Public policy collaboration. What a concept!! This is all the rage in California but appears to be in only the most infantile stages of development in Florida.
According to John Folk-Williams, the publisher and editor at Cross Collaborate, “governance today intertwines the public, private and nonprofit sectors in the management of public policy and the delivery of public services as never before. The sphere of governance revolves around partnerships, interagency agreements and cross-sector efforts of many types.” In Florida it would appear that government officials and staff agree with this in concept but as yet are unclear about how to insert cross collaborative techniques into their policy-making to the benefit of all interested parties. It is this proactive approach which led me to leave the government sector and enter the field of alternative dispute resolution with the Upchurch Watson White and Max Government Affairs Practice Group. It is my sincere belief that most, if not all, hot button political issues can be addressed constructively early on to avoid long drawn out decision-making processes, stalled projects and ugly, unproductive public debate.
The helpful blogs at Cross Collaborate discuss in an ongoing forum effective public outreach, consensus building, deliberative democracy techniques, resistance to change, and so much more all in the context of public policy and governmental decision-making. It is just a must-read blog for me and I hope it becomes a must-read for you too.
As an aside, if you are involved in a cross-collaborative public policy project in the state of Florida, give me a heads up and tell me what you are doing and how it is working. I welcome the input and the insight and who knows, your project may well become the subject of my next blog.