The Fiscal Policy Studies Institute RBA/OBA Ends vs. Means Exercise The Fiscal Policy Studies Institute Santa Fe, New Mexico Introduction and the difference between population and performance accountability: We are going to talk about two different kinds of accountability: Accountability for whole populations, like all children in Los Angeles, all elders in Chicago, all residents of North Carolina. This first kind of accountability is not the responsibility of any one agency or program. If we talk for example about “all children in your community being healthy,” who are some of the partners that have a role to play? Notice that the traditional answer is “It’s the health department.” It’s got the word health in it and so it must be the responsibility of the health department. And yet one of the things we have learned in the last 50 years is that the health department by itself can’t possibly produce health for all children without the active participation of many other partners. And that’s the nature of this first kind of accountability. It’s not about the health department. It’s about the kind of cross community partnerships necessary to make progress on quality of life for any population. Now the second kind of accountability, Performance Accountability, is about the health department. It’s about the programs and services we provide, and our role as managers, making sure our programs are working as well as possible. These are two profoundly different kinds of accountability. We going to talk about how to do each one well and then how they fit back together again. Websites raguide.org resultsaccountability.com Book - DVD Orders amazon.com resultsleadership.org

On a blank sheet of paper Ends vs. Means Exercise INSTRUCTIONS On a blank sheet of paper Like this. Step 1. Draw 4 points that represent the 4 corners of a box or square, about two inches on a side. Step 2. Draw a line from the upper left point to the lower right point. Step 3. Draw a line from the upper right point to the lower left point. Step 4. Draw a horizontal line connecting the bottom two points. Step 5. Mark another  point approximately 1 inch below the middle of the horizontal line. Step 6. Connect the upper left point to this new point Step 7. Connect the upper right point to this new point.

What do you have? A Star !!!

Of course not ! So what’s the point? Question If I asked you to draw a star would you need the step-by-step instructions? Of course not ! So what’s the point?

Give people the ends and let them figure out the means. And Start Seeing Stars !

28 Bonus Question How many stars were on the previous page? How many guessed between 26 and 30?

And the closing point…. RBA / OBA is about starting with ends and working backward to means. So, for example, Ask people to turn the curve on CHILD ABUSE RATES….. Ask people to turn the curve on SCHOOL ATTENDANCE RATES… Ask people to turn the curve on RATES OF AIR OR WATER POLLUTION…. AND LET THEM FIGURE OUT “HOW.”

THANKS ! ’s