I came across an amazing article in XL magazine (Extraordinary Lives) Volume Issue 5 008 , released in June 2008. It tells a of story of how, against the odds, a small New Zealand-led coalition army created a blueprint for lasting peace n Bougainville Island, with soldiers being armed with guitars rather than weapons.
These unarmed soldiers brought about permanent peace to a decade long war that took the lives of more than 20,ooo people in the tiny Bougainville Island . It provides an excellent example of how of how Creative Governance can be applied in a war situation.
In 1997 the New Zealander Defence Force (NZDF) rounded up a coalition of four armies. The mission was led by a New Zealander, Brigadier Roger Mortlock . He believed the solution could only be found in the ‘soft power’ unarmed tactics. The media thought he was crazy, and the newspapers lampooned him.
The Coalition Force entered a hostile environment and the rebel soldiers were ready to shoot them with their guns as the plane landed. With h mounting tension, the hostile rebels then checked inside the plane ’s hold, to find it was full of guitars, volleyballs, medical equipment and vehicles
.
The decrepit NZDF vehicles would not start. So, in an inconceivable display of trust and unity,rebel soldiers, who were ready to kill five minutes earlier, dropped their weapons and helped the coalition forces push-start the trucks. The rebels realised that these foreign soldiers were clearly unarmed,and must be coming in peace. Word of his immediately started t o spread throughout the island. The hope for peace permeated Bougainville, as locals saw the peacekeepers bringing their message of peace and love to Bougainville. This extraordinary peace initiative was the world ‘first ’ in using only soft power engagements.
Against all odds the mission was huge success. t is s a fascinating example e of how w an army could d motivate bitter enemies to relinquish their r weapons, and unite them to o work k together to forge lasting peace hat still prevails today.
This extraordinary story has been made into a movie and will hit the screens in the later part of this year. So watch out!
Talk on Creative Governance
Please email me at DrYKK@mindbloom.net if you want to invite me to present an illuminating one hour Talk on Creative Governance and thereafter to facilitate a session to help solve a prevailing public and social problem in the spirit of Creative Governance.
I would appreciate if you could share Creative Governance stories with me so that they could be featured here. Please forward your response and contributions to DrYKK@mindbloom.net
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Creative Governance and the FiSH philosophy
The FiSH! philosophy will make a dramatic positive impact when introduced into public governance. I have read two books before on this subject. It is the third and latest book FiSH Omnibus that made me a convert.
I followed up with a Google search on the “ FiSH philosophy governance”. It came out with 64.500 results. Topping the list was a report in the Australian Defence Magazine. In fact several defence related agencies in Australia, including the Navy took up this approach (ref:.http://minister.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine/editions/200607/sections/rtp.htm)
A quick survey of the Google results show that the FiSH philosophy has spread to wide-ranging organizations, from government to corporations to schools, NGOs , etc.
Now, what is the FiSH philosophy about?
There are four basic principles to the FiSH philosophy:
choose your attitude
play
make their day
be present
I recommend that you go to www.fishphilosophy.com to find out more about this amazing FiSH culture.
I reproduce below the description of the FiSH philosophy from the official website:
What is FISH!®?
FISH! is a skill that provides the process, tools and language to generate the skills necessary to design a workplace full of inspiration, creativity and innovation. FISH! creates a common language. A language that will help improve your culture by using four simple practices – Be There, Play, Make Their Day and Choose Your Attitude™. FISH! is a wisdom that everyone can embrace.
It is an invitation that enables people to care about each other and their commitments. FISH! is an ongoing journey. It is not a fad. It is a practice and a skill that evolves over time creating a positive workplace and a vibrant culture each time it is embraced.
“Today, I can truly say that our organization has undergone a metamorphosis. What a fantastic difference that FISH! has made in our office. My only regret is that we didn’t know about it sooner. FISH! has become a way of life for us. Our staff is happier, our patients are happier!”- Kimberly Hoch, Novus Clinic
The FISH! Philosophy® emerged in 1998 from the film, FISH! Catch the Energy, Release the Potential, produced by John Christensen — current CEO aka: Playground Director at ChartHouse Learning — this film is about the Seattle's world-famous Pike Place Fish Market. What John captured and translated into film was that even in a workplace where fishmongers spent stinky, grueling 12-hour shifts stocking, selling and packing fish, remarkable results can occur when people accept the invitation to:
1) Be There for their coworkers and customers;
2) Play;
3) Make someone's day, and;
4) Choose their attitude about how they show up for work.
As a result, the FISH! film, now has now been translated into 17 languages. Next came FISH! the book, currently translated into 34 languages. Other book titles include FISH! Sticks, FISH! Tales, FISH! For Life, and recently, Schools of FISH!. Our newest products, FISH! Culture and LeaderFISH! will help organizations take FISH! into a deeper level.
Today, FISH! is flourishing in corporate and educational markets throughout the world— championed by business leaders, HR, training professionals and individuals committed to creating a culture of trust, accountability and innovation.
"We're not afraid to use words like ‘love’ and ‘soul’ and ‘spirit’, because those are an essential part of our humanity. But these values are just as important to businesses. Every organization needs people who are passionate, committed and free to live the organization's vision through their personal values." ChartHouse Learning seeks strong relationships with its customers. "Our customers inspire us as much as we inspire them. We're on a journey together — a global community discovering a better way to live at work." -John Christensen
The FISH! Philosophy is an invitation to re-awaken the self-trusting, creative spirit within each of us. It inspires you to start new conversations about what's possible and to develop new attitudes about how you show up in your community both at home and in the workplace. FISH! inspires you to have fun again, at work, at school and at home every day of the week!
Talk on Creative Governance
Please email me at DrYKK@mindbloom.net if you want to invite me to present an illuminating one hour Talk on Creative Governance and thereafter to facilitate a session to help solve a prevailing public and social problem in the spirit of Creative Governance.
I would appreciate if you could share Creative Governance stories with me so that they could be featured here. Please forward your response and contributions to DrYKK@mindbloom.net
I followed up with a Google search on the “ FiSH philosophy governance”. It came out with 64.500 results. Topping the list was a report in the Australian Defence Magazine. In fact several defence related agencies in Australia, including the Navy took up this approach (ref:.http://minister.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine/editions/200607/sections/rtp.htm)
A quick survey of the Google results show that the FiSH philosophy has spread to wide-ranging organizations, from government to corporations to schools, NGOs , etc.
Now, what is the FiSH philosophy about?
There are four basic principles to the FiSH philosophy:
choose your attitude
play
make their day
be present
I recommend that you go to www.fishphilosophy.com to find out more about this amazing FiSH culture.
I reproduce below the description of the FiSH philosophy from the official website:
What is FISH!®?
FISH! is a skill that provides the process, tools and language to generate the skills necessary to design a workplace full of inspiration, creativity and innovation. FISH! creates a common language. A language that will help improve your culture by using four simple practices – Be There, Play, Make Their Day and Choose Your Attitude™. FISH! is a wisdom that everyone can embrace.
It is an invitation that enables people to care about each other and their commitments. FISH! is an ongoing journey. It is not a fad. It is a practice and a skill that evolves over time creating a positive workplace and a vibrant culture each time it is embraced.
“Today, I can truly say that our organization has undergone a metamorphosis. What a fantastic difference that FISH! has made in our office. My only regret is that we didn’t know about it sooner. FISH! has become a way of life for us. Our staff is happier, our patients are happier!”- Kimberly Hoch, Novus Clinic
The FISH! Philosophy® emerged in 1998 from the film, FISH! Catch the Energy, Release the Potential, produced by John Christensen — current CEO aka: Playground Director at ChartHouse Learning — this film is about the Seattle's world-famous Pike Place Fish Market. What John captured and translated into film was that even in a workplace where fishmongers spent stinky, grueling 12-hour shifts stocking, selling and packing fish, remarkable results can occur when people accept the invitation to:
1) Be There for their coworkers and customers;
2) Play;
3) Make someone's day, and;
4) Choose their attitude about how they show up for work.
As a result, the FISH! film, now has now been translated into 17 languages. Next came FISH! the book, currently translated into 34 languages. Other book titles include FISH! Sticks, FISH! Tales, FISH! For Life, and recently, Schools of FISH!. Our newest products, FISH! Culture and LeaderFISH! will help organizations take FISH! into a deeper level.
Today, FISH! is flourishing in corporate and educational markets throughout the world— championed by business leaders, HR, training professionals and individuals committed to creating a culture of trust, accountability and innovation.
"We're not afraid to use words like ‘love’ and ‘soul’ and ‘spirit’, because those are an essential part of our humanity. But these values are just as important to businesses. Every organization needs people who are passionate, committed and free to live the organization's vision through their personal values." ChartHouse Learning seeks strong relationships with its customers. "Our customers inspire us as much as we inspire them. We're on a journey together — a global community discovering a better way to live at work." -John Christensen
The FISH! Philosophy is an invitation to re-awaken the self-trusting, creative spirit within each of us. It inspires you to start new conversations about what's possible and to develop new attitudes about how you show up in your community both at home and in the workplace. FISH! inspires you to have fun again, at work, at school and at home every day of the week!
Talk on Creative Governance
Please email me at DrYKK@mindbloom.net if you want to invite me to present an illuminating one hour Talk on Creative Governance and thereafter to facilitate a session to help solve a prevailing public and social problem in the spirit of Creative Governance.
I would appreciate if you could share Creative Governance stories with me so that they could be featured here. Please forward your response and contributions to DrYKK@mindbloom.net
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Creative Governance in Poverty Eradication
I would like to reproduce here an article written by Colin Pridham, a volunteer for STLI , Scientific Technology Linguistic Institute (USA) who played a key role in establishing Talastronics (NGO) in Kyrgysztan to spearhead a poverty eradication initiative by teaching the poor villagers on how to program microchips. What an amazing project!
Even more amazing is that a Malaysian student studying in Australia has set up a blog ( http://villagersprogrammingmicrochips.blogspot.com/2008/03/keep-comments-coming_24.html) to collect donations to sponsor the these villagers to participate at the WCIT ( World Congress on Information Technology ) to be held in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia from May 18-22, 2008.
Both these initiatives are good illustrations of the concept of Creative Public Governance which in its broadest sense is to enhance the quality of life of the people through technology, social, economic and political innovations.
The article by Colin is repoduced below:
Revolutionary CoreChart microchip programming empowers under-privileged villagers in Kyrgyzstan to enable businesses that enrich their economy
With the help of a proven microchip programming technology, CoreChart from South Australia, and a well established, government supported and respected local NGO, ‘STLI ‘, we have implemented a program to train, equip and empower a group of local village people to be the fore-runners in developing their dream of reaching out to their local communities and neighbouring countries.
Underprivileged villagers from the regional Village of Talas, in Kyrgyzstan, are using CoreChart to offer control solutions to local businesses. For example our village team has learned to program microchips, through a sponsorship program, to optimize the timing and temperature control and data logging of a Candle Production facility. The aim is to dramatically improve efficiency and hence the profitability of the business.
Another project is to optimise the control of timing, temperature and ground soil conditions in glass houses to plant and maintain cash crops. It will create a tremendous business and economic impact as market gardeners all over Kyrgyzstan use glass houses for growing vegetables.
Other projects being planned include BioGas production and Wind Power Electricity generation in isolated villages. Wind Power generation is very important in villages because local people cannot afford to pay for electric heating. Most people in isolated villages live on $30USD or less.
We are keen to share this experience of how underprivileged village people form their own micro-businesses to realize their dream of empowering their own people to become more self sufficient through training and start up of ICT enterprises.
The pilot projects implemented to-date have demonstrated CoreChart’s ability to reach out and empower the under-privileged in the least developed countries (LDC). It has the potential to narrow the Great Digital Divide and a unique opportunity to eradicate poverty prevalent among the villagers. We believe our project can be scaled up through Professor CK Pralahad's vision of "Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid". Through this Vision, major businesses such as Visy, Pfizer, ANZ Bank, Macquarie bank, IBM, World Vision etc have recently formed the Business for Poverty Relief Alliance (BPRA). ). If Professor CK Pralahad is correct about eradication of poverty through profits, BPRAs around the world now have the opportunity to profit from a sustainable CoreChart Sponsorship for Poverty Relief project. It is only a matter of time when the under-privileged villagers from Kyrgysztan or Malaysia develop applications that require millions of microchips and financing to be supplied by BPRA in Malaysia.
The Kyrgysztan pilot project is now being expanded as CoreChart Sponsorship For Poverty Relief CCSPR in some of the least developed countries. It is promoted through NGOs and major global ICT events to provide a sustainable platform to relieve poverty. We believe it will have a profound impact on global poverty eradication.
Source:
Colin Pridham, volunteer for STLI , Scientific Technology Linguistic Institute (USA) who played a key role in establishing Talastronics (NGO) in Kyrgysztan,
Talk on Creative Governance
Please email me at DrYKK@mindbloom.net if you want to invite me to present an illuminating one hour Talk on Creative Governance and thereafter to facilitate a session to help solve a prevailing public and social problem in the spirit of Creative Governance.
I would appreciate if you could share Creative Governance stories with me so that they could be featured here. Please forward your response and contributions to DrYKK@mindbloom.net
Even more amazing is that a Malaysian student studying in Australia has set up a blog ( http://villagersprogrammingmicrochips.blogspot.com/2008/03/keep-comments-coming_24.html) to collect donations to sponsor the these villagers to participate at the WCIT ( World Congress on Information Technology ) to be held in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia from May 18-22, 2008.
Both these initiatives are good illustrations of the concept of Creative Public Governance which in its broadest sense is to enhance the quality of life of the people through technology, social, economic and political innovations.
The article by Colin is repoduced below:
Revolutionary CoreChart microchip programming empowers under-privileged villagers in Kyrgyzstan to enable businesses that enrich their economy
With the help of a proven microchip programming technology, CoreChart from South Australia, and a well established, government supported and respected local NGO, ‘STLI ‘, we have implemented a program to train, equip and empower a group of local village people to be the fore-runners in developing their dream of reaching out to their local communities and neighbouring countries.
Underprivileged villagers from the regional Village of Talas, in Kyrgyzstan, are using CoreChart to offer control solutions to local businesses. For example our village team has learned to program microchips, through a sponsorship program, to optimize the timing and temperature control and data logging of a Candle Production facility. The aim is to dramatically improve efficiency and hence the profitability of the business.
Another project is to optimise the control of timing, temperature and ground soil conditions in glass houses to plant and maintain cash crops. It will create a tremendous business and economic impact as market gardeners all over Kyrgyzstan use glass houses for growing vegetables.
Other projects being planned include BioGas production and Wind Power Electricity generation in isolated villages. Wind Power generation is very important in villages because local people cannot afford to pay for electric heating. Most people in isolated villages live on $30USD or less.
We are keen to share this experience of how underprivileged village people form their own micro-businesses to realize their dream of empowering their own people to become more self sufficient through training and start up of ICT enterprises.
The pilot projects implemented to-date have demonstrated CoreChart’s ability to reach out and empower the under-privileged in the least developed countries (LDC). It has the potential to narrow the Great Digital Divide and a unique opportunity to eradicate poverty prevalent among the villagers. We believe our project can be scaled up through Professor CK Pralahad's vision of "Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid". Through this Vision, major businesses such as Visy, Pfizer, ANZ Bank, Macquarie bank, IBM, World Vision etc have recently formed the Business for Poverty Relief Alliance (BPRA). ). If Professor CK Pralahad is correct about eradication of poverty through profits, BPRAs around the world now have the opportunity to profit from a sustainable CoreChart Sponsorship for Poverty Relief project. It is only a matter of time when the under-privileged villagers from Kyrgysztan or Malaysia develop applications that require millions of microchips and financing to be supplied by BPRA in Malaysia.
The Kyrgysztan pilot project is now being expanded as CoreChart Sponsorship For Poverty Relief CCSPR in some of the least developed countries. It is promoted through NGOs and major global ICT events to provide a sustainable platform to relieve poverty. We believe it will have a profound impact on global poverty eradication.
Source:
Colin Pridham, volunteer for STLI , Scientific Technology Linguistic Institute (USA) who played a key role in establishing Talastronics (NGO) in Kyrgysztan,
Talk on Creative Governance
Please email me at DrYKK@mindbloom.net if you want to invite me to present an illuminating one hour Talk on Creative Governance and thereafter to facilitate a session to help solve a prevailing public and social problem in the spirit of Creative Governance.
I would appreciate if you could share Creative Governance stories with me so that they could be featured here. Please forward your response and contributions to DrYKK@mindbloom.net
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Creative Governance though Prison Reforms
Recently I came across two interesting news items on prison reforms. Governments worldwide spent a fortune on prison maintenance, yet generally the results are unsatisfactory. The two news items below, one from Norway, called the Eco-Prison and the other from Philippines called the Dancing prison are great examples of Creative Public Governance. More governments should explore such innovations in their prison reforms.
The world's first ecological prison
The minimum-security Bastoey Prison on a lush island, where inmates include murderers and rapists prison, operates with solar panels, wood-fire heating instead of oil, strict recycling and eco-friendly food production. There are no locked gates or barbed wire. This innovative project aims to help the 115 prisoners learn values such as protecting the environment and respecting others.
The prisoners live in unlocked houses, in and are responsible for the care of about 200 chickens, eight horses, 40 sheep and 20 cows. They also tend the fields, pick berries and fish on the prison supplied boat.
All of the prison's agricultural products are raised organically without fertilizers or pesticides. It strives to be energy self-sufficient, using renewable power.
The inmates are happy with their freedom living in an environment that gives them individual responsibility . It is effective as the system motivates them to reform their behavior . Those who misbehaved, which is rare, will be sent back to maximum security prisons.
This is a fantastic model for prison officials to experiment on. One benefit is that the Bastoey Prison has the lowest maintenance cost since very little is spent on security.
Cebu’s dancing prison
The champion of the prison reform in Cebu is Governor Gwendolyn Garcia. Garcia is the first woman governor in Cebu in 400 years. Beautiful and elegant, she was voted as one of best dressed ladies in the Philippines. Beneath her soft exterior, however, she is a tough woman. First, she fired dozens of jail guards for corruption, installed an enhanced security system, broke up gangs, banned guns and the use of cash and enforced an exercise regime that in the past year evolved into dance routines. 70 percent of the prison's inmates were convicted of serious crimes like murder, rape and narcotics trafficking.
The dances are choreographed by a professional choreographer. The footage of the dance by more than 1,500 prisoners to Michael Jackson song "Thriller." had been uploaded on YouTube. It has been viewed more than 10 million times and became one of the most popular clips ever on the video-sharing Web site.
This unique experiment has already proven to be a rehabilitation program. The documentary maker "Dancing for Discipline," commented that the inmates have the biggest smiles. The system restores the inmates sense of self-esteem .
Comment
If serious criminals can be rehabilitated using such “soft” approaches, how about other prisoners of lesser crimes? It is high time that governments adopt a more unconventional approach to prison rehabilitation.
Talk on Creative Governance
Please email me at DrYKK@mindbloom.net if you want to invite me to present an illuminating one hour Talk on Creative Governance and thereafter to facilitate a session to help solve a prevailing public and social problem in the spirit of Creative Governance.
I would appreciate if you could share Creative Governance stories with me so that they could be featured here. Please forward your response and contributions to DrYKK@mindbloom.net
The world's first ecological prison
The minimum-security Bastoey Prison on a lush island, where inmates include murderers and rapists prison, operates with solar panels, wood-fire heating instead of oil, strict recycling and eco-friendly food production. There are no locked gates or barbed wire. This innovative project aims to help the 115 prisoners learn values such as protecting the environment and respecting others.
The prisoners live in unlocked houses, in and are responsible for the care of about 200 chickens, eight horses, 40 sheep and 20 cows. They also tend the fields, pick berries and fish on the prison supplied boat.
All of the prison's agricultural products are raised organically without fertilizers or pesticides. It strives to be energy self-sufficient, using renewable power.
The inmates are happy with their freedom living in an environment that gives them individual responsibility . It is effective as the system motivates them to reform their behavior . Those who misbehaved, which is rare, will be sent back to maximum security prisons.
This is a fantastic model for prison officials to experiment on. One benefit is that the Bastoey Prison has the lowest maintenance cost since very little is spent on security.
Cebu’s dancing prison
The champion of the prison reform in Cebu is Governor Gwendolyn Garcia. Garcia is the first woman governor in Cebu in 400 years. Beautiful and elegant, she was voted as one of best dressed ladies in the Philippines. Beneath her soft exterior, however, she is a tough woman. First, she fired dozens of jail guards for corruption, installed an enhanced security system, broke up gangs, banned guns and the use of cash and enforced an exercise regime that in the past year evolved into dance routines. 70 percent of the prison's inmates were convicted of serious crimes like murder, rape and narcotics trafficking.
The dances are choreographed by a professional choreographer. The footage of the dance by more than 1,500 prisoners to Michael Jackson song "Thriller." had been uploaded on YouTube. It has been viewed more than 10 million times and became one of the most popular clips ever on the video-sharing Web site.
This unique experiment has already proven to be a rehabilitation program. The documentary maker "Dancing for Discipline," commented that the inmates have the biggest smiles. The system restores the inmates sense of self-esteem .
Comment
If serious criminals can be rehabilitated using such “soft” approaches, how about other prisoners of lesser crimes? It is high time that governments adopt a more unconventional approach to prison rehabilitation.
Talk on Creative Governance
Please email me at DrYKK@mindbloom.net if you want to invite me to present an illuminating one hour Talk on Creative Governance and thereafter to facilitate a session to help solve a prevailing public and social problem in the spirit of Creative Governance.
I would appreciate if you could share Creative Governance stories with me so that they could be featured here. Please forward your response and contributions to DrYKK@mindbloom.net
Friday, February 1, 2008
Global Forum on Reinventing Government
The United Nations took an active interest in Creative Public Governance by hosting for the first time in partnership with the Austrian Government, the 7th Global Forum on Reinventing Government from 26 to 29 June 2007 at UN Headquarters in Vienna.
The theme of this conference is "Building Trust in Government." The conference also aimed to promote better international and regional cooperation, while giving government officials an opportunity to exchange good practices and experiences. Participating in the Forum were Heads of State, prime ministers, ministers, parliamentarians, government officials, experts, CEOs, representatives of international organizations and civil society organizations.
I’ll highlight the innovations achieved by the 2007 United Nations Public Service Awards Winners in my subsequent blogs. They are great examples for governments at all levels to study and perhaps use as a template for introducing innovations into the public service.
It is very important for governments who are keen to improve their administration to take note of the conclusions reached at the conference.
Below is a shortened version of the Vienna Declaration. It consist of conclusions and key areas of consensus that emerged from the 7th Global Forum discussions.
Vienna Declaration
Recommendations: Ways To Build Trust In Government
1. Secure Legitimacy of Government – To strengthen the confidence of citizens in their governments, the state must be and be seen to be legitimate, fair and institutionally strong.
2. Prioritize Service Delivery and Access – Public sector performance creates trust in government by delivering “public value” via reliable public services that not only address market failures, but produce value by creating equity, equality and social capital.
3. Increase Transparency and Accountability to Combat Corruption – We recognize that corruption is one of the greatest challenges facing the world. Corruption involving officials from the private and public sectors is a grave and corrosive abuse of power.
4. Improve Access to ICTs – E-government has tremendous potential to improve transparency,foster greater citizen engagement and participation in the policy process, and improve the quality of policy decisions and their implementation.
5. Support Effective Civil Society Engagement - Civil society must be empowered to participate as a full partner in governance in order for trust to thrive in government institutions.
6. Engage the Constructive Interest of a Free Media – Because a vital part of maintaining trust depends on public perceptions, true or false, the role of the media in creating these perceptions has greatly increased with the information revolution.
7. Bring Government Closer to People – Local governance is one of the most effective ways of bridging the gaps between citizens, political representatives, and public administrators.
8. Enable Public-Private Partnerships – Effective public-private partnerships can improve the design and implementation of development programmes by capitalizing on the respective strengths and resources of each partner.
9. Promote Innovations in Public Sector Reform –The ability of governments to earn the trust of their populations depends on the degree to which they are able to strengthen state capacities. That means, for example, strengthening the accountability for results by guaranteeing adequate competencies for both raising and allocating revenues. To facilitate this process, we recommend that governments employ incentive-based strategies which reward public sector employees who successfully introduce innovations that improve public service. Innovation should focus on enhancing public value.
10. Rebuild Trust in Crisis and Post-Conflict Countries – The interplay of social and political trust is even more crucial for crisis and post-conflict countries.
Follow-Up Measures
1. We urge international development partners, including bilateral donors and the United Nations,
to increase support to developing countries to strengthen their capacity in public administration and governance.
2. We also urge concrete follow-up to the 7th Global Forum. In particular, we recommend, inter
alia, that the following measures be taken:
a. support a global network of innovators to share ideas and experiences, and act as an observatory;
b. support regional and global level governance centers to document and share good ideas;
c. support regional forums to formulate regional cooperation strategies to improve public administration and governance;
d. promote North-South and South-South cooperation and dialogue;
e. encourage country anchored pilot projects to test alternative methodologies and approaches to promote and strengthen effective and democratic governance;
f. focus at least one category of the UN Public Service Award on projects which
contribute to strengthening citizen’s trust in government; and
g. commission concept papers to develop a framework of principles to underpin trust in government.
3. In addition and in parallel to the global network of innovators, we also urge organization of ministerial round tables to meet periodically to review their experiences in dealing with selected issues of trust, and make recommendations. We also recommend similar meetings at regional and national levels for local administrators. Finally, round tables of parliamentarians are also recommended to share innovative practices and institutional designs.
Talk on Creative Governance
Please email me at DrYKK@mindbloom.net if you want to invite me to present an illuminating one hour Talk on Creative Governance and thereafter to facilitate a session to help solve a prevailing public and social problem in the spirit of Creative Governance.
I would appreciate if you could share Creative Governance stories with me so that they could be featured here. Please forward your response and contributions to DrYKK@mindbloom.net
The theme of this conference is "Building Trust in Government." The conference also aimed to promote better international and regional cooperation, while giving government officials an opportunity to exchange good practices and experiences. Participating in the Forum were Heads of State, prime ministers, ministers, parliamentarians, government officials, experts, CEOs, representatives of international organizations and civil society organizations.
I’ll highlight the innovations achieved by the 2007 United Nations Public Service Awards Winners in my subsequent blogs. They are great examples for governments at all levels to study and perhaps use as a template for introducing innovations into the public service.
It is very important for governments who are keen to improve their administration to take note of the conclusions reached at the conference.
Below is a shortened version of the Vienna Declaration. It consist of conclusions and key areas of consensus that emerged from the 7th Global Forum discussions.
Vienna Declaration
Recommendations: Ways To Build Trust In Government
1. Secure Legitimacy of Government – To strengthen the confidence of citizens in their governments, the state must be and be seen to be legitimate, fair and institutionally strong.
2. Prioritize Service Delivery and Access – Public sector performance creates trust in government by delivering “public value” via reliable public services that not only address market failures, but produce value by creating equity, equality and social capital.
3. Increase Transparency and Accountability to Combat Corruption – We recognize that corruption is one of the greatest challenges facing the world. Corruption involving officials from the private and public sectors is a grave and corrosive abuse of power.
4. Improve Access to ICTs – E-government has tremendous potential to improve transparency,foster greater citizen engagement and participation in the policy process, and improve the quality of policy decisions and their implementation.
5. Support Effective Civil Society Engagement - Civil society must be empowered to participate as a full partner in governance in order for trust to thrive in government institutions.
6. Engage the Constructive Interest of a Free Media – Because a vital part of maintaining trust depends on public perceptions, true or false, the role of the media in creating these perceptions has greatly increased with the information revolution.
7. Bring Government Closer to People – Local governance is one of the most effective ways of bridging the gaps between citizens, political representatives, and public administrators.
8. Enable Public-Private Partnerships – Effective public-private partnerships can improve the design and implementation of development programmes by capitalizing on the respective strengths and resources of each partner.
9. Promote Innovations in Public Sector Reform –The ability of governments to earn the trust of their populations depends on the degree to which they are able to strengthen state capacities. That means, for example, strengthening the accountability for results by guaranteeing adequate competencies for both raising and allocating revenues. To facilitate this process, we recommend that governments employ incentive-based strategies which reward public sector employees who successfully introduce innovations that improve public service. Innovation should focus on enhancing public value.
10. Rebuild Trust in Crisis and Post-Conflict Countries – The interplay of social and political trust is even more crucial for crisis and post-conflict countries.
Follow-Up Measures
1. We urge international development partners, including bilateral donors and the United Nations,
to increase support to developing countries to strengthen their capacity in public administration and governance.
2. We also urge concrete follow-up to the 7th Global Forum. In particular, we recommend, inter
alia, that the following measures be taken:
a. support a global network of innovators to share ideas and experiences, and act as an observatory;
b. support regional and global level governance centers to document and share good ideas;
c. support regional forums to formulate regional cooperation strategies to improve public administration and governance;
d. promote North-South and South-South cooperation and dialogue;
e. encourage country anchored pilot projects to test alternative methodologies and approaches to promote and strengthen effective and democratic governance;
f. focus at least one category of the UN Public Service Award on projects which
contribute to strengthening citizen’s trust in government; and
g. commission concept papers to develop a framework of principles to underpin trust in government.
3. In addition and in parallel to the global network of innovators, we also urge organization of ministerial round tables to meet periodically to review their experiences in dealing with selected issues of trust, and make recommendations. We also recommend similar meetings at regional and national levels for local administrators. Finally, round tables of parliamentarians are also recommended to share innovative practices and institutional designs.
Talk on Creative Governance
Please email me at DrYKK@mindbloom.net if you want to invite me to present an illuminating one hour Talk on Creative Governance and thereafter to facilitate a session to help solve a prevailing public and social problem in the spirit of Creative Governance.
I would appreciate if you could share Creative Governance stories with me so that they could be featured here. Please forward your response and contributions to DrYKK@mindbloom.net
Monday, January 28, 2008
Creative Governance Begins With People Part 2
Politicians like to associate with winners not whiners.
Dr.YKK
Creative Governance begins with people.
This Part 2 relates my personal experience in Mauritius several years ago.
Towards the end of my creativity consulting with the government, I was taken o one of the poorest villages to help to resolve some of their many outstanding problems. When I arrived there, there were only two people to meet me. This was because most of the villages were attending a reception and official visit by a Minister.
After waiting for nearly an hour when the visit was over, a handful of village officials trudged in. I was handed a list of over 20 problems. Since I had only about an hour left, I asked them to select only the most pressing problem to be resolved.
The most pressing problem was the prevalence of small potholes on the sandy pathways leading to the village. Because of this bus services could not be provided and the children had o walk a very long distance to the nearest school.
I began by asking a series of questions in order to understand the background of the problem. After this, I began to explore the possible solutions to them.
The final solution agreed upon was to set aside a certain day where each adult in the village will be responsible to fill up one pot-hole. Since the potholes were relatively small, a two or three buckets of soil or stones would be sufficient to do the job.
This project would be undertaken in a spirit of festivity where a Minister or senior politician would be invited to officiate. Furthermore, the mass media would be invited to cover the event. The intention was that once the potholes had been covered, the village spokesman would request the VIP guest to surface the road properly. This would be difficult for the VIP to refuse in full glare of publicity especially when the villagers have taken the effort and initiative to cover the potholes. Besides, it would make the VIP look good. And politicians like to associate with winners not whiners.
Talk on Creative Governance
Please email me at DrYKK@mindbloom.net if you want to invite me to present an illuminating one hour Talk on Creative Governance and thereafter to facilitate a session to help solve a prevailing public and social problem in the spirit of Creative Governance.
I would appreciate if you could share Creative Governance stories with me so that they could be featured here. Please forward your response and contributions to DrYKK@mindbloom.net
Dr.YKK
Creative Governance begins with people.
This Part 2 relates my personal experience in Mauritius several years ago.
Towards the end of my creativity consulting with the government, I was taken o one of the poorest villages to help to resolve some of their many outstanding problems. When I arrived there, there were only two people to meet me. This was because most of the villages were attending a reception and official visit by a Minister.
After waiting for nearly an hour when the visit was over, a handful of village officials trudged in. I was handed a list of over 20 problems. Since I had only about an hour left, I asked them to select only the most pressing problem to be resolved.
The most pressing problem was the prevalence of small potholes on the sandy pathways leading to the village. Because of this bus services could not be provided and the children had o walk a very long distance to the nearest school.
I began by asking a series of questions in order to understand the background of the problem. After this, I began to explore the possible solutions to them.
The final solution agreed upon was to set aside a certain day where each adult in the village will be responsible to fill up one pot-hole. Since the potholes were relatively small, a two or three buckets of soil or stones would be sufficient to do the job.
This project would be undertaken in a spirit of festivity where a Minister or senior politician would be invited to officiate. Furthermore, the mass media would be invited to cover the event. The intention was that once the potholes had been covered, the village spokesman would request the VIP guest to surface the road properly. This would be difficult for the VIP to refuse in full glare of publicity especially when the villagers have taken the effort and initiative to cover the potholes. Besides, it would make the VIP look good. And politicians like to associate with winners not whiners.
Talk on Creative Governance
Please email me at DrYKK@mindbloom.net if you want to invite me to present an illuminating one hour Talk on Creative Governance and thereafter to facilitate a session to help solve a prevailing public and social problem in the spirit of Creative Governance.
I would appreciate if you could share Creative Governance stories with me so that they could be featured here. Please forward your response and contributions to DrYKK@mindbloom.net
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Creative Governance Begins With People
A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead
It is very common for people to blame the government they elected for every malady they faced. Yet as the famous anthropologist Margaret Mead says, A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
Creative Governance begins with people.
People talked about rights, but hardly ever about their responsibilities. As a consequence, billions of dollars in budget, resources and efforts were wasted. The community suffered as a result.
A blog on Andrew Mawson's book, The Social Entrepreneur: Making Communities Work reminded me of my own experience in Mauritius. Let me relate Mawsons experience first before sharing my own.
In the mid-1990s, a 35-year-old woman called Jean Vialls who was dying from cancer, was struggling to care for her two children, aged 16 and two, as well as her elderly parents. She was not getting the support she needed from social services and the National Health Service (NHS).Mawson decided to do something about it.
This was what Mawson wrote about the meeting with NHS and health officials:
This, then, was the NHS in action, and it was heartbreaking to witness. All the people in the room were incredibly well-meaning. They were in the caring professions for good reasons, probably to do with wanting to help and make a difference. But, somewhere along the way, they had lost touch with the realities of the lives of the people with whom they were dealing. The core business of the welfare state was meant to be people like Jean. But she had been forgotten about in the scramble to demonstrate equality of opportunity, or efficiency of delivery, or equitable use of public money. The NHS did not seem to understand who the customer was.
Mawson’s efforts to do something about the situation was stuck in bureaucracy until the Health Minister intervened. The success achieved (Bromley-by-Bow) was cited as a prototype for healthy living centres, aimed at improving health among poorer communities, and that would belong to the communities that they serve and not be parachuted in from the government machinery. However, without community involvement, many of the 257 centres established with millions in funding had proved unsustainable and were running out of money.
Who is at fault? I think it is a combination of both the government and the community. Perhaps funding from the Government should only be provided if it comes from a community initiative and not the other way round. I leave you to ponder over this point.
To read the full article, go to:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jan/09/socialenterprises.regeneration
I will share my experience in Mauritius in my next blog.
Talk on Creative Governance
Please email me at DrYKK@mindbloom.net if you want to invite me to present an illuminating one hour Talk on Creative Governance and thereafter to facilitate a session to help solve a prevailing public and social problem in the spirit of Creative Governance.
I would appreciate if you could share Creative Governance stories with me so that they could be featured here. Please forward your response and contributions to DrYKK@mindbloom.net
Margaret Mead
It is very common for people to blame the government they elected for every malady they faced. Yet as the famous anthropologist Margaret Mead says, A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
Creative Governance begins with people.
People talked about rights, but hardly ever about their responsibilities. As a consequence, billions of dollars in budget, resources and efforts were wasted. The community suffered as a result.
A blog on Andrew Mawson's book, The Social Entrepreneur: Making Communities Work reminded me of my own experience in Mauritius. Let me relate Mawsons experience first before sharing my own.
In the mid-1990s, a 35-year-old woman called Jean Vialls who was dying from cancer, was struggling to care for her two children, aged 16 and two, as well as her elderly parents. She was not getting the support she needed from social services and the National Health Service (NHS).Mawson decided to do something about it.
This was what Mawson wrote about the meeting with NHS and health officials:
This, then, was the NHS in action, and it was heartbreaking to witness. All the people in the room were incredibly well-meaning. They were in the caring professions for good reasons, probably to do with wanting to help and make a difference. But, somewhere along the way, they had lost touch with the realities of the lives of the people with whom they were dealing. The core business of the welfare state was meant to be people like Jean. But she had been forgotten about in the scramble to demonstrate equality of opportunity, or efficiency of delivery, or equitable use of public money. The NHS did not seem to understand who the customer was.
Mawson’s efforts to do something about the situation was stuck in bureaucracy until the Health Minister intervened. The success achieved (Bromley-by-Bow) was cited as a prototype for healthy living centres, aimed at improving health among poorer communities, and that would belong to the communities that they serve and not be parachuted in from the government machinery. However, without community involvement, many of the 257 centres established with millions in funding had proved unsustainable and were running out of money.
Who is at fault? I think it is a combination of both the government and the community. Perhaps funding from the Government should only be provided if it comes from a community initiative and not the other way round. I leave you to ponder over this point.
To read the full article, go to:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jan/09/socialenterprises.regeneration
I will share my experience in Mauritius in my next blog.
Talk on Creative Governance
Please email me at DrYKK@mindbloom.net if you want to invite me to present an illuminating one hour Talk on Creative Governance and thereafter to facilitate a session to help solve a prevailing public and social problem in the spirit of Creative Governance.
I would appreciate if you could share Creative Governance stories with me so that they could be featured here. Please forward your response and contributions to DrYKK@mindbloom.net
Friday, January 4, 2008
Creative Governance in Malaria Eradication & Overcoming Bureaucracy
I came across two instances of Creative Governance practices that I would like to share with you on this blog. One involves a young Russian mayor who banned excuses from his staff and the other comes from a profitable social enterprise that helped to eradicate malaria in Kenya.
These two Creative Governance practices serve to highlight that bureaucracy and health issues can be solved with some creative thinking and commitment.
Malaria Eradication
Malaria will affect 300 million people worldwide this year and contribute to one in five childhood deaths in Africa, according to the World Health Organization. Malaria is not the only enemy; a handful of infectious diseases – all treatable with inexpensive generic drugs – accounts for 70 percent to 90 percent of childhood illness and death in the developing world.
HealthStore Foundation founder Scott Hillstrom combines microfinance with established franchising practices to address the simple problem of “getting the drugs to sick people when and where they are needed.
The foundation gives healthcare workers microloans (first created by Prof.Yunus from Bangladesh who won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize) to open their own for-profit Child and Family Wellness (CFW)Shops which distribute medical products and services to remote communities in Kenya. Applying the basic principles of successful franchising, the foundation then trains the franchisees in uniform procedures, carefully selects locations, and conducts regular inspections to ensure quality and consistency. By 2005 the number of CFW shops had increased to 435,527.
Source: Stanford Social Innovation Review, Fall 2007
Comments
This is an incredibly creative and socially responsive way to solve what seems like an intractable problem. It cleverly combines the characteristics of micro-financing and franchising to come out with this brilliant idea of HealthStore franchising. I believe that in the end it is business that will provide sustainable philanthropy. HealthStore proves that a profitable and socially responsible business is a great way to contribute human values and doing good to society.
Russian Mayor Bans Excuses
The mayor of Megion city in Russia has issued a list of excuses that he will not tolerate from civil servants. The phrases include: What can we do?" "It's not my job," "It's impossible," "I'm having lunch," and "There is no money." Alexander Kuzmin, the 33-year-old mayor of Megion, has banned these and 25 other phrases as a way to make his administration more efficient.
He said he was taking action as he was tired of civil servants telling him that problems were impossible to solve, rather than offering practical solutions.
"Town authorities are there to make town residents' life comfortable and prosperous," Kuzmin, a trained oil engineer who studied business administration in Canada, said in a statement posted on the town Web site. "Town officials must work out mechanisms to solve and remove problems, not to avoid them."
Officials who disobey the ban while in the mayor's office "will near the moment of their departure," the statement said.
Providing the mayor with wrong or incomplete information, or being late in reporting important information will be considered an attempt to undermine his work, it said.
Source : AP, 4 Sept. 2007
Comments
This is an excellent example of Creative Governance to eradicate irresponsible bureaucracy in the public service. Hope this provides food for thought for other ideas to improve the public service.
Talk on Creative Governance
The above are just two of the many stories on Creative Governance that I have collated.
Talk on Creative Governance
Please email me Dr.YKK at DrYKK@mindbloom.net if you want to invite me to present an illuminating one hour Talk on Creative Governance and thereafter to facilitate a session to help solve a prevailing public and social problem in the spirit of Creative Governance.
I would appreciate if you could share Creative Governance stories with me so that they could be featured here. Please forward your response and contributions to DrYKK@mindbloom.net
These two Creative Governance practices serve to highlight that bureaucracy and health issues can be solved with some creative thinking and commitment.
Malaria Eradication
Malaria will affect 300 million people worldwide this year and contribute to one in five childhood deaths in Africa, according to the World Health Organization. Malaria is not the only enemy; a handful of infectious diseases – all treatable with inexpensive generic drugs – accounts for 70 percent to 90 percent of childhood illness and death in the developing world.
HealthStore Foundation founder Scott Hillstrom combines microfinance with established franchising practices to address the simple problem of “getting the drugs to sick people when and where they are needed.
The foundation gives healthcare workers microloans (first created by Prof.Yunus from Bangladesh who won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize) to open their own for-profit Child and Family Wellness (CFW)Shops which distribute medical products and services to remote communities in Kenya. Applying the basic principles of successful franchising, the foundation then trains the franchisees in uniform procedures, carefully selects locations, and conducts regular inspections to ensure quality and consistency. By 2005 the number of CFW shops had increased to 435,527.
Source: Stanford Social Innovation Review, Fall 2007
Comments
This is an incredibly creative and socially responsive way to solve what seems like an intractable problem. It cleverly combines the characteristics of micro-financing and franchising to come out with this brilliant idea of HealthStore franchising. I believe that in the end it is business that will provide sustainable philanthropy. HealthStore proves that a profitable and socially responsible business is a great way to contribute human values and doing good to society.
Russian Mayor Bans Excuses
The mayor of Megion city in Russia has issued a list of excuses that he will not tolerate from civil servants. The phrases include: What can we do?" "It's not my job," "It's impossible," "I'm having lunch," and "There is no money." Alexander Kuzmin, the 33-year-old mayor of Megion, has banned these and 25 other phrases as a way to make his administration more efficient.
He said he was taking action as he was tired of civil servants telling him that problems were impossible to solve, rather than offering practical solutions.
"Town authorities are there to make town residents' life comfortable and prosperous," Kuzmin, a trained oil engineer who studied business administration in Canada, said in a statement posted on the town Web site. "Town officials must work out mechanisms to solve and remove problems, not to avoid them."
Officials who disobey the ban while in the mayor's office "will near the moment of their departure," the statement said.
Providing the mayor with wrong or incomplete information, or being late in reporting important information will be considered an attempt to undermine his work, it said.
Source : AP, 4 Sept. 2007
Comments
This is an excellent example of Creative Governance to eradicate irresponsible bureaucracy in the public service. Hope this provides food for thought for other ideas to improve the public service.
Talk on Creative Governance
The above are just two of the many stories on Creative Governance that I have collated.
Talk on Creative Governance
Please email me Dr.YKK at DrYKK@mindbloom.net if you want to invite me to present an illuminating one hour Talk on Creative Governance and thereafter to facilitate a session to help solve a prevailing public and social problem in the spirit of Creative Governance.
I would appreciate if you could share Creative Governance stories with me so that they could be featured here. Please forward your response and contributions to DrYKK@mindbloom.net
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Creative Governance via Citizen Oversight
It has been said that we need all the brains that we have and all the brains that we can borrow. Government administration can be much improved with the inputs from its citizens. In this regard, the Latin American countries provide excellent models of Creative Public Governance by establishing legal frameworks for Citizen Oversight.
Since I couldn’t find any definitions of Citizen Oversight on the web including Wikipedia, I have to create one. Here it is: Citizen Oversight is a legal framework where recognized citizen groups can act as watchdogs on the government for greater transparency , accountability and receptiveness to public opinion. I welcome readers to improve on this definition.
Though the Citizen Oversight systems differ from country to country in Latin America, what they have in common is a legal framework that allows citizens to keep watch over and monitor government action, such as "citizen assistance systems, oversight committees, participation in decision-making bodies, watchdog bodies, etc." Citizen oversight of public institutions and authorities is expanding in various shapes and forms in Latin America. It’s becoming more and more widely accepted by both the governments and their people.
One outstanding success is Brazil. Through its Citizen Oversight participation, Brazil now leads the world in participatory budgeting.
Another shining example is Chile. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet made a brave decision to place (on the web sites of ministries and public services) information at the public’s disposal, starting with the salaries of public employees and officials - something that no other previous administration had ever done.
Citizen Oversight is fast gaining popularity in the US too. A Google search on the term Citizen Oversight came out with 174,000 entries.
Comment
With easy access to the internet and increasing literacy levels, Citizen Oversight is a concept whose time has come. Surprisingly, it comes from what has often been perceived as repressive governments of Latin America rather than the advanced economies and open democratic political systems of the US and the European Union. Whatever it may be, it is not a matter of if but a matter of when, this concept will spread throughout the world. Governments should therefore prepare and take pro-active action to set up Citizen Oversight rather than have it forced on them by NGO pressure groups.
Talk on Creative Governance
Please email me at DrYKK@mindbloom.net if you want to invite me to present an illuminating one hour Talk on Creative Governance and thereafter to facilitate a session to help solve a prevailing public and social problem in the spirit of Creative Governance.
I would appreciate if you could share Creative Governance stories with me so that they could be featured here. Please forward your response and contributions to DrYKK@mindbloom.net
Since I couldn’t find any definitions of Citizen Oversight on the web including Wikipedia, I have to create one. Here it is: Citizen Oversight is a legal framework where recognized citizen groups can act as watchdogs on the government for greater transparency , accountability and receptiveness to public opinion. I welcome readers to improve on this definition.
Though the Citizen Oversight systems differ from country to country in Latin America, what they have in common is a legal framework that allows citizens to keep watch over and monitor government action, such as "citizen assistance systems, oversight committees, participation in decision-making bodies, watchdog bodies, etc." Citizen oversight of public institutions and authorities is expanding in various shapes and forms in Latin America. It’s becoming more and more widely accepted by both the governments and their people.
One outstanding success is Brazil. Through its Citizen Oversight participation, Brazil now leads the world in participatory budgeting.
Another shining example is Chile. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet made a brave decision to place (on the web sites of ministries and public services) information at the public’s disposal, starting with the salaries of public employees and officials - something that no other previous administration had ever done.
Citizen Oversight is fast gaining popularity in the US too. A Google search on the term Citizen Oversight came out with 174,000 entries.
Comment
With easy access to the internet and increasing literacy levels, Citizen Oversight is a concept whose time has come. Surprisingly, it comes from what has often been perceived as repressive governments of Latin America rather than the advanced economies and open democratic political systems of the US and the European Union. Whatever it may be, it is not a matter of if but a matter of when, this concept will spread throughout the world. Governments should therefore prepare and take pro-active action to set up Citizen Oversight rather than have it forced on them by NGO pressure groups.
Talk on Creative Governance
Please email me at DrYKK@mindbloom.net if you want to invite me to present an illuminating one hour Talk on Creative Governance and thereafter to facilitate a session to help solve a prevailing public and social problem in the spirit of Creative Governance.
I would appreciate if you could share Creative Governance stories with me so that they could be featured here. Please forward your response and contributions to DrYKK@mindbloom.net
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