Is change even possible in the public sector? It might not always feel that way, but it is. In this article, I talk about how to think about change in the public sector, a way to find entry points for transformation, and a strategy to engage others to push your ideas forward.
Think of government organizations as turtles
Let’s start with a simple analogy!
This has nothing to do with speed.
Lant Pritchett, now RISE Research Director at the University of Oxford, is one of the brilliant minds we have in development. Recently, I heard him talk about bureaucracy and government organizations as turtles. Something worth sharing.
Imagine you’re trying to move a giant turtle. I’m talking about a Galapagos-size turtle.
No matter how hard you try, beating a turtle won’t make it move. Whenever there is a threat, the turtle will put its body inside the shell, knowing that it’s the safest place for survival. Its strong shell is a mechanism of protection.
It’s only when the turtle feels safe that the neck will go out, and it will slowly start moving.
Government organizations are like turtles. When change is perceived as a threat, as an outsider attack, the response will be to cover inside a hard shell. No movement! In the case of government, that shell comes in form of procedures, bureaucracy, excessive requests, etc. All great excuses for inaction. It’s safer to avoid change, to avoid risks.
You cannot force change. It has to come from within
As with the turtles, your best bet is to create an environment that feels safe, where change comes from within the organization.
Public sector work is a continuous battle against time. As civil servants, we are focused on doing things, on solving problems. Our instinct is to always jump into solutions, to fix things. Moving (Forcing) people to act one way or another.
Experience has shown me that you can’t go very far with that strategy. What to do instead?
Understand the system first. Try to figure out why things work the way they do. Start by asking questions, the right questions. Ask people for ideas. Learn what they have tried before and why it didn’t work. Genuine curiosity will give you valuable insights to create the conditions for change.
Involve people and make them a part of the change
I often tell the story of when I started as Minister of Planning and Development and had my first meetings with the different teams. I wanted to know what they were working on, what was working well, what problems they had identified, and ideas of how we could make things better. In one of those meetings, one of the public servants in the investment team had excellent ideas. I remember saying: “These all sound like great suggestions, reasonable, practical, and doable. Why haven’t you done it before?” He said: “Because no one has ever asked us what we think. Authorities only told us what they wanted, but we have been doing this work daily for many years. We know we can do it better.” After the meeting, we started working on those proposals and implemented them in the next three months.
The biggest lesson I learned that day is that instead of imposing solutions, we need to go in search of answers from those that are part of the process.
Listening can be underrated, yet it is one of the most effective strategies to promote change. It will surprise you how much willingness there is to move things forward if you give it a chance. When the problem identification and proposal of solutions come from within, everything changes. Individuals, teams, organizations, and everyone would find a way to overcome obstacles and make change possible. The old saying is that where there’s a will, there is a way. Remember, there is always a way.
It’s not only about speed, it’s about moving forward sustainably
Change is often perceived as a threat in government organizations. As turtles, the best mechanism of defense is to be inside a shell, which tends to show up as unnecessary procedures, bureaucracy, red tape, etc. If you want to promote change, a better strategy is to understand the system first and invite people within the organization to be part of the process. Listening and asking the right questions is your best tool to start.
If you liked this, don’t miss our upcoming workshop: How to influence a decision-maker. Get on the waitlist now! Share with a friend: https://bettergovs.org/workshop
