition tool Governance arrangements Collaboration design template Processes for dialogue and deliberation Implementation template with roles and responsibilities
Iterative nature of Collaborative Governance Commitment to Collaboration Co- define Co- design Co- create Co- deliver 13
Leaders do not need to know all the answers. They do need to ask the right questions! Ronald A. Heifetz and Donald L. Laurie 1996 The Work of Leadership Implications for leaders
