In New Zealand, a new unit in the Ministry for the Environment / Manatū Mō Te Taiao was set up. This new unit was a deliberate decision to focus on behavioural science, systems thinking, design thinking and human system-dynamics to help the organisation, designing for the systems we focus on. It is innovative because it is bringing this type of thinking together in a single team, embedding this in a policy organisation, using the multidisciplinary skills.
Innovation Summary
Innovation Overview
There are many places where we reference systems and the need for systems thinking which include: our annual reports, our statement of intent, PIF reports, NZ PCE 2019 environmental review, the 2021 CCC report, as well as numerous internal documents and advice.
We have not however, seemed to have any coherent perspective on the range of systems that we work with are, how we engage with these, the challenges of working both in and with “complex systems”, or how to build our capacity in navigating complexity and systems work. We have not had a “systems view” of our work and how it connects, or a systems view of how we interact and figure in the wider environment management system. We literally live, breathe and work in systems yet often fail to recognise these, and that there are ways of working with systems and systems behaviours.
The proposal tabled with the Ministry outlined an approach that considered multiple aspects of “systems” related work and outlined how we can build capability in understanding and working with complex systems, how to apply these new skills, how we can share this thinking and bring others alongside, so they also build this capacity - offering a true “systems shift”.
At its core were four interconnected practices, or ways of thinking and working, “systems capability areas”. These can all be learned and applied yet are not typical topics or comfort areas for internal development or training. They require years, if not decades of learning before being able to teach others – yet supported application and practice can begin immediately, with almost immediate impacts in terms of outcomes.
None by themselves are adequate to address the complexities we are facing, yet together as a “systems capability pattern” have the ability to change how we think and work. The approaches combined in the unit are:
- Systems Thinking (by default this includes other worldviews)
- Team Dynamics (the practice and tools for self-management, connection and noticing the ‘systems’ we create)
- Cross-Boundary Practice (note this will include Mātauranga Māori if we have the capacity in the team, alongside design thinking and user-centric design)
- Complexity Thinking/Theory (drawing on Prof. Dave Snowden’s work)
The proposal was to bring the toolset, set of practices, systems thinking experience, ways of engaging and upskilling into the organisation to grow internal and external capability in service of positively impacting our environment.
Why establish a new function?
To provide organisational support and backing for the importance of these capabilities, and a function whose purpose is to build, strengthen and share these. It can also signal a shift in direction, recognising that we do not have these skills. This function is not an extension of organisational performance, or current HR or OD as it will have a remit to step into projects to assist and co-design, to step outside the organisation and work with partners and stakeholders, as well as build internal capability.
Innovation Description
What Makes Your Project Innovative?
Rather than use external expertise, we designed, created and recruited an in-house cross-disciplinary team focused on systems. The host organisation is a policy and regulatory organisation; the team recruited were not policy specialists and we had to write new job descriptions. The services that the team offer bring four skillsets together – behavioural science, systems thinking, design thinking and team-structural-dynamics.
Our initial focus was on the implementation domain – and we are now extending this to include strategy, policy development, communication framing as well as internal shifts around practice/behaviour, system shifts and a set of design and implementation principles that put the user at the centre, alongside behavioural science and systems thinking.
What is the current status of your innovation?
The function was established in April 2022, with the team onboarding over the initial 18-months as funding was made available.
Our approach has been to explain and communicate the range of services we can offer, in parallel with direction to focus on two areas. We sought to work “in the business” and “on the business”, bringing practice change approaches to the way we go about our work as well as assisting projects.
We have been in start-up mode for the first 18 months, working to establish what we can offer, understanding the culture and flow of work in the organisation and identifying specific areas where we can add value.
We have developed a number of approaches for working with projects, all of which seek to avoid the demand for quick-fixes. These methods include practice change, system shifts, design & implementation principles and a simple diagnostic approach to understand the nature of issues and opportunities that the teams are facing.
Innovation Development
Collaborations & Partnerships
The concept, design and setup of the function was handled internally with collaboration ‘as needed’ with other parties. We have described the function as “internal outsiders” due to the fact we bring an external, user-centric lens to the work and are not entrained in policy thinking or linear problem solving.
We are connected into broader communities of practice nationally and internationally, both academic and professional.
Users, Stakeholders & Beneficiaries
Our host organisation is the Ministry for the Environment / Manatū Mō Te Taiao, a government policy and regulatory entity, and as such our users include all citizens, our agriculture and primary produce sectors, iwi Māori and additional stakeholders could include our rivers, and native flora and fauna. As a government agency, we take our direction from the government and our Ministers.
Many (if not all) of our policies and regulations are implemented by partners and so the usability, ease of implementation and overall impact of the Ministry’s work.
Innovation Reflections
Results, Outcomes & Impacts
The team has worked with projects and teams who have been keen for assistance, and not sought to encourage those who have been resistant.
We have changed aspects of internal language (an indication of practice change), introduced behaviourally informed approaches, designed practice change and system-shift methods, and normalised discussions about users and behaviour.
We have experienced significant demand for assistance, which significantly exceeds our ability to meet this.
Challenges and Failures
As an internal function, we have a different skillset, approach, and way of describing issues. This has created challenges for an ‘expert organisation’ who have a set way of doing things – eg resistance to experimentation or trying new ways of working.
Behavioural interventions typically take time (> 12 months) however we have been asked to show fast results. This has meant more impactful initiatives have been parked to show quick-wins and justify our existence.
Our initial focus was on two discrete areas, one of which was very keen for help, with the other very resistant. This stymied early progress and our ability to assist as we were working very well in one area, yet struggled to engage the other.
We hear "too theoretical" a lot!
Conditions for Success
- Adequate setup funding. We have funding for 3 FTE to start, despite indicating that 6 FTE was the minimum requirement for a cross-disciplinary function, with the ideal being 10. Our funding increases were drip-fed across 18-months.
- More overt support from senior leaders in support and backing for experimentation and to use the skills of the function at the outset (eg strategy forming and policy design).
- Greater understanding of behaviourally informed initiatives needing time.
- Willingness to experiment and try new things, with explicit support from execs and tier-3.
- Ability to not be included in the normal internal reporting machinery. We found around 25% of our time was spent on organisational hygiene factors that added no value.
Replication
If this function was to be replicated, with hindsight, it should be a function or entity setup separate to the host organisation, with a service agreement with the host to guarantee funding, but not be able to direct how the work is done.
We found that in our specific areas of expertise, our knowledge and experience was far greater than those we were working with, yet we often had to take direction from those with less experience, knowledge, or capability as they were the ‘client’.
Lessons Learned
Multi-disciplinary thinking, when combined into a single ‘service’ has the potential to be significantly more impactful than the same areas of expertise applied individually. The power is in the blending.
The team who does this work must be tightly connected, able to work together and deliver, understand the needs of the client, and know when to step in and act, and when to step-back and slow. Delivery, expertise and credibility is key.
Our unique addition to this mix was to have an underpinning systems orientation to all the work: team systems, behavioural systems, strategy systems, design systems and systems awareness. The ability to distil this “systems base” and communicate it in ways that are understandable (and avoid jargon) is key.
Anything Else?
Do not underestimate the need to continually communicate and explain what you do, recognising this will create demand and interest that you cannot meet.
We had a short opinion piece published about the multi-disciplinary approach. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1239966
Status:
- Identifying or Discovering Problems or Opportunities - learning where and how an innovative response is needed
- Generating Ideas or Designing Solutions - finding and filtering ideas to respond to the problem or opportunity
- Developing Proposals - turning ideas into business cases that can be assessed and acted on
- Implementation - making the innovation happen
Innovation provided by:
Date Published:
27 June 2024