Better Decisions, Better Outcomes
I have ready many recent publications¹ about improving community and decision making and am trying to be a part of the solution.
The publications say:
We need to help communities identify and tackle the challenges they wish to solve collectively; create friendly neighborhoods so people know their neighbors and feel a sense of belonging and connection; be more responsive to people and place through a shared purpose backed by long-term investment, have trust and transparency, have coordinated and cooperative approaches, be flexible and adaptive and learn and share knowledge; develop collective, intergenerational responses; and have government be conduits for place-based solutions; have humble, reciprocal, trusting relationships with imagination, adaptability, and tolerance for risk; develop solutions drawn from local intelligence; focus on medium-to-long-term including trade-offs; have a joined-up approach across the public sector that supports coordinated decision making that results in measurable increases in benefits for New Zealanders.
For my part I provide:
My BDBO training through the Victoria University of Wellington here. This includes how I applied BDBO in my suburb, the resultant portfolio business case and what it would look like for a district or region.
Coaching to apply BDBO in organisations, district and regions through Barber Associates (here). If you’re interested to chat, please book a free appointment here.
In my view WE need a public value decision system that enables government to participate with resilient communities to achieve vision by thinking together using their different strengths, resulting in measurable benefits and eliminate systemic poverty. Government needs to consider its role in building resilient communities so those communities can in turn speak with their voices into the decision-making process, providing valuable local intelligence. That approach needs to be a holistic, systematic, and relational. WE need to courageously and transparently navigate the ambiguity of difficult conversations by intentionally leaning in to listen and learn from each other, to build trust and confidence, to set a vision and identify the best public value, affordable and achievable way to achieve that vision. Over the past 8 years I have developed my “Better Decision Better Outcomes” (BDBO) approach to develop placed based portfolio business cases in New Zealand and overseas.
¹ Publications. Alone Together The risks of loneliness in Aotearoa New Zealand following Covid -19 and how public policy can help by Helen Clarke Foundation. Putting People First-Transforming social services in partnership with people and communities by Centre for Policy Development (CPD) an independent, not-for-profit policy institute with staff in Sydney, Melbourne, and Jakarta. Make the move-Shifting how the public sector works with communities. Inspiring Communities June 2023. The Treasury’s 2023 Wellbeing Report. Secretary for the Treasury speech February 2024. Review into Cyclone Gabrielle report 2024. Treasury Quarterly Investment Report March 2024
Community Participation In Decision Making
The 7 things for communities and decision makers to do, to achieve a better society.
Imagine a society where people find fulfilment in community relationships, each understands their role within society, each is free to help others, there is healthy competition and cooperation, and the focus is on community wellbeing, not simply material wealth.
To achieve this, WE need to:
1. Have vision led decision making
2. Advocate for and equip communities to be resilient economically, socially, and culturally so those communities can thrive and speak with their voices into decision making.
3. Recognise that whatever decisions are made by decision makers it is communities that need to live with them.
4. Recognise systemic poverty prevents people and communities from being resilient
5. Recognise and that the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.
6. Have a public value decision system which includes a holistic, systematic, and relational way for decision makers and communities to think medium to long-term to identify the initiatives to measurably improve economic, social, cultural, and environmental outcomes, thereby eliminating systemic poverty
7. Courageously and transparently navigate the ambiguity of difficult conversations by intentionally leaning in to listen and learn from each other, to build trust and confidence.
I am trying to be part of the solution by:
Public Value Decision Making
IMAGINE a society in which
1. People find fulfilment in community relationships, rather than simply in consumption and leisure
2. People understand their role within society rather than being a collection of individuals
3. People are free to help others, rather than wanting freedom from others
4. There is healthy competition and sustainable cooperation, and
5. The focus is on community wellbeing rather than simply material wealth
Also imagine
a vision of “Resilient relationships and good decision making enabling resilient suburbs, organisations, districts and regions” (The Why)
decision makers setting a vision (Policy), then building decision-making capability to think through and identify the best Portfolio option, and then preparing the business case for decision making ensuring clear measurement of the economic, social, cultural, and environmental, outcomes. (The How)
clear communication of the vision, equipping of and caring for each other in developing the vision, and speaking up for others. (The who)
a decision that starts with a vision (Policy) comprising a Portfolio of Programmes (each to achieve an outcome) that will collectively achieve the vision (Policy), a “start-up” decision. Then a decision for each Project (to each improve a service) that will collectively achieve the Programme (outcome), an “initiate” decision. Then a decision to proceed with a Procurement to enable the Project to improve a service, an “implement” decision. (The When)
a business case that describes a compelling vision (strategic case), describes the best public value Portfolio of Programme options to achieve the vision, (economic case), and describes how the preferred option can be procured well (commercial case), is affordable (financial case) and will be delivered well (management case). (The What)
HOW?
In my view WE need to think in a joined-up way to provide free and frank medium to long term advice to decision makers on options to achieve their vision for their district, region and country:
economic options (e.g. primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary and quinary)
environmental options (e.g. minimum, moderate or maximum standard)
social and cultural options (e.g. provider centric or citizen centric)
Successive Government publications state we need:
to develop solutions drawn from local intelligence
to focus on medium to long-term including trade-offs
a joined-up approach across the public sector that supports coordinated decision making.
to make decisions that will result in measurable increases in benefits for New Zealanders
In my view WE need a public value decision system that enables government to participate with the public who are part of a resilient community to achieve vision by thinking together using their different strengths, resulting in measurable benefits that will reduce demand on government criminal justice, benefits and mental health, and eliminate systemic poverty. That approach needs to be a holistic, systematic, and relational. WE need to courageously and transparently navigate the ambiguity of difficult conversations by intentionally leaning in to listen and learn from each other, to build trust and confidence, to set a vision and identify the best public value, affordable and achievable way to achieve that vision.
What do you think?
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