Results That Matter: Effective Community Governance

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Results That MatterEffective Community
Governance

• ASPA National Conference, Denver, April 3, 2006
• Professional Development Workshop
• by Paul Epstein [phone] epstein_at_pipeline.com
  
• Lyle Wray [phone] lwray_at_crcog.org
• Paul Coates [phone] paulc_at_iastate.edu
• Results That Matter Team www.resultsthatmatter.ne
  t

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Workshop Objectives

• Learn a Model for Effective Community Governance
  and related ideas.
• Determine opportunities for improving measurable
  results in ways that matter most to the people of
  your community or the people served by your
  organization.

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Effective Community Governance Model Basis for
book RESULTS THAT MATTER (Jossey-Bass, 2006)
Align 2 or 3 Core Skills
to Get 4 Advanced Governance Practices
3. Citizens Reaching for Results
1. Community Problem Solving
4. Communities Governing for Results
1
3
4
2
2. Organizations Managing for Results
4
How do communities with effective governance
improve themselves?

• Four Community Improvement Themes
• Robust citizen engagement in multiple roles
• Use of performance feedback in organizational or
  community decisions
• Linking desired results to resources and
  accountable people or organizations
• Use of collaborations

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5 Main Engagement Roles for Citizens

• Citizens as
• Stakeholders
• Advocates
• Issue Framers
• Evaluators
• Collaborators

• Key Variations of Three Roles
• Customers
• Owners
• Interested Parties
• Foundation Builders (e.g., set a vision,
  strategic goals, outcome indicators)
• Agenda Setters (e.g., identify issues to address,
  budget or policy priorities, service indicators)
• Problem Definers
• Solution Identifiers
• Compromisers
• Co-producers
• Asset Leveragers

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Community Problem Solving

• Citizens robustly engaged in multiple roles
• Usually does not involve indicators or regular
  performance feedback
• May be resources and accountability for
  short-term action, but not for measured outcomes
  over time

1. Community Problem Solving
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JCCI Citizen Policy Study Process at
www.resultsthatmatter.net
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2. Organizations Managing for Results
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2. Organizations Managing for Results

• Systemic use of measured performance feedback
  over time.
• Strong connection of resources and accountability
  with measured results.
• Citizens not necessarily engaged.

San Jose Sewers Citizen Schools at
www.resultsthatmatter.net
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Performance Feedback Cycles to Keep Improving
Improve Program Delivery
Deliver Programs and Services
Triple Loop Learning
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3. Citizens Reaching for Results

• Citizens engaged, often robustly, in multiple
  roles
• Community indica-tors or other data obtained
  fed back,
• but not necessarily used for decisions.
• Resources and accountability not systemically
  con-nected with results,
• citizens must work for it thru advocacy
  collaboration.

3. Citizens Reaching for Results
3
Digital Surveys Denver Community Learning
Quality of Life Indicators of Truckee Meadows
Tomorrow JCCI at www.resultsthatmatter.net
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4. Communities Governing for Results

• Robust citizen engagement in multiple roles.
• Regular, systemic use of measured performance
  feedback.
• Strong connection of resources and accountability
  with measured RESULTS THAT MATTER.

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Prince William County, VA Washington, DC
Greater Kansas City Community Development at
www.resultsthatmatter.net
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How do communities with effective governance
improve themselves?
Advanced Governance Practice
Four Community Improvement Themes
3
2
1
4

• Robust citizen engagement in multiple roles
• Use of performance feedback in organizational or
  community decisions
• Linking desired results to resources and
  accountable people or organizations
• Use of collaborations

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What can you get when you link the best of
Advanced Practices 1 and 2?
1. Community Problem Solving
4. Communities Governing for Results
1
4
2
2. Organizations Managing for Results
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Governing for Results Cycles in Prince William
County, VA
(4) 4-Year Major Update of Strategic Plan

• 4-Year Strategic Plan
• Strategic Goals
• Community Outcomes
• Strategies Objectives

• Performance Budget
• Funding Decisions
• Service Level Decisions
• Performance Targets

(3) Annual Strategic Plan Update
(2) Performance Data for Annual Budget Mid-Year
Adjustments
(1) Performance Data to Improve Service Results
Deliver Improve Services
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Major Citizen Roles in Prince William Countys
Governing for Results Cycles

• 4-Year Major Update
• Issue Framers
• Evaluators
• Advocates
• Collaborators

Citizen Roles in Bold Italics in Boxes
4-Year Strategic Plan

• Advocates for
• Service Funding
• Issue Framers (on boards commissions)

• Annual Update
• Evaluators
• Advocates

Performance Budget
Every 4th Year Extensive Citizen Process
Measure Evaluate Results

• Stakeholders
• Co-producers
• Advocates
• Issue Framers (on boards commissions)

Annual Survey Stakeholders 4th Yr Survey Issue
Framers
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What can you get when you link the best of
Advanced Practices 3 and 4?
3. Citizens Reaching for Results
4. Communities Governing for Results
3
4
2
2. Organizations Managing for Results
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How do communities with effective governance
improve themselves?
Advanced Governance Practice
Four Community Improvement Themes
1
2
3
4
TMT

• Robust citizen engagement in multiple roles
• Use of performance feedback in organizational or
  community decisions
• Linking desired results to resources and
  accountable people or organizations
• Use of collaborations