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