8 steps to change, could it be that easy?

I've complained a lot in this Blog about leaders (politicians especially) not leading change in their own particular areas. Obviously it's easy for me to preach this message having never (besides Student Union day) in a position to understand the difficulties that go along with the responsibility to change.

To educate myself about this I've started reading the above book, "Leading Change", by John P. Kotter. It's a book that was recommended by former Lieutenant Governor  of Massecheusets(Deputy Governor to Mitt Romney) Kerry Healey when we met her on the Boston College Young Leader's Programme 2007. She was teaching a course in Harvard where she outlined how the Romney administration adapted the above book from its private sector roots to implement public sector change in their administration.

 The 8 stage process Kotter outlines is as follows:

1. Establish a sense of urgency

2. Create the guiding coalition

3. Develop a vision and strategy

4. Communicate the change vision

5. Empower broad=based action

6. Generate short-term wins

7. Consolidate gains and produce more change

8. Anchor new approaches in the corporate culture.

 

I will report back on what the above actually means (and if I feel it has any applicability to public sector change) in a few weeks!

Young Leaders' Group  with Dr. Kerry Healey, former Lieutenant-Governor of Mass. (I'm 4th from right)

Here are two links to scary stories about Local Government incompetence in Clare County Council Planning Department. Both relate to maladministration that has already (or probably will) cost the Council huge amounts of money it does not have.

The first story relates to a further information request on a Planning application. When the information was lodged, it was never logged by the Council leading ot a refusal and Judicial Review by Applicants. Que a High Court settlement of €650,000 against council .

The second relates to anther administrative mess-up, where Applicants very altruistically re-lodged a Planning Application after it was granted by default, as the Council had made no official changes or comments. A Senior Council Employee told Councillors they could not be told about any deal made on re-lodging the Application and were shut out of the process until pressure lead to  a behind-closed-doors meeting where the information was divulged. Apparently this case is one of a series in which information has been removed or altered.

When I worked at a legal office, the prospect of a Judicial Review was all that kept us going on bad days. The administrative mistake of some Public Authority, where we'd seek almost undreamt-of figures for damages (and of course significant fees) was the basis of many parties. The targeted Public Authority (in this case the Refugee Appeals Tribunal or Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner) had to get very smart, very quickly to tighten its procedures or there would be huge budgetary outlays on Judicial Reviews. This they did, they brought lawyers into every facet of their operation, and JRs slowed to a trickle. This occoured with leadership from a strong Minister (Michael McDowell). Now, it has to be asked where is the strong leadership needed to head off this debilitating drain on local resources? These mess-up have been going on for years in Clare County Council. And now the Management is denying our elected Councillors access to basic information!

Another link here to the Garry Miley Planning Dispatch, where he quotes a letter from Clare Planning Agents (those who lodge Applications on behalf of others), listing 12 major difficulties which include inconsistencies between planners, lack of internal communication, mistakes in technical reports etc.


This bodes ill for the Minister for the Environment's Reform of Local Government, currently at Green Paper stage. The proposal for directly-elected Mayors is welcome, but before any Mayors are elected, there needs to be a strong and definite chain-of-command structure put in place in Local Government so that whoever is in charge (Manager or Mayor) has absolute authority from the start. Similar to the situation in London where the Mayor controls Police, transport etc.  but unlike the previous proposal from Minister Noel Dempsey, which proposed directly-elected Mayors with the powers of the current Mayors - a ludicrous ubworkable suggestion (that I'm glad Jackie Healy-Rae torpeoded. Local Governmetn can contribute so much to the happiness of it's citizens, but not if it's consistantly paying out large amount of it's budget in legal fees.

(some small editing and additions 16/05/08 & addition of 2nd last paragrpah on 19/05/08)

How the typical Irish Mayor is viewed

(credit: The Simpsons)

What being a vegetarian means to me in the words of this guy!

"As you're enjoying that pork loin next to me, I am not silently judging you. I realize that anyone who has encountered the breed of smug vegetarian who says things like, "I can hear your lunch screaming," will find this tough to believe, but I'm honestly not out to convert you."

I see dead cows...

Happy Europe Day!

There has been little discussion about the fact that the new Táiniste and Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has few policy achievements to point to in her political career. Most of the reaction has been in the vein of Labour’s Joanna Tuffy who “said it was good to see a woman in the post”.

New Táiniste & Minister Mary Coughlan: "Great to see a woman in the post"

Tangentially, real change could come to Ireland if there were more women in powerful political positions, the Spanish Government's female majority is an example for us all. However, my view is that Minister Coughlan may not be the example to follow.

Admittedly her Ministerial experiences have been in Agriculture and Social & Family Affairs – two “management” Departments that give little scope for policy dynamism. One area, however, she’s targeted diligently has been the undermining of the rights of gay people. As Minister for Social and Family affairs in March 2004, she attempted to introduce legislation withdrawing protections and rights from gay partners under an amendment to Social Welfare legislation. The amendment would have defined the word “spouse” solely in terms of opposite sex relationships. Also in 2004, Minister Coughlan took it upon herself to tell a European Union conference on Family and Social policy that Ireland would never be ready for same-sex marriage or gay adoption. “Ever” is a very long time, obviously Minister Coughlan had foresight denied to us who had been foolishly campaigning for just that.

The question is whether it’s right to have a Táiniste that has repeatedy tried to undermine the rights of a minority group in the country they govern? Obviously discrimination against gay people is no impediment to progress in this government.

Finally, as an addendum – isn’t it depressing that we have a Taoiseach, Táiniste and Minister for Finance who are inheritors of their father’s seats? Is this what you need for the sticking power needed for high office, a guaranteed seat because of your name, so you can concentrate on climbing the Ministerial ladder?

Last Wednesday I attended a screening of "Citizen Havel" (Obcan Havel), a kind of pen-picture of the 8 year latter Presidency of Václav Havel. The access granted to the film crew was amazing, and the backroom dealing and power relationships that were shown, didn't need translation as they were clear in body movements alone!

Playwrite & politician - Václav Havel

However, the humanity of Václav Havel was the element that made this film great. Private moments of doubt and delight were scattered through the film; poignant moments were shared, such as his arranging the flowers over the coffin of his first wife, his being remarried and his agonised decision about whether to run again for office. 

It was in the context of this decision that he quoted one of his own plays; "those who truly value democracy cannot understand it, leaving it to those who do not value democracy to define it" (quote may not be exact - from memory). Perhaps that's why politics has been so unresponsive to people's real earnest needs. Can we really say that we get a chance to elect people who truly value democracy and the will of the people rather than secretly resenting it? Where are the people that truly value democracy and why is our system driving them away?