Stretching Community Dollars - Model Cooperative Process (Part 1)

7/28/2019 Stretching Community Dollars - Model Cooperative Process (Part 1)

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Chapter 3, Model Cooperative ProcessIChapter Ill model Process

This chapter describes a model process for cooperation.Some communities may be fairly fa r along in their cooperativeinitiatives when they pick up this workbook. If so, feel free tobrowse through it until you find the right starting place. However,we encourage you to read the Tasks and tips in the early sectionseven if you don't do all of the exercise. You may identify someideas that are relevant.All ofthe exercise sheets are included separately in the Appendicesas well as within the text in case you want to copy them. A diagramof the Key Tasks of the Model Process is on the following page

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mODEL COOPERHTIUE PLHnnlnG PROCESS

A Make a list of two orthree key people inyour organization withwhomyou want todiscuss your ideas forgreater cooperation.B Hold a scoping meetingwith your key people tofurther develop yourspecific ideas or brain-storm possiblecooperative ideas and

identify potentialbenefits from coopera-tionc. Make a list of theother relevantgovernmentalorganizations toinvolve in thediscussionD. Develop an outreachstrategy for involvingthe other govern-mentsE. Brief your governingbody and securetheir support toimplementthe recommendedoutreach strategywith the othergovernments

F. Implement youroutreach strategy withother governmentsG. Make a list of past andcurrent cooperativeefforts among yourgovernment partnersH. List the reasons why youbelieve some of thecooperative initiativeswere successfulI. list the challenges andbarriers to successfulcooperation that had tobe addressedJ. Identify current priorityissues affecting eachorganizationK. Identify the core valuesor interests that will beimportant to eachorganizationL Develop a preliminarylist of future cooperativeopportunitiesM. Make preliminaryassessment of how wellthe ideas for cooperationmeet the values andinterests of the groupN. Talk about differentstrategies of how toproceed0. Conduct technical andpolitical scanP Prepare project organiza-tion planQ. Prepare outreach strategyR Brief your governingbodies and seek support

s.Tu.v.w.

Decide WhatTo Do

Set up organizationstructureConduct feas ibilityresearchPrepare animplementation planPrepare reportDecide wh ich opportuni-ties to recommend forimplementation

Implement

X. Bief yourgoverning bodies andseek their approval forthe recommendationsY Monitor andmaintain yourprograms over timeL Celebrate and publicizeyour successes


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Chapter 3, Model Cooperative Process

Step 1. Gel started Within Your OganizationWhere should you start? The seeds of cooperation are usually traced toan idea from a motivated person in a key position, or a conversationbetween a small number oflike minded people from different organizations. If you are reading this workbook, the odds are high that you areone of these people in your community.These early activities are very important. Many ideas presented in thisworkbook imply by their very nature that the way organizations do business today should change. Change causes controversy. These ideas mustbe pursued with sensitivity, particularly in their infant stage. Any mean-ingful idea for intergovernmental cooperation will require the supportand approval of the policy makers of all re levant organizations: the electedofficials, chief administra tive officer, and possibly key departmentheads.Doing something that matters without the involvement of these peopleis not possible. So make sure they are involved early.Here's a checklist of things you might want to do to get the discussionstarted. Although the communication and analytical Tasks are in a par-ticular order for a reason, each situation is different. Based on yourlocal circumstance you may decide that a different order will be better.However, be sure to do everything on this checklist before going on tothe next Task

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Task fl

"The first presentationof the concept or ideahas to be within yourown organization withyour Superintendentand with key membersof your staff. If youhaven't done sufficientstaff-work toget full buy-in andsupport from youradministration beforegoing out to anotheragency, you're doomedfor failure." GeneHartline, AssistantSuperintendent ofBusiness Services,Paramount UnifiedSchool District

TaskB


Imakea ist oftwo or three keypeople Inyour organization with whom you wantto discuss your Ideas forgreatercooperation.These people should include the Chief Executive Officer (e.g., SchoolSuperintendent, City Manager, County Administrative Officer) andan elected official, most probably the lead elected official (e.g., Mayor,School Board Chair, Chair of the County Board of Supervisors).

exerciseexerc1seexerc1seElected Official(s)

Staff

Key People in Your Organization for StartingDiscussions About Intergovernmental Cooperation

(Form A)

Ifold ascop/ng meeting with your key people to further deuelop your spec/DeIdea or brainstorm possible cooperative Ideas and lderitlfy potential benefitsfrom cooperation.The purpose of this meeting is to decide whether the key people findvalue in engaging other governmental partners directly in the discussion.Make a list of areas in which cooperation might benefit the people youserve. Next to each idea briefly note the types of benefits you might

expect (e.g., cost savings, better quality service, etc.). The partial list ofcooperative activities California governments are conducting today onthe next page can be used to stimulate ideas. The case studies throughoutthis workbook should also help



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Task 8, cont.Chapter 3, Model Cooperative Process

I t may help you to think about cooperative possibilities in the followingcategories: Facilities: a facility may be large and flexible enough that different

organizations can use it at the same time, or different organizationsmay use the same facility at different times;

Programs: organizations may have complementary staffskills thatcan be integrated to jointly deliver a program, or complementaryprograms of different organizations might be located and/or promotedtogether;

Land Use Plans: long-range school facility and city or county landuse plans can be coordinated in a number ofways, including ensuringadequate school capacity for planned growth, good location for schoolsto foster community livability and smart growth, and co-locatingparks and school playgrounds; and

Administrative Procedures: organizations may benefit fromcombining or coordinating certain administrative procedures suchas staff training and equipment purchasing

Make your preliminary list of cooperative ideas on the next page. Youdon't have to be certain it's a good idea to place it on the list. And don'tworry if you're not sure which category to put it in . Make your bestestimate and keep moving



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Table 1Examples ofCooperativeActivities inCalifornia

Facilities: Co-location ofparks, swimmingpools, librariesand/or schools Sharing maintenanceyards Joint constructionof gymnasiums and

community centersPrograms and services: Library services

I After-school programs

i

Health care Graffiti abatementDARE School securityland Use Planning: School siting Neighborhood

Revitalizat ion! Administration:! Jo int purchasing,bidding and, contractingI Sharing1 maintenanceresponsibilities

exerciseexerctseexerctseFacilities

Programs and services

Land use planning

Administration


Preliminary List of Cooperative Ideas(Form B)

You may already know exactly what you want to do , and maywonder whether there is any benefit from taking the time tothink about all of the other possibilities for cooperation.You mayI t skip this Task if you wish, but we encourage you not to. WhilellJJ you may have a great idea, there may be an even better onethat you haven't thought of yet. And there may be synergiesbetween your idea and other ideas. You may decide it's smartto pursue multiple ideas, whether they are interrelated or not.There may be strategic reasons to implement a different ideabefore your original idea.

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TaskCChapter 3, Model Cooperative Process

I akea ist of he otherrelevantgovernmental organizations to lnuolue In thediscussion.In a simple case the geographic boundaries of the governments (city,county and school district) are identical, making it easy to identify whichgovernments to initially include in an exploratory discussion oncooperation. But this situation virtually never occurs. Many citiescontain multiple school districts, school dist rict boundaries often crosscity and county lines and so on. There is no universal formula for doingthis. Start by making a (possibly long) list of all governments who arepotential partners.

e ~ e r c i s eexerc1seexerctseSchool Districts12.3.4Cities1.2.3.4.Counties1.2.3.4.

Governments to Include in Cooperative Pursuits(Form C}

Other (Community Colleges, Special Districts, etc.)1.2.3.4.If it is a long list, shorten it by placing a check next to a smaller list ofthe governments you think would be most affected by the ideas youseem likely to explore. Shortening the list at this time does not meanyou won't include more (pqssibly all) of the rest of the governments atsome time. But it is often easier to start small.

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Task D

: t h i s -area are largelyI dependent upon thephilosophy andattitude of aninstitution's leaders."Jon Sharpe, ViceChancellor of th eState CenterCommunity CollegeDistrict


I Develop iln outreilchsfrilfegy for involving the other governments1. Make a list of two or three key people who you think should be in

volved from each of the other governments on your short list. Theirresponsibilities should probably mirror those of your organization'sinformal discussion group (a t least one elected official, the high ranking staff).

exerciseexerc1seexerc1seKey People From Other Governments

(Form 01}

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Government Elected Official(s) Staff

This is a good time to start thinking about a press strategy. Placingan agenda item or intergovernmental cooperative on your

#. meeting agenda may generate a phone call from the press(/p prior to the meeting, a story following the meeting,or both.This early press is high risk. Even if it is positive it can causeconcerns with your prospective partners. They won't want to

"read it in the paper first." It is best to try to keep the early stages ofcooperative initiatives from drawing a lot of press attention. Try towork with the press to keep them informed, but avoid major articlesuntil you have developed a surer footing.



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2. Think about the best way to make initial contact with the othergovernments. The "correct" answer will be unique for nearly everycircumstance. Sometimes there are strong personal relationshipsbetween elected officials, chief administrative officers, or depart-ment head staff. Sometimes there is established protocol thatshould be followed. Briefly describe your recommended approachfor contacting each government.

exerciseexerc1seexerc1seGovernment1.

2

3.

4.

5.

6.

Outreach Strategy for Inviting Other GovernmentsTo Pursue Cooperative Initiatives{Form 02)

Strategy

Key policy makers can change often. You may be dealing with a cast of~ r f p new faces with little guidance from how things have been done(JJ in the past. In these cases, in particular, don't overlook the supportpersonnel. Sometimes secretaries have outlived numerous bossesand will have valuable suggestions about the most effective way

to communicate with their organization.Stretching Community Dollars: Cities, Counties, and School Districts Building for the Future- Page 44


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Task EChapter 3, Model Cooperative Process

I riefyour governing body and secure their support to Implement therecommended outreach strategy with the othergovernments.Schedule a briefing with your elected body to present the results ofyourthinking and seek their support to broaden the discussion to the othergovernments. Initiatives such as this can take a lot of ime and resourcesto execute. Be clear with the elected officials that you are NOT askingfor endorsement to implement any of the ideas on your brainstormedlist, or even authorizat ion to begin a comprehensive study of any of theideas. All you are asking at this point is their support to start apreliminary discussion with the other governments about the merits ofthe ideas. You will need to come back to the elected officials followingthe preliminary discussions for permission to broaden the discussioninto a more complete investigation and, possibly, implementation.Assurethem that you will include estimates of resource impacts (staff time,professional assistance, etc.) before proceeding past the preliminarydiscussion phase.

The elected officials may conclude that more internal study is neededprior to contacting the other governments. This may be appropriate,

I. bu t be careful about studying an idea that involves other(/p governments too thoroughly before you notify them of whatyou are doing. Trust building is essential to cooperation, and no

one likes to learn that someone else is planning for them to dosomething without their knowledge and consent. Too much isolatedstudy and planning at the outset can se t back rather than enhance thegoals of cooperation:

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Chapter 3, Model Cooperative ProcessI IStep 2. Get started with your partners

Task f"In all of oursituations, no one hastaken the credit forwhat's been done.The credit's beenshared between allthe agencies and Ithink that we all havethe attitude that thisis not going to benefitjust the schooldistrict, not just thecity, but it's going tobenefit the citizensand the kids that theproject is going toserve." Terry Bradley,DeputySuperintendent ofBusiness Services,Clovis Unified SchoolDistrict

You will need to repeat some of the actions you took within yourorganization, but this time with other governments. As soon as possibleduring this series of activities you should strive to develop an atmosphereof true partnership. Make this everyone's initiative, not just that of theinitiating government.

I mplement youroutreachstrategywithothergovernments- scheduleastartup meeting.1.

2.

Implement the outreach strategy from Task D. Invite key representatives from each of the appropriate governments to come to ameeting to discuss cooperative initiatives. Depending on the styleand preferences of the people and organizations this meeting canbe very informal or quite formal. Ideas include: Start the process over a long lunch or dinner. If you do this,

be sure the location is relatively quiet and private. Have the best facilitator from the host organization's teamchair the meeting. I f you do this, be sure this person serves as a true facilitator and doesn't use the chair's role to inappropriately advocate for his or her favorite ideas. Have a third party facilitate the meeting, either from one ofthe participating organization's staffnot directly involved inthe project or a consultant.

Either at the start-up meeting or a subsequent meeting, discuss thepossible benefits of studying cooperative initiat ives and seek agreement to participate, at least in this initial examination.

The best approach for the first meeting may not be the best approach forsubsequent meetings. The structure of future discussions should bedecided by the full group at the close of the first meeting. Share theresponsibility of organizing, providing notice and executing the meetings between the governments as much as possible.

You will need to agree on a press strategy among the partners. Youdon't really want the pressure of the press observing these early#, discussions, but local preferences and sensitivities may make it(/p difficult to exclude the press from these meetings. If the pressis interested in observing the meetings try to work out anarrangement in which they agree to treat the information asbackground information for use after decisions are made about whatcooperative initiatives will be implemented. Having stories appearduring these early discussions can either chill the conversation orpromote grandstanding. Neither effect is helpfuL

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TaskG

TaskH

Chapter 3, Model Coopera tive ProcessI ake a ist ofpast andcurrent cooperative efforts among your governmentpartners.The list does not need to be all inclusive, .but do your best in a shortperiod of time to list most of the initiatives that have been pursuedtogether. Review the list of cooperative examples from Table 1, page 41of this workbook. Use the four categories of activities to organize theinformation

exerc1se List of Past and Current Cooperative Initiativesexerc1se Among Government Partnersexerctse (Form G)Facilities1.2.3.Programs and Services12.3.land Use Planning1.2.3. .Administration1.2.3.1 st the reasons why you bel/eue some of he cooperalue lnltlatlues weresuccessful.'Ib find a recipe for future successes it helps to analyze what you havealready done. 'Ib the extent that you have experienced successes in thepast, even if they are partial, think about the reasons why. The reasonscan be anything from key individuals who championed the project totrust building techniques that worked particularly well. This can be avery informative discussion. Everyone may agree an activity wassuccessful bu t have very different ideas about why.



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Task I

exerciseexerc1seexerc1se1.

2.

3.

4

5.


Reasons for Past Cooperative Successes(Form H)

I ist the chiJI/enges ilnd biJrrlers to successful cooperiltlon thilt hiJd to beiJddressed.It is always more painful to think about what went wrong than whatwent right. But there is often more learning that occurs by criticallyexamining the problems. Be honest without being rude. If there havebeen difficulties that involve trust or personality issues, find a tactfulway to say that so solutions can be found in the future. "It would havebeen easier for me to be constructive rather than defensive about that i fhad known it was happening" and "it will be easier for our organizationto make cooperation a high priority i f all of us share the credit for oursuccesses" are fair game. "We really don't appreciate it when you sneakaround behind our back" and "we really didn't appreciate that pressconference you called to hog the glory las t time" are not!



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TaskJ

e ~ e r c i s eexerc1seexerc1se1.

2.

3.

4

5.


Challenges Encountered DuringPast Cooperative Efforts(Form I)

I Identify currentpriority Issues affecting each organization.Each organization should briefly describe it s top current priorities. Thepoint of this discussion is for everyone to understand the unique contextin which each organization currently operates. That context might beanything from filling a key staff position, elections that are likely tocause turnover of key council or board members, responding to animmediate community crisis, or implementing a strategy to increase thelong-term financial stability of the organization. It is not necessary atthis time for these issues to have any direct relationship with futurecooperative initiatives with other governments. Those insights remainto be discovered later in the process.



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"You have to knowthe political na ture ofthe City you areworking with ..youhave to be politicallysensitive to what isdriving therelationships betweenthe City and theschool district ..maybethere are other forcesdriving things thataren't necessarily apart of the joint-useagreement ..but knowthe politicalenvironment." DavidDoomey, AssistantSuperintendent ofFacilities and Planningfor the CapistranoUnified SchoolDistrict

exerciseexerc1seexerc1eOrganization

School Districts

Cities

Counties

Other


Most Important Current Issuesfor Each Organization(Form J)

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Table 2Local ValuesExamples of some ofthe values used bygovernments workingon multi-jurisdictionalprojects: Economic value -service should bedelivered at the leastlong-term total cost Accountabilitycitizens shouldunderstand who isdelivering the serviceand have an effectivemeans ofparticipating in andaffecting decisionsabout the service High quality service

delivery - serviceshould be deliveredconsistent with thehighest standardsdesired by thecommunity Economies of scalegeographic areashould correspond tothe optimum scalefor service delivery(neither too large ortoo small) Effective policymaking -governancestructure shouldsupport rationalI policy decisions that, best serve the long' term interests of thecitizens Fairness - costs andservices should beallocated equitably Practical- estimatedcosts (e.g., legal,financial, political) totransit ion to a newway of doing thingsshould be lower thanthe likely benefits

(Forum on CooperativeUrban Services Gover-nance Handbook,IMcKeever/Morris)


Do not challenge the issues listed by others. Remarks thatdirectly or indirectly say "I don't know why you think that is so

important" obviously are not helpful. The point is tol.,fp understand, not to debate. The se t of issues that a typicalschool district, city and county will be facing at any giventime are often different and unique. In basic ways the

cultures of these organizations can be quite different. Try tounderstand these differences and appreciate them. Part of themagic of partnerships is turning the differences into strengthsrather than weaknesses.It is appropriate to ask clarifying questions to make sure you"get" what the other participants are saying. Do your best toputyourselves in their shoes. The discussions about cooperationwill very definitely be influenced by the issues each organizationis facing. Ideally, cooperation should help each organization to,in some direct or indirect way, more effectively address at leastsome of its priority issues. At the least, it is important that thecooperative initiatives not conflict with these other priorities.



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TaskKChapter 3, Model Cooperative Process

I dentify the core values or Interests thatwill be Important to eachorganization as It considers opportunities for cooperation.This is a very critical Task in the process . I t is important thatrepresentatives of each organization express what is important to themso that everyone will understand where there is opportunity for commonground and where differences may be difficult to resolve. Opinions shouldnot, at this point, be expressed as positions. Advocating for a position oridea this early in the process may make it more difficult to reachagreement later. The examples below show the difference between valuesand positions:Value

Spending taxpayer dollarsefficientlyEnsuring safety for all citizens

Providing opportunitiesfor all to work

Position

Bulk purchasing supplies

Stationing city policeofficers in schools'Locating welfare to workprograms on schoolcampuses



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1. Make a list of all of the values proposed by each organization. Makethe first list using the brainstorming technique (i.e., all ideas shouldbe listed without challenge or debate, although questions to clarifywhat people mean are fine).

exerciseexerc1seexerc1se1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.910.11 .12.13.14.15.

Comprehensive List ofValues Related toPursuing Cooperative Opportunities{Form K1)

2. Refine the list ofvalues to represent values held by all partners.Ask everyone whether they disagree with, or want to discuss, any of helisted values and put a check next to those items. If here is disagreementwithin the group tr y to resolve it through changing the language of thedisputed value(s). The final list should represent the mutual coreinterests of the group. If some of the values advocated by one or more ofthe organizations ultimately are not supported by the full group theyshould not be included on the list. (This, however, is a warning sign thatdifficulties could lie ahead. You should keep a record of the proposedvalues that were not included on the final lis t for future reference.) Writethe final list ofvalues that everyone supports on the next page.

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Task L


exerciseexerc1seexerc1seFinal List of Values Related to

Pursuing Cooperative Opportunities(Form K2)

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10

This list of values and interests will eventually be used as a set of crite-ri a to judge the merits ofdifferent ideas for cooperation. I t is importantto reach agreement among all of the participants to support all of thevalues on the lis t. People may feel more strongly about some than others, but everyone should agree it would be best if the cooperative activi-ties that are pursued are consistent with the final list of values.

It is often a good idea to appoint an editor or editing subcommitteeto consolidate the comprehensive list of values into a draf t

~ 7 / } that the full group might be able to support. The editingprocess can involve consolidating similar ideas as well asartfully crafting language for disputed items that satisfieseveryone's interests.

I Deue/op apreliminary list of future cooperat/ue opportunities.If each organization has independently created it s own list, this is thetime to share those ideas with each other It is also fine to build this listas a group. The rules of brainstorm ing should apply. No criticalcomments are allowed at this time. I t is better to encourage creativityat this stage of the process. The critical analysis will come later.



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Use the list of interests/values and the four categories of cooperativeac tivities to help stimulate the discussion. How can the group's valuesbe better achieved through cooperation in each of the four categories?The list on page 51 can be used to help jump-start the discussion. Youmay also want to re ahead to portions of Chapter 3, page 69. A widevariety of additional briefcase studies are presented.

exerciseexerctseexerc1seFacilities

Programs and Services

Planning

Administration

Preliminary Ideas for Cooperation(Form L)

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Taskm

MWe've always got toremember who'sbenefiting. Thebottom line is, whatare we here to benefit?We're not here toprotect the City'sfacilities, - you know,it's ours and hands-off.It's the users, thecitizen's, the people.We're supposed to beworking together forthis common good"Ron Williamson,Director of Parks andRecreation, City of lodi


Sometimes patterns of agreement or disagreement will emerge bythis time. Informal communication between participants outside ofregular meetings should be encouraged. If a core group of leaders

starts to emerge, it is very helpful for them to communicate#lh with each other as much as possible about how they canlj/1 work together to move the process forward . It is ideal if atleast one leader emerges from each organization. If this

doesn't happen you should try to foster creating a leader fromeach organization through informal communication channels.Sometimes letting someone know their opinions matter, throughphone calls or informal communication of some sort, is all it takesto coax their latent leadership qualities to the fore. Likewise, ifthere are people in the group who routinely disagree with each otherit might be useful for them to ge t together away from the full groupto better understand each other so they can find ways to collaborate.

I flilhe i1 prellmlniJry iJssessmentofhow well the /deiJs for cooperiJtlon meetthe ViJiues ilnd Interests of he group.The dynamics in each community will be unique. At this point it mayseem obvious to everyone which idea(s) are best to pursue. We continue to urge you to take the time to proceed systematically, regardless ofwhether the "answer" seems to have emerged. Ifyou alreadyhave an idea for cooperation and wish to skip the next exercises,however, go straight to Task 0.Use the group's list ofvalues to assign a preliminary "score" to eachidea for cooperation. The benefit of this system is that it focuses on thegroup's values as the primary means of decision-making. I t should beunderstood by all participants that they are only being asked toidentify their current opinions about the merits of each idea. Later inthe process more rigorous analysis (e.g., legal, technical and financialfeasibility) will be conducted before implementation decisions aremade.Create a simple numerical system to score each idea for cooperationlisted on Form L for each of the core values on Form K2. Do you thinkthat it:1. supports the value;2. doesn't support the value; or3. not sure - need more informationUse Form Ml on the next page to record the scoring.



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exerciseexerc1se Form M 1: Cooperative Ideas and Values AssessmentI'""'" exerc1se Values that Values that Values fcou needIdeas support idea don 't support idea more in ormationabout(list numbers) (list numbers) (list numbers)1.

2.

3.

4.

5

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11 .

12.


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Look at the chart and see how much agreement there is within thegroup. In areas where there is disagreement ask people to talk aboutwhy they thought the idea helped or hindered attainment of the value.I f he discussion seems to be changing people's opinions, have themre-score the relevant items. I f t appears more information, or moreserious negotiation and mediation, will be needed to resolve the disagreement leave the issue alone for the moment. The group shouldlearn that disagreement can be tolerated at times without threateningthe partnership building process.Try to relatively quickly use the scores on values to divide the list ofopportunities into three categories: Opportunities that appear promising and should be

considered further; Opportunities that do not appear promising and probably

should not be considered further; and Opportunities that need either more consensus building work (i.e.,participants disagree) or more information before deciding.

List the opportunities in these categories on Form M2.

If this planning oriented approach to sifting through the ideas seemstoo laborious, or once completed doesn't yield enough focus,

I. try something else. Ask each participant to write down threetip to five ideas from th e cooperative ideas list (Form L) theyreally like. Tally the scores and see if there are items that allor most of th e participants support. For an item that has

substantial, but not unanimous, support, ask if anyone objects tolisting the item as one th e entire group supports. Next try toeliminate some of the ideas from further consideration. Ask eachparticipant to write down three to five ideas on the list that they donot want to pursue further at this time. Follow the same tally anddiscussion technique with the group as before. Even with thisapproach try to use th e list of core values to guide the discussionand resolve difference of opinion



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exerciseexerctseexerc1seChapter 3, Model Cooperative Process

Initial Priorities forCooperative Opportunities(Form M2) Opportunities that appear promising and should be considered further

Opportunities that do not appear promising and probably should notbe considered further

Opportunities that need either more consensus building work (i.e.,participants disagree) or more information before deciding

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TasknChapter 3, Model Cooperative Process

I Talk about different strategies ofhow to proceed.This is the first critical juncture for the process. Stop to assess generallyhow things seem to be going. Ask the following types of questions:

- Is there excitement about the potential for cooperation? Does this seem like an important issue or a minor issue topeople? Has agreement been easy to find so far? Is there a long list of good ideas, or just a few? Are there a lo t of questions and concerns about issues (e.g., is itlegal to do this? what would it cost? is it practical?)

There are many ways to move forward. A few examples of strategicoptions include:

a. Comprehensive approach - continue the process of systematicallyidentifying, analyzing and prioritizing al l of the potential ideas forcooperation. This strategy may work best if the group has developed along list of ideas, many of which seem like they have good potential forimplementation. If so, a major initiative could be established tosystematically explore in more detail all of the many opportunities for

. cooperation and move them towards implementation in a timely manner.b. Key issues approach -select a few high priority ideas and develop adetailed implementation plan. You may want to consider this approachif a relatively small number of good ideas seem to be rising to the top asa result of the preliminary analysis. I f so, separate implementationplans could be put together for each activity. I t is not even necessarythat the activities be directly connected.c. Burning community issue approach - select a single high visibilityissue to tackle. Consider this strategy if there is a critical issue in thecommunity that demands immediate attention. I f o, focusing all of thecapabilities for cooperation on this issue may be essential. The issuemay not be the easiest cooperative idea on the list to implement, eitherfrom a technical or political standpoint ; but it is the issue the communitydemands be addressed.d. Start small approach- select a relatively easy project, implement itand score a quick victory for cooperation. This strategy can be helpful ifyou are having difficulty building agreement among the group, but don'twant to give up on the cooperative initiative. Taking small Tasks togethermight help to build the experience, skill s and trust necessary to takebigger Tasks later.



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e. Technical approach- select certain cooperative ideas for more detailedstudy. I t will be necessary to adopt this strategy when there are majorlegal, financial or logistical questions that must be answered before thebasic viability of several cooperative ideas can be established. Gatheringthe facts is better than discarding the ideas.f. Stop approach- shut down the cooperative process. You may want toconsider this approach if the group has decided that all the best ideasfor cooperation have already been implemented, are simply not feasibleto implement at this time, or there is such strong disagreement that itwould not be cost-efficient to tr y to reach a consensus at this time.The circumstances described above are not mutually exclusive. The beststrategy for your community may be a blend of some or all of theseapproaches. For example, at this time you could:

Eliminate some ideas from further consideration for lack ofmerit (f. Stop approach); Develop a research program to conduct financial, legal,

program or other research about certain ideas (e. Technicalapproach); Pick one or two ideas that are good enough and simple enoughto implement immediately (d. Start small approach); Establish a broad-based task force to tack le a burning

community issue (c . Burning community issue approach) Establish teams of appropriate representatives to developimplementation plans for certain ideas (b. Key issues

approach); and Assign the remaining ides to a multi-jurisdictional

coordinating committee for on-going discussion and consensusbuilding (a. Comprehensive approach).

It is important, but not critical, that you pick the best strategy. It iscritically important that the group make this decision together. EveryTask for which the group achieves consensus builds civic aptitude forcooperation that will pay dividends well beyond the life of this planningexercise



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eMerciseexerc1seexerc1se


Recommended Strategy(Form N)

Write down your recommended strategy

Part of the trust building dynamic is providing a safe way for people to gradually form opinions, and change them, in front of other#. people. Very few ideas will be ready for direct(/p implementation with the preliminary Level of analysisconducted to this point in the process. Even though moreanalysis may change people's opinion about the merits of anidea, it is important to know what they think based on informationthey currently have. There is no other way to provide focus to whatcan be a virtually Limitless set of ideas. One of the understandingsbetween participants should be that everyone reserves the right toconclude, after more information is gathered about an idea, that itshould not be implemented.

Documents

Stretching Community Dollars - Model Cooperative Process (Part 1)