Tag: collaboration
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Some conflict is like a latent staph infection in a body that otherwise seems healthy – waiting to flare up and dangerous when it does. Well-meaning efforts to engage the public can founder in the face of such a flare-up. We have seen this happen to public officials who proudly announce a new economic development…
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In our last post we talked about the importance of assessing your community’s readiness and resilience before determining how to move forward. Some communities are ready to collaborate, and public engagement efforts will work there relatively well. Other communities are not. A community that is clearly ready to work through difficult issues together will exhibit…
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We noted in our last post that, prior to embarking on a collaborative process, it is useful to take stock of the resources available in your community that can help you collaboratively work through conflict. What are these resources? They include, of course, monetary and in-kind resources for funding a process and ensuring adequate…
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Engaging citizens in joint problem solving or collaborative discussion of issues can help you move through the conflicts that inevitably occur in our diverse communities. This does not mean though that simple invitations to sit down and talk will allow you to move forward and avoid a partisan stalemate. Just as a doctor diagnoses a…
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One positive outcome of the current political discourse at the national level is that many citizens and leaders are looking for a different approach than partisan bickering. Cities in particular are experimenting with avoiding partisan divides through more dialogue based approaches. Recently ICMA asked administrators to predict what local government would look like in 2020. …