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> The Nature of Change:
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FAQ's
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Q:
Why is public-sector change so important today?
Q: How does the Public Governance Institute help
the public sector lead change?
Q: How would Public Governance Institute go
about helping a public-sector group?
Q: Where does the Public Governance Institute fit
into the change process?
Q: Why does the Public Governance Institute think
its methods will work?
Q: What if a change is resisted?
Question: Why is public-sector change so important
today?
Historically, changes in public governance have been slow except
when punctuated by a war, crisis, or some other catastrophe.
In the past it was much more tolerable, due to the insularity
of economic and agrarian systems, when another country, society,
or civilization buckled. For example, while the end of the Maya
is being understood and dissected today, during the actual collapse
of Mayan civilization much of the world remained ignorant. If
this were to happen today, the effects would be entirely intolerable
given the interconnectedness of the world’s economies,
cultures, and political regimes.
The past provides other examples for the price of not leading
change. As the Industrial Revolution swept through much of the
Western world, India and China found their agrarian systems
quickly outmoded. While opportunities presented themselves to
industrialize, both countries were unable to participate fully.
As a result, India and China suffered through the age of industry
as peasant partners.
With the Information Age increasing the speed at which governments
must adapt, it is more important than ever before to lead change.
Everyday, the world is a smaller and smaller place, and like
a spider’s web, localized disruptions are felt throughout
the whole. Perhaps the question should not be, “Why is
change so important today?” but rather, “What is
the price of staying the same?”
Question: How does the Public Governance
Institute help the public sector lead change?
In the past 25 years, we have witnessed a steady evolution in
private-sector change theory; from having unconsciously competent
people who could innately manage change, to people trained in
consciously leading change. Our work at the Public Governance
Institute is to take that private-sector knowledge of change
management and translate it to a public-sector audience.
Our objective is not to tell any group or organization what
it should change. We only serve to increase the public sector’s
effectiveness by teaching it how to lead change.
Question: How would Public Governance
Institute go about helping a public-sector group?
Two ways:
1) By engaging in “capacity-building,” an educational
program that defines the nature and process of change. “Capacity-building”
rests on the belief that knowing what change is enables a public
leader or group to better lead it.
2) By supporting the leader and his or her team as a counselor
for a public-sector change project, the Public Governance Institute
as an outside organization can be objective and enhance the
group’s effectiveness in its process.
Question: Where does the Public Governance
Institute fit into the change process?
Two places:
1) Once capacity-building training has been completed, the Public
Governance Institute could help a public-sector group identify
a range of options and assist it in creating a strategic plan.
Tailored to the group’s critical changes, the plan would
avoid easy, “quick fix” answers in favor of effective,
long-term change.
2) During the execution or implementation phase of a complex
change project, the Institute could support a group by providing
more detailed and relevant training in order to address specific
challenges that will arise.
Question: Why does the Public Governance
Institute think its methods will work?
We’re convinced that translating change leadership techniques
from the private-sector environment to the public-sector will
work because the basic principles rest on fundamental human
dynamics, which are the same in both the private and public
arenas.
Question: What if a change is resisted?
Change in the public arena is more complex because lines of
authority are ambiguous and the capacity to sanction, positively
or negatively, is more difficult. The constant that has to be
addressed by public or private leaders is that resistance to
change is natural. At the Public Governance Institute, we find
that most efforts to change terminate early because leaders
are not competent at resolving resistance.
This resistance to change is a natural human characteristic,
and will occur even in the event of positive change. In some
areas of the world resistance is more pronounced, creating greater
leadership challenges for the public sector. The Public Governance
Institute exists to aid the public sector in addressing these
challenges. |
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