In Japan, craftsmen practice the ancient art of kintsugi, or “golden joinery,” which is a method of restoring a broken object with lacquer. Organisations can apply this principle to their people, systems and processes to find value and new opportunities in what they already have. How did you feel the last time a coffee […]
Category Archives: Engagement
Understanding slow and fast thinking – the keys to deliberative engagement
When presented with the facts, many people don’t automatically let go of their feelings or personal ideas. It is particularly easy in this era of rapid change, for some people to reach a conclusion based on their gut feeling rather than the evidence. To get genuine contributions from the public, community engagement practitioners need to […]
Mini-publics linking citizens and elites in policy deliberations
Citizens’ juries are growing in Australia, but are usually divorced from decision-makers. A better design consciously couples mini-publics and elites. Modern politics is often characterised as a world of electoral sound bites and party competition, with few opportunities for informed public debate. But this is perhaps an unfair representation of what goes on at the […]
What is frank and fearless advice, and how to give it
Victoria’s top bureaucrat Chris Eccles explains his approach on frank and fearless advice and when to speak truth to power. Twelve months into the term of a new government is an opportune time to reflect on the nature of our services to the public and government from my vantage point as head of the Victorian […]
Five big challenges for Australian government
Australia’s former top bureaucrat, Terry Moran, has issued a call to arms for public servants: think big, get confident, face digital disruption and improve the sector’s capability or lose more ground to outsourcing. The greatest pleasure of my three years as IPAA national president has been the chance to meet and hear from public servants […]