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10 Keys to Success To introduce and initiate

collaborative practiceshttp://www.policyconsensus.org/tools/10keys.html

To introduce and initiate collaborative practices in your state agency, you may want to use these "Keys to uccess"as a checklist.

1. !ind champions among leaders who can help achieve high level buyin and support. #ew government programs tend to thrive only when they have support $rom toplevel leaders. The agencyhead and/or other high level leaders need to champion the use o$ collaborative practices. %t is especiallyhelp$ul when leaders are involved visibly. This may include attending training sessions, tracking andreporting progress, and rewarding individual and group accomplishments. These and other conspicuouse$$orts by top o$$icials can be very e$$ective in promoting a program.

&. 'mploy a program manager or coordinator who can provide skill$ul strategic direction.%ntroducing a new program and practice in an agency is a time consuming endeavor. (oing it e$$ectivelyre)uires assigning someone the responsibility. (esignating a sta$$ person to serve as a (ispute *esolution

+oordinator will be etremely bene$icial. "(* +oordinators" per$orm a range o$ $unctions$rom providingleadership and obtaining agency support to assessing needs, addressing barriers, and assisting with programdevelopment. To carry out their various $unctions, (* +oordinators must have some knowledge o$, and

eperience with, dispute resolution and collaborative problem solving. -lso important are characteristicssuch as leadership, communication skills, knowledge o$ the agency, and ready access to agency leaders.ee +%s guide $or -gency (* +oordinators.

2. rovide continuous education and training to build capacity3hile the concepts underlying collaboration and con$lict resolution are not etremely complicated, they arenew $or many people. 4ou will want to employ outreach, education, and training to obtain support among

 potential users, agency o$$icials, and leaders. 'ducational activities range $rom general e$$orts to in$ormagency personnel and others about the eistence o$ the program, to skill building.

5. 6se a collaborative approach, involving sta$$ and users to develop your program+ollaboration involves identi$ying agency leaders, sta$$, and users at the earliest possible opportunity and

involving them in conceptuali7ing a new program. tate agencies that use these processes have learned thatgaining input $rom internal and eternal stakeholders is critical when introducing a new program. 8y giving

stakeholders opportunities to provide input and $eedback, and to have a sense that their input makes adi$$erence, you will help reduce resistance and enhance the probability o$ success.

9. !ollow the $our basic steps to initiating a program:

• Assessment: This is the initial step in developing a plan. 4ou need to conduct an analysis o$ both

the structure and mission o$ the agency as well as its current system $or managing problems ordisputes. 4ou should also eamine the barriers that must be overcome, and the opportunities,incentives, and potential sources o$ support.

• Planning and Program Design: Think big but start small (etermine the most pressing needs and

which process or processes are appropriate $or addressing those needs. The plan you develop may

 be comprehensive, with a number o$ phases to $ully implement it, or it may $ocus on developing ;ust one particular program. %n either case, it should spell out the goals, ob;ectives, and steps the

agency will take in implementing the program or pro;ect.• Demonstration: - pilot pro;ect allows your agency to begin on a small scale in order to see how

well the program will work. The agency can learn lessons $rom the pilot, correct any problems thatarise, and then implement the program on a larger, more permanent scale.

• Evaluation: This helps your agency determine whether the program is meeting its goals and

$unctioning e$$ectively. 'valuation data are use$ul in gaining the necessary $eedback $or makingdecisions about program direction, and in obtaining resources $or continuing or epanding

success$ul programs.

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that decision may be made to a higher review body. The design o$ a system should permit skipping stepswhen a ;udgment is needed )uickly. %t may also be desirable to provide a way to return to earlier steps, inthe event that parties discover negotiation may be a better alternative.-nother important component o$ a systems approach is education and training. This helps build sta$$ skills,enabling them to deal with issues di$$erently and adopt and use new procedures and practices $or handling

con$licts and disputes.

>. +reate incentives and remove disincentives to the use o$ collaborative practicesThe eisting incentives and disincentives $or using collaboration in an agency will a$$ect the ultimatesuccess or $ailure o$ any program. 4ou will need to develop strategies to take advantage o$ eistingincentives, and to overcome disincentives. (isincentives are likely to include resistance to change, lack o$resources, and concerns about loss o$ control or power.

- number o$ $ederal and state agencies have created incentives by changing hiring and promotion practices?adding ;ob per$ormance rating categories $or use o$ negotiation, collaboration and dispute resolution? andestablishing awards programs. %ncentives may also include complying with statutes or eecutive orders,saving time and resources, developing longterm solutions, and improving working relationships.%denti$ying and employing appropriate new incentives is crucial.

@. (evelop policies and guidelines in support o$ the program

(epending upon the nature o$ the program, you may $ind it use$ul to $ormulate policies or programguidelines setting $orth the agencys purpose $or instituting collaborative practices. These guidelines may:

• (eclare high level agency support and gain attention within an agency and with the public itserves

• %denti$y sources o$ delay or ine$$iciency in eisting procedures

• 'stablish implementation goals, incentives and timetables

• 8egin the process o$ educating agency personnel about these processes and their utility

• 8egin to change agency "culture" to encourage in$ormal e$$orts to address problems and prevent

and resolve con$licts.4ou may also want to establish agency policies to ensure that principles o$ $airness, impartiality, and

)uality are $ollowed. 8ut it is important that these policies and guidelines not be overly prescriptive aboutthe collaborative methods themselves. The hallmark o$ the program should be $leibility, so that the processes serve the agencys uni)ue mission, address the issues, and serve the parties.

A. 'nsure ade)uate resources to support the program

=ne o$ your key tasks is identi$ying the resources that will enable the agency to use collaborative practicessuccess$ully. 'ssential resources include money $or personnel and services. (epending on the nature o$

your program, resources may be available $rom within your agency or $rom other agencies, $rom $ederal programs or grants, or $rom publicprivate partnerships with other stakeholders who will bene$it $rom the program. Beaders and (* +oordinators should not hesitate to get help implementing a program, $rom key personnel within their own agencies, $rom counterparts at other agencies, or $rom other states with similar programs. ee +%s comprehensive (irectory o$ tate (* rograms, which lists programs both by stateand by program type.

10. *eward and celebrate accomplishmentstudies o$ success$ul pro;ects universally rely on a strategy o$ "(o something +elebrate (o something +elebrate again" 3hen an implementation e$$ort is designed with immediate doable steps that are publici7ed or celebrated, it creates positive momentum that helps keep people engaged.*ecognition and reward $or personal accomplishments are also important motivators. 3hen agency leaders

 play a role in recogni7ing the accomplishments o$ those working to implement these programs, it can signalto other employees that the activities have value.!or eample, the =$$ice o$ (ispute *esolution in Cassachusetts makes two awards annually to stateemployees. =ne is the Dohn (unlop award $or promoting use o$ -(* in a state agency. The other is theC=(* award $or resolving a public policy dispute.The +on$lict *esolution +onsortium in !lorida presents an annual leadership awardin memory o$ a highly

regarded public servantto both public and private sector leaders who have championed consensus buildingand problem solving on public issues.

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