Change or something like it
Editor’s Note: In early November, the Ontario Digital Service (ODS) was at FWD50, a 3-day global event, which brought together practitioners and leaders in the digital government space to tackle some of the thorniest problems facing our generation.
As part of the event, the ODS co-hosted the First Regional Digital Government Summit, with the theme “Only New Mistakes”, to focus on connecting, collaborating and learning across service communities to accelerate change.
The event co-chairs were: Chief Digital and Data Officer, Hillary Hartley, along with Catherine Desgagnes-Belzil, Quebec’s Chief Digital Officer, and Nikhil Deshpande, Chief Digital Officer, State of Georgia.
Shortly after I started working in digital, my good friend and the former Head of Digital Government, Zeena Abdulla said the following to me:
“It’s easier to solve a problem when you have all of the money, resources, and organizational support needed to get things done. We’re all suitably impressed because we understand how complex and difficult it was [to solve the problem in the first place]. But we should be just as impressed, if not more so, of the people whose job it is to solve similar complex problems under great constraint.”
I reflected on these words as I prepared to moderate a panel on “Hacking the Bureaucracy” at FWD50’s first Regional Digital Government Summit.
What does solving a problem really look like in a government context, especially when our problems are so messy and complex? How do we navigate our environment, including the real (and, many times, imagined) barriers?
Enter Bureaucracy Hacking
Bureaucracy hackers show different ways of working, different ways of navigating murky waters, and a belief that the change they want to see is possible. They’re the ones that not only know the contexts of their organization, they’re the ones willing to figure out which walls are concrete and which are just papier-mâchéd from public service lore, misguided risk-mitigation, and miscommunication.
While no one who is one calls themselves a “Bureaucracy Hacker”, they play an important role in moving us forward.
On our “Hacking the Bureaucracy” panel, we had:
- Honey Dacanay, former Executive Lead and Senior Manager, Digital Standards and Governance at the Ontario Digital Service, and now Director of Digital Academy at the Canada School of Public Service with the Government of Canada
- Rumon Carter, Executive Director of BCDevExchange & Exchange (formerly “CSI”) Lab
- Georges Clement (@justfixnyc), Co-Founder of JustFix.nyc
While I can’t share everything we discussed (the post would be much too long), I can share some of the personal highlights of the panel.
We’re hacking the process, not people
As Honey said, working in government means being in the business of messy human lives. Making decisions and trade-offs around the type of society we live and wish to operate in is part of the mix.
For me, it’s why I do the work that I do and continue to choose public service, every time — I believe too strongly in both the need for change and that change is possible. It’s also why I try to stay focused on the user. What we do, and do not do, has real consequences.
One thing our panelists were quick to point out, however, is that bureaucracy hacking is done on policies, processes, and culture; they’re not in the business of hacking people.
The distinction is important.
Inside government,the ultimate goal, for many of us, has always been to serve people in the best way that we can.
It’s the how that’s the sticky bit. It’s the how that Bureaucracy Hackers navigate.
They usher in new ways of working, forge seemingly improbable pathways, and challenge us to believe that we can close the chasm between where we want to be and where we are. They leave their doors open to communication and collaboration, and the pathways they create aren’t just for them, but for the rest of the public service as well.
The two pillars of change are trust and delivery
If your work has ever been related to change and transformation, you know how much faster things can move if you’ve established trust. Our panelists shared their experiences leading change, and all seemed to focus on a common thread.
The most amazing work we’ve seen come out of public service teams has been because, at critical moments in time, someone conveyed, “I trust you.”
There was trust in leaders, teams, and partners enough that they invested time, resources, and effort into seeing a vision through.
For me, I think back on my experience creating the Simpler, Faster, Better Services Act, and a team that co-delivered under the ethos of trust.
It is very clear when there is no trust or a lack of trust because it is very hard to do anything, let alone deliver. When there is no trust, there is no motivation to try, to do more, to fight for change.
So the best way to establish trust?
Deliver.
Brief the change, do the work, show the impact, lay out what’s next.
Consistently, persistently deliver.
Deliver with intention. Deliver with users in mind. Treat every opportunity, no matter how small it may seem, with intention. Deliver and build trust.
And when you’re in a position to (because no matter your role, you will definitely be in this position), you have to trust.
Trust in the competence of your team, in the intentions of your partners, that your leaders will have your back. And if you have that trust, act in good faith.
Persistence, resilience, and community are critical
It’s not easy throwing yourself at walls to see if they’re concrete or not. It’s also not easy getting to delivery. It’s not easy facing resistance.
And yet we persist.
Like many things in government, change is a long game, and good, necessary, lasting change for millions and millions of people isn’t something you can rush. The heart of the matter is that it can be a tough thing to swallow.
We’re not in the business of torching the earth, no matter how difficult, frustrating, or exhausting things can be. That’s why we build community, that’s why we bring people along, that’s why we build bridges.
From FWD50 to continuous community building
The Regional Digital Government Summit provided a new platform to connect and collaborate with other ‘rule shifters’ inside governments, world-wide. But community building doesn’t start or stop with a single event. It’s part of our organizational DNA.
In the past two years, I’ve worked at the ODS Engagement Team. A major part of my role has been to build community, amplify people and their work, tell great stories. It’s been incredibly rewarding because it’s also what sustains us.
When the work is heavy, the process is jarring, or the challenge is daunting, the communities we’ve built, the connections we’ve made, the stories we share, they sustain us.
Spreading culture change
By the time you read this blog post, I’ll have just started working in a new role at the Ministry of the Attorney General. I’m excited, slightly terrified, and so very ready to take on the challenge of carrying on the work we’re all doing, in a different context. I’m excited to spread the culture of user-centred design and intentional delivery with a new team. I’m thankful for the community we’re a part of, and continue to build.
Stay in touch, won’t you? Find me on Twitter at wheresallyna or allyna.sagun(at)ontario(dot)ca.
