Free White Papers
Ask the experts
Got a question? Put us to the test
Community Leadership
Print | Email | Digg this story!
Local Council Members have the democratic and legislative legitimacy to lead their local community. To be effective in that role, Council Members are learning new ways of working and behaving that requires the courage to use their power in a more collaborative and inclusive way.
Council Members have been bombarded with advice on the benefits of partnership working for building better communities, but practical experience has taught us that there are a number of key challenges to be addressed if the time and energy to work with others is to deliver results. Challenges such as how to:
- engage stakeholders effectively
- manage roles and responsibilities
- agree budgets and manage expectations
- sustain the democratic legitimacy
- manage cultural differences of partners
- improve programme and project management.
Engaging Stakeholders
Partnerships are stronger when stakeholders are involved from the very beginning. Time spent agreeing a vision is well worth while, not so much for the outcome, but the process involved in reaching agreement. Early engagement develops a better understanding of the relative expectations of the partners. For example, in my experience, there is a very real expectation of voluntary organisations that working with a local authority will lead to more funding, when often no extra money would be available.
Roles and Responsibilities
Stakeholders need to be clear and 'signed up' to their respective roles and responsibilities. Often a local authority will assume leadership when that may not be the most appropriate way to deliver the intended outcome. Behaviours may be embedded such that all meetings are held in the Council offices when the issue in question may be more local in character. For example, a local community association would be better placed to lead in redeveloping a play area with financial support from the Council and local sponsors.
Agreeing Budgets and Managing Expectations
This is probably the most difficult challenge to address. It is common in organisations for plans to be agreed without providing the resource to deliver. That was certainly the case in the early days of best value when committed officers were required to deliver radical proposals working a few hours a week in their spare time.
Large scale cross-cutting initiatives require a budget to ensure that existing services continue to improve, while attention is given to a more transformational change in the longer term. Joint budgets need to be negotiated with all stakeholders making a contribution according to their means. Inevitably, implementation of any major change will require investment in information, communications technology, learning and development and process improvement. Failure to address the need for 'start up' investment to bring about desired benefits will lead very quickly to disillusionment.
Sustaining Democratic Legitimacy
A major challenge for community leaders working in partnership with others is how to sustain the democratic legitimacy of the process. Sharing power with other organisations may well be perceived as ceding power, thereby diluting a council member's representation role. It can only work well when stakeholders operate in an atmosphere of trust and openness. Such trust is achieved through achievement of shared outcomes. In other words, by working together with a common aim future collaboration is made easier. Temporary loss of power will be compensated through celebration of a successful outcome, and presumably electoral victory.
An obstacle to be overcome is for Members representing district councils is how to engage in effective partnership working with a County Council that is governed by a different political party. In truth, all local authorities are committed to building more prosperous, safe and healthy communities but have different ideas about how to achieve that vision. Realistically, the political dilemma would best be overcome through establishment of unitary authorities, an inevitable conclusion of better 'joined up' working to deliver transformational service improvement for the community.
Managing Cultural Differences
Departmental warfare has been a feature in many local authorities in the past. The challenge of managing cultural differences is increased when working with many stakeholders. The whole language of government is a 'turn off' for many citizens. Partnership working will not change cultures but steps should be taken to understand and accommodate those differences. At the very simplest level agreeing to communicate in plain, jargon free English, will reduce the propensity for misunderstanding.
Meeting the Challenges
Programme and Project Planning
So how can local councillors address those challenges? Councillors must agree realistic and achievable programme and project plans with a mechanism to manage progress. Ideally, council members should be involved in the early stages of the planning process. A useful technique developed by Oakleigh Consulting, is known as '22 questions'.
That simple questioning technique has proved to be extremely effective in helping stakeholders to 'think through' the issues and plan effectively for change. In particular, it leads to a better understanding of each stakeholder, what they expect to 'get out of the deal' and how they would react to areas of contention.
It leads to clear thinking around risks and provides a comprehensive and rich picture of the relationships between vision and plan that is easily communicated to all stakeholders.
Better programme and project planning needs to embrace agreement on roles and responsibilities, address 'pooled resources', consider the culture of stakeholders and how best to build on consensus.
Letting go
Community leadership is about seeing the big picture and achieving big change. Council members must know when to let others lead, and resist the temptation of becoming embroiled in the day to day minutia. Behaviour is important. Meetings should be arranged for the convenience of the stakeholders and not at the same place at the same time, because 'we have always done it like that'.
Successful community leadership is more than vision and direction, it is about gaining the trust and respect of stakeholders, a willingness to cede power for the common good and having a maturity of approach that puts long term achievements ahead of short term political gain.
If you have any questions about the subjects covered in this white paper or you would like to find out more about how Oakleigh Consulting could help your organisation, please contact us on 0161 835 4100 or email us.
Copyright
You may publish, quote or reproduce any white papers on this website on the condition that Oakleigh Consulting Ltd is notified, properly credited (and linked to) as the source, including our URL: www.oakleigh.co.uk.