The case for collaboration is a no-brainer, but it’s often hard to deliver in practice.
We’re seeing some great examples of success starting to emerge.
A number of councils joined an open discussion with Dave Briggs Head of Culture & Capability (Information Technology & Digital) @ Birmingham City Council to crowdsource a Top Ten of conditions for successful collaboration in local government.
The results are below and also in a print friendly download
Top ten conditions for successful collaboration in local government – where we have got to
Something everyone sees the value in
A shared purpose or problem to solve with recognised common needs.
Time and money
A continuous funding model, and ideally support from DLUHC to scale.
Support from above
A succession of good bosses who can win the argument for collaboration.
A mindset to share
A culture that supports collaborative working with the willingness to push things a bit further for wider use.
Willingness to compromise
An acceptance from councils that they will not get everything they want; they will get a good core product.
Autonomy
Product teams with autonomy – money, time and trust from their organisation – to follow the user needs and make decisions.
Good enough for now
A group that consents to try things out when there is some uncertainty, or they are lacking total agreement.
See: https://www.sociocracyforall.org/the-liberating-effect-of-good-enough-for-now/
The right governance
Governance that works (not restricts).
Good portfolio management
Council backlogs that are driven by genuine need and free up money and time.
Luck
Finding the right opportunity at the right time (you can make your own luck by being ready to collaborate at any time with anyone).
Contributors: LocalGovCampers ’22
Print-Friendly PDF version Top ten conditions for successful collaboration in local government Session Output