Whitehall and the psychology of control
My wife and I have two small children and like any other family, we spend a lot of time arguing with the kids about small things like whether we should put our knickers on or not.
A typical source of tension is bedtime, and there are various strategies one can try, but I usually end up trying to dictate the ends (e.g. lights out by 7.30pm), the means (e.g. following a bedtime routine) or appealing to authority (e.g. I am your parent so you must do what I say).
You might call this a psychology of control.
Difficulties arise when the psychology of control is applied in settings where it is inappropriate. For example, while it might be an appropriate way for me to relate to my small children it is a completely inappropriate (and unproductive) way for me to relate to my wife!
In the UK, this mindset has dominated the way Whitehall relates to the wider public sector. Whitehall often seeks to control the ends (e.g. by determining what success looks like), the means (e.g. through central strategies and hierarchical organisations) and wields significant authority (e.g. thanks to fiscal controls and a national democratic mandate).
In government, we don’t tend to call this a psychology of control — a managerial or delivery mindset are more polite terms.
This mode of thinking also dominates public services more generally and influences the relationship to service users. For example, often the attitude is that we know what is good for you, we know how best to achieve it, and we use the power of the state to either compel or otherwise influence you.
There is nothing inherently wrong with this approach in settings where there is little disagreement about the ends we are trying to achieve or the means of achieving it, and it is clear who has authority to do something. For example, for the processing of passports, we might argue it is clear what we would like to see happen (the efficient issuance of passports), how that should happen (using a modern, customer-friendly process) and who has the authority to do it (the UK Passports Authority).
Where it doesn’t work so well is in situations where there is a debate about the ends, a debate about the means or disagreement about who has authority. This is because it tends to emphasise a zero-sum game about who gets to decide what — who has control. So it quickly becomes a power struggle or else reverts to a parent-child relationship where one party is empowered and the other is disempowered.
I don’t think this is a very productive way of proceeding. In any case, because Whitehall holds so much of the power, it is a game that local authorities, local commissioners and other local bodies can’t win. We need to change the game so that it is less about control in the first place.
That’s where what I call an enablement mindset can be helpful. An enablement mindset starts with a simple question: how can I help you to achieve your goals?
This is a powerful framing because it positions the questioner as someone who is here to help. This doesn’t mean they don’t have their own agency or goals, but rather than framing the interaction around what I want to achieve, it instead frames it around what you want and then uses that as a route to a mutually agreeable solution. In negotiation theory, this is sometimes referred to as “the art of letting other people have your own way”.
Consider the work that Mark Smith is leading in Gateshead (you can read his excellent blog here). He’s working with people who are in arrears with Council Tax. The psychology of control would say we need you to pay your debts (the end) so we will put you into a debt recovery process (the means) and wield the power of the state to force you to pay (our authority).
By contrast, the enablement mindset asks, how can I help you to achieve your goals? In this case, that means speaking to the people behind with their payments and simply asking what is happening in their lives and what we might be able to do to help. It is not surprising that this approach reveals a whole range of issues related to family relationships, mental health, substance abuse etc. that are underlying the debt issue. By focusing on these underlying issues, more sustainable solutions can be put in place which ultimately achieves a better set of outcomes for everyone.
What if Whitehall made a similar transition? Rather than seeking to control local government and public services and dictate what they wanted to happen they would ask how they can help local government and public services to achieve their goals.
Now, this is the point at which I suspect I’ve lost most readers because this is so far from the reality of how Whitehall operates that it seems far-fetched in the extreme to imagine they will ever get there.
But stick with me. I believe the enablement mindset itself can offer a solution.
Until now, efforts to wrest power from Whitehall have tended to fall into the zero-sum mindset based on a psychology of control. Let’s try and fight to extract the decision rights and powers that we need and complain when we don’t get what we want. We have been fighting fire with fire but it is a bit like my 2-year old having a tantrum before bedtime. It doesn’t work and is ultimately counter-productive because if anything I become even more entrenched in my belief that I am right and they are wrong.
I’m interested in exploring a potentially powerful alternative approach that at first may seem a little counter-intuitive. Can we use the enablement mindset to encourage others to adopt an enablement mindset?
This is based on the observation that the enablement mindset tends to be contagious. If the way I relate to you is through an enablement mindset, then you are more likely to relate to me similarly. In this way, the enablement mindset is not zero-sum, it is reciprocal.
This is based more on a hunch than anything more concrete at the moment, but I think it is worth exploring. If you work in local government, or any other local agency and are interested in testing this out then drop me a line. Alternatively, if you work in Whitehall and find any of this appealing, then it would be great to hear from you too!
