Building Collaborative Places: Infrastructure for System Change “The system is broken. We aren’t solving the big issues” - Voluntary Action Organisation

Find at collaboratecic.com The focus of the talk is this report – the reason for writing and why we think it is increasingly relevant to places thinking about system change, particularly for those at the hard edge of society.

Building Collaborative Places – the story Why are we talking about the “boring bit” of system change? Building Collaborative Places Where to next? Some visuals of collaboration in here

The Jargon (!) System change: understanding and addressing the root causes of a problem and acknowledging the interdependent parts that are producing their own pattern of behaviours and outcomes An intentional process to influence components and structures – many of which you may have originally viewed as sitting outside the ‘system’ Behaving like a system: collaborating to enable the collective resource of the system to be deployed to address common challenges & change outcomes Place-based working: addresses the unique needs of people in a specific location. It is a citizen-centred approach that emphasises collaboration and shared resources. This is what WY-FI is all about…?

Why are we talking about collaboration and system change? 1. A new politics of ‘permanent austerity’? 2. Welfare – shifting away from the state 3. Identity crisis? 4. Demand is rising (and getting more complex) If this is the current state of play then what is our response?

The operating context is critical … and changing 60,000 + people in England experience multiple and complex needs https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Impact-of-funding-reductions-on-local-authorities.pdf

And so is the way we work… It’s not about services And so is the way we work… It’s not about services. It’s about challenges and responses in a place Even Beveridge admitted it wasn’t about the services

What’s the Plan? Understand ‘place’ and look at the systems you can The new context – austerity, rising demand, complex needs, fragmented services, org/outcome problem… + The new ‘giants’ – (e.g.) housing, jobs, DV, loneliness, mental health, social isolation, poor aspiration…? The new imperatives – prevention & EA, inclusive growth and thriving places... _ A void – a national vision too narrow, too tactical, not ambitious enough… so can we fill the gap in our cities and places? = What’s the Plan? Understand ‘place’ and look at the systems you can influence… Even Beveridge admitted it wasn’t about the services

But why ‘place based system change’?

Because complex social problems have a place-based dimension… Education, crime, employment, social links …

…and so do their solutions Place Insight Networks Public investment & services Engagement Influence Political leadership Assets

And because the causes of social problems are complex and interrelated… They cannot be solved by any one organisation acting alone...

We need to build collaborative places

A collaborative place model Re-cast public services as part of a local system, one which includes many actors that can influence outcomes Mobilise the collective power of the system to address a common cause Use public money to invest in, build & influence the system Image with thanks to Immy Kaur and Indy Johar, Dark Matter Labs

But how do we do it?

Behaviours: How you plan to do systems change Vision: The ambition of the system Beneficiary impact over organisiation focus These preconditions are neither linear nor independent: they are adaptive and interdependent as people, relationships and priorities change. Distributed leadership: enabling, fluid, no egos, convening Resilient and risk embracing: safe to fail, able to quickly bounce back. Strengths based: utilising the assets of people and place Citizen centred: from concept to delivery Trusted partners: understand and adapt to each others values Issues are acknowledged as systemic and requiring collaboration Grounded in the place but open to new approaches Able to let go: act as a platform for innovation

But projects get stuck at the margins of wider systems And small-scale innovations aren’t enough

To translate new vision & principles into shifts in culture & practice we need to build new, enabling and collaborative infrastructure

Place-based strategies & plans A co-produced strategy that sets out the social & economic vision for the place as a shared challenge between partners & citizens Core operating principles for public services The foundation for local collaboration “We need clarity of vision & outcomes to do our bit” – voluntary sector organisation

Outcomes & accountability Place-based outcomes representing shared goals The social & economic changes that will be achieved through long-term, systemic collaboration Mutual accountability is based on shared responsibility & reciprocity “The collective responsibility is the same – but all the partners have their own unique role in making it happen” – Police officer

Funding & commissioning Place-based funding models & commissioning practice that reflect place-based plans & outcomes and support new forms of collaborative delivery “Place-based funding is a big opportunity if it leads to more flexible commissioning” – voluntary sector organisation

Culture change & people development Building capacity to create leaders, organisations, workforce & communities that are ready to work collaboratively Cross-sector approaches to workforce development New role for the frontline “Culture change is the biggest barrier” – council officer

Data, evidence & evaluation Collaborative & adaptive learning & evaluation, supported by shared data Provides the foundation for collective understanding into the root causes of need & demand Provides insights about the impact of shared investment decisions “We need shared data to inform commissioning & help us manage demand across the system” – council officer

Routes to change – building the system There is no one size fits all... Whole system whole place Prototyping new ways of working at small scale, with a view to building broader system change

System infrastructure is the hard graft of place-based system change.

But how do you hold a system to account if you haven’t got the collaborative hardwiring right?

Shifting from rhetoric to fundamental system change is a collective challenge. “Leadership is a collective capacity in a system, not just something that individuals do. Leadership is about the capacity of the whole system to sense and actualize the future that wants to emerge” – Otto Scharmer, Theory U