Copyright 2014 – Scott HutchesonThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.
Effective Strategy for Addressing Public Issues
Scott Hutcheson, Ph.D.
Joint Council of Extension Professionals2014 Public Issues Leadership Workshop
Alexandria, VA - April 7, 2014
What to Expect From This Session
• Present insights from research on the effective development and implementation of strategies to address community-based public issues • Explore how to incorporate findings into Extension community-based
public issues work
Better understand he nature of collaborationIdentify what stage your collaborations are inConsider ways to move a collaborations to the next level
The Great and the Near Great in the White River Country
by Z. M. Horton The Baxter Bulletin
Dec 31, 1915
S. J. Hutcheson, a well known farmer and stockman ofNorfork, roping a calf
White River Ferry at Norfork, Arkansas, circa 1900
Better understand he nature of collaborationIdentify what stage your collaborations are inConsider ways to move a collaborations to the next level
Norfork, Arkansas
(pop. 550)
Our communities, big and small, are dealing with complex PUBLIC ISSUES
Our communities, big and small, are dealing with complex PUBLIC ISSUES
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Better understand he nature of collaborationIdentify what stage your collaborations are inConsider ways to move a collaborations to the next level
Research Question
Why are some strategies for addressing public issues successful and others…not so much?
Answering the Question
A grounded theory exploration using a sequential mixed method
approach beginning with a qualitative phase in which semi-
structured interviews resulting were conducted with a purposively
sampled panel of experts resulting in data that was open coded using
the data spiral analysis method followed by a quasi-experimental quantitative phase in which two
contrasted groups of purposefully sampled, randomly assigned participants were surveyed,
resulting in data that was analyzed using Spearman’s rho to determine
correlation coefficients.
1. Literature review2. Interviews3. Surveys
Better understand he nature of collaborationIdentify what stage your collaborations are inConsider ways to move a collaborations to the next level
Problem Statement
• Literature gap regarding factors contributing to effective strategy in the context of public issues like economic development (Kwon, Berry, & Feiock, 2009).
• Civic leaders face daunting tasks of developing and implementing strategies to address these public issues (Markey, 2010).
• Very little research-based information to guide decisions about effective strategy-development processes.
• Evolution of public issues• Institutionalization• Locus of control• Increasing complexity
• Tools for managing public issues• Early tools• Evolving tools• Emerging tools
• Contributing theories• Strategy formation• Collaborative governance• Social innovation
Insights from the Literature
Conducted as part of the grounded theory data collection process (McGhee, Marland, and Atkinson, 2007).
Conducted to provide contextualization (Dunne, 2011) and orientation to the phenomenon (Pozzebon, Petrini, de Mellow, and Garreau, 2011).
Better understand he nature of collaborationIdentify what stage your collaborations are inConsider ways to move a collaborations to the next level
Evolution of How We Deal with
Public Issues
Institutionalization• Pre-institutional (Pre- WW2)• Institutional (1950-1990)• Multi-Institutional (1990 to today)
Locus of Control • Control in the hands of the “elite”
(Perrucci & Pilisuk, 1970). • Most economic & community
development issues are “Type 3 Public Problems” and control is shared by a group of “nonexperts” (Heifitz and Sinder, 1988).
Hierarchy of Complex Systems
•Social Organizations – economics, education, politics•Individual Human – language capacity, knowledge accumulation, design and use of tools•Animal – mobility, information processing•Plants – viability•Open Systems – matter, energy•Cybernetics – computers•Clockworks – engines•Frameworks – buildings, cells
14
Co
mp
lexi
tyBoulding, K. (1956). General systems theory—the skeleton of science. Management Science 2(3): 197-208.
The Extension Economist Vs. The Rocket Scientist
15
Hierarchy of Complex Systems
•Social Organizations – economics, education, politics• Individual Human – language capacity, knowledge accumulation, design and use of tools•Animal – mobility, information processing•Plants – viability•Open Systems – matter, energy•Cybernetics – computers•Clockworks – engines•Frameworks – buildings, cells
16
Co
mp
lexi
tyBoulding, K. (1956). General systems theory—the skeleton of science. Management Science 2(3): 197-208.
Hierarchy of Complex Systems
•Social Organizations – economics, education, politics• Individual Human – language capacity, knowledge accumulation, design and use of tools•Animal – mobility, information processing•Plants – viability•Open Systems – matter, energy•Cybernetics – computers•Clockworks – engines•Frameworks – buildings, cells
17
Co
mp
lexi
tyBoulding, K. (1956). General systems theory—the skeleton of science. Management Science 2(3): 197-208.
Hierarchy of Complex Systems
•Social Organizations – economics, education, politics• Individual Human – language capacity, knowledge accumulation, design and use of tools•Animal – mobility, information processing•Plants – viability•Open Systems – matter, energy•Cybernetics – computers•Clockworks – engines•Frameworks – buildings, cells
18
Co
mp
lexi
tyBoulding, K. (1956). General systems theory—the skeleton of science. Management Science 2(3): 197-208.
Dealing with the Complexity
19
Early Models• 1960s in universities, schools, municipalities (Hamilton, 2007)• Late 1980s/Early 1990s first economic development strategic plans
(Blackerby & Blackerby, 1995) • Borrowed from industry models (Blair,2004)
Evolving Models• Recognition that corporate models are less effective (Bryson and Roering,
1987).• U.S. Economic Development Administration’s CEDS; Cooperative Extension
Service’s Take Charge (Hein, Cole, & Ayres, 1990); Asset-Based Community Development, (Kretzmann and McKnight, 1996; Community Capitals, Flora, 1992)
Emerging Models• Effectiveness of strategic planning in business questioned (Mintzberg, 1994).• Effectiveness of strategic planning in economic & community development
questioned ( Blair, 2004; Robichau, 2010; Morrison, 2012)• Organic Strategic Planning (McNamara, 2010, Open Source Economic
Development (Merkel, 2010), Strategic Doing (Hutcheson, 2008; Hutcheson & Morrison, 2012; Walzer & Cordes, 2012)
Better understand he nature of collaborationIdentify what stage your collaborations are inConsider ways to move a collaborations to the next level
Complexity =Messes
Public issues are complex
Institutions emerged to
deal with the complexity
There are lots of institutions
No single institution is
“in charge” of most public
issues
Complex environment
Contributing Theories
•Social Innovation•Strategy Formation•Collaborative Governance
21
Social Innovation
Social innovations… • are best designed and implemented in networks• emerge from heterogeneousness (diversity)• are framed using existing assets• are products of co-creation• are the result of collective action• should have decentralized implementation• ,when implemented should focus on tangible results
Bland, Bruk, Kim, and Lee (2010); Bouchard (2012); Mulgan, Ali, Tucker and Sanders (2007); Neumeier (2012); Oliveira and Breda-Vazquez (2012)
Strategy Formation
Strategies… • are formed intuitively• are iterative•must be designed to account for unanticipated variables•must take into account contextual values, assumptions,
beliefs, and expectations•must be flexible• should be designed collaboratively• and best developed as an intra-organizational activity
Feser, 2012; Johanson, 2009; Lindblom, 1959; Mintzberg, 1978; Parnell, 2008; Rindova, Dalpiaz, and Ravasi, 2011; Sminia, 2012; Tapinos, Dyson, and Meadows, 2011
Collaborative Governance
Collaborative governance…• takes advantage of network structures• connects existing assets• focuses first on small wins• Requires decision making to be made by consensus•works when there is trust among participants• is efficient• involves successful management of both internal and external
stakeholders
Ansell and Gash, 2008; Chiclana et al., 2013; Clarke, Huxley, Mountford, 2010; Emerson, Nabatchi, and Balogh, 2012; Gibson, 2011; Johnston, Hicks, Nan, and Auer, 2011; Kwon, Berry, and Feiock, 2009; Merkle , 2010; Olberding, 2009;
Ospina and Saz-Carranza, 2010; Pammer, 1998; Poister, 2010
Better understand he nature of collaborationIdentify what stage your collaborations are inConsider ways to move a collaborations to the next level
These Things Matter
•Organizational Structure (hierarchy, network, etc.)• Framework (asset-based, deficit-based)•Processes (planning and Implementation separate and distinct, planning and implementation integrated and iterative, etc.)• Timeframe (focused on longer-term goals, focused on shorter-term goals, etc.) • Implementation (tasks centralized with one organization, tasked disseminated among multiple organizations)
Insights from the Panel of Experts
The Quantitative Data• Population of scholars and practitioners who design curricula, teach, and/or practice strategy development for addressing public issues (economic development, community development, community health, etc.)• Sample: N=12• Semi-structured interviews (IRB-approved, anonymity)• Verbatim transcripts, data spiral analysis with three levels of coding: open, axial, selective using qualitative analysis software• 56 single-spaced pages/over 31,000 words of data
Findings from the Interviews
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1. Network organization structures2. Asset-based Frameworks3. Iterative planning/implementation process4. Inclusion of shorter-term goals5. Decentralized implementation6. Metrics to learn what is working7. High levels of trust among participants8. Readiness for change in community
Variables
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1. Network organization structures2. Asset-based Frameworks3. Iterative planning/implementation process4. Inclusion of shorter-term goals5. Decentralized implementation6. Metrics to learn what is working7. High levels of trust among participants8. Readiness for change in community
Independent Variables
Dependent Variable = Effectiveness
EffectivenessFor the effective strategy initiative you have in mind, how would you describe its level of effectiveness:
• Completely effective• Significantly effective• Somewhat effective
IneffectivenessFor the ineffective strategy initiative you have in mind, how would you describe its level of ineffectiveness:
• Somewhat ineffective• Significantly ineffective• Completely ineffective
Organizational Structure, etc.
Measuring the Variables
Hierarchical, with a clear top and bottom
Network, with a hub and spokes
Insights from Participants
The Qualitative Data• Population of individuals who have participated in
community-based strategy initiatives to address public issues (economic development, community development, community health, etc.)
• Sample of 300 (plus those reached by use of snowball sample) participants were randomly selected from PCRD contact database (N=209). Assured that Indiana was not over represented
• IRB-approved survey constructed using the factors identified in phase 1, participants randomly assigned to two contrasting groups
Findings from the Surveys
31
Source: Scott Hutcheson, Distributed under a Creative Commons 3.0 License.
Effective & Ineffective Strategy Initiatives – Mean Responses
Completely Effective
Completely Ineffective
Significantly Effective
Somewhat Effective
Somewhat Ineffective
Significantly Ineffective
Findings from the Survey
Effectiveness Continuum
Dep
ende
nt V
aria
bles
Correlation
Findings from the Surveys
33
Source: Scott Hutcheson, Distributed under a Creative Commons 3.0 License.
Correlation Between Strategy Initiative Effectiveness and the Eight Independent Variables
Recipe for EFFECTIVE Strategies
• Have a network organizational structure• Frame strategies primarily around
building on existing assets • Have a planning and implementation
processes that is iterative • Include short-term, easy-win goals• Decentralize responsibilities for
implementation among multiple organization • Use metrics to learn what is working
and to make adjustments along the way• Build high levels of trust among
participants• Assure that participants are ready to
change
Recipe for INEFFECTIVE Strategies
• Have a hierarchical organizational structure
• Frame strategies primarily around addressing problems or deficits
• Have a planning and implementation process that is linear and sequential
• Include only long-term, transformational goals
• Centralized responsibilities for implementation with one organization
• Uses metrics primarily for accountability
• Proceed even though there are low levels of trust among participants
• Proceed although participants are not ready for change
Improving Our Practice
• Think about public issues differently• Accelerate the collaborations needed
to address them• Develop and implement agile, asset-
based strategies to meet a progressive series of clearly defined strategic objectives
Addressing Public Issues
Framing Community
Conversations
Exercise One: Reframing Public Issues
39
Choose one of the following problem-centered statements about public issues and reframe it as an opportunity-centered question.
1. Somebody needs to do something about the graffiti on our downtown buildings
2. We can’t keep our smartest kids here. We’re suffering from “brain drain.”
3. In the good old days we had great manufacturing jobs that paid a great wage.
The Collaboration Continuum
Turf
Trust
TIME
SharingResources
Sharing Information
MutualAwareness
Co-Execution
Co-Creation
Acknowledgment Exploration Cooperation Collaboration Innovation
Adapted from Collaboration Continuum from ACT for Youth
Exercise Two:Accelerating
Collaboration
1. Consider a collaboration that is important to your work
2. Ask yourself what stage on the continuum is that collaboration in now?
3. Think of specific steps you could take to move the collaboration to the next level
Scott Hutcheson, Ph.D.765-479-7704
[email protected]/in/scotthutcheson/
www.twitter.com/jshutch64www.facebook.com/scott.hutcheson
Thank You
Copyright 2014 – Scott HutchesonThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.