Changing the Game

Is Prime Minister Tony Abbott a smart leader who willingly taps into the expertise all around him rather than relying on his own worldview and that of his cabinet ministers? Is the Coalition going to govern with wisdom that stems from appreciating complexity, critiquing assumptions, and acknowledging limitations?

These are important questions now as Abbott assumes the top job. He’s spoken about the need to change the ways government does business because we can’t keep going about in the same old ways, all the while expecting different, better outcomes.

Tony Abbott faces a troublesome reality as he and the Coalition transition to governing: a legislative body marked by wide chasms and wild cards.

Mr. Abbott must upend the usual processes to move beyond the quagmire of dysfunctional politics. He must use collaborative governance. It’s imperative that he and his Cabinet disrupt the status quo by putting aside politics as usual with its thorny well-worn path of deal making – and the unintended consequences that follow.

Collaborative governance changes the game.

 

Collaborative governance is the only way to capture and use the innate wisdom that resides within a group because it is a disciplined method that elicits a shared definition of the dilemma and the optimal methods for resolving it. The very nature of the collaborative governance process builds consensus about the path forward and sustains commitment because all parties agree upon the problem, its solution, and the means of implementing the policy or program up front. In the end, collaborative governance uses all resources effectively because if focuses time, effort and money on the real issues and the best solutions that are going to work the first time.

We have a living model of the process in action with the Queensland Government shaping a 30-year plan. Instead of the Premier and his Cabinet sequestering themselves to envision the future, create a plan for its achievement, and then sell their vision to the public, they have invited all Queenslanders to participate in the process through events such as the Mackay summit, hundred of smaller events, and through an energetic digital campaign. A lot of work has gone into gaining broad-based input, but collaborative governance is actually proving to be fiscally savvy because it focuses on what really matters and draws on the resources of all sectors and communities.

Collaboration is working for Queensland, and it will work for Australia, because it transcends party lines and outlasts particular politicians. Collaborative governance isn’t about politics. It’s about people. It’s about democracy.

The federal Coalition Government has an exceptional opportunity as its tenure begins to learn from Queenslanders by employing the authentic decision making strategy of collaborative governance. The best solutions to Australia’s problems come from the knowledge and experience of all of us. The opportunity for the Abbott government is to work with those around them by inviting the wider group of elected officials in both legislative bodies and the constituents they represent – that’s all of us – into the dilemmas as well as the solutions.

Collaborative governance is a way of working with diverse stakeholders to create enduring solutions to our most complex issues, problems and dilemmas. The sustained application of this disciplined decision-making framework requires thinking differently. It may take more time initially, but ultimately it requires fewer demands on resources. The result? A fully mature democracy unfettered by dysfunction.

Mr. Abbott can extend his ethos of discipline to the collaborative governance process. Now is the perfect time for him to open up different conversations about the issues, not just offer different answers to the same old question. It is the perfect time to finally define together the wicked and wonderful complexity of the dilemmas we face. Let’s go slow to go fast, with faith in good process, with faith in our leaders and above all, with faith in ourselves.

Will Mr. Abbot collaborate with his staff, other government officials and the Australian public? Will he say, “We have a difficult issue here” (fill in with education, environment, health, carbon tax, border protection, budget deficit, paid parental leave, even the national broadband network). “We’re not quite sure we understand all the aspects of it or the best solutions. We’ve got some ideas, but we want to listen to what you have to say, to benefit from your collective wisdom, and work on this together.” Will he invite us in to define the dilemmas and collaborate with us to find the solutions?

Now is the time for something different. The best way for Prime Minister Abbott to prove he is going to do things differently is by adopting the collaborative governance approach – for working on the big problems facing the country. It is what a smart leader would do.