Bureaucratic Dysfunction & Innovative Public Problem Solving

Presentation 23rd February 2012, Cardiff Co-Production Event, City Hall

Megan Mathias, Director, Kafka Brigade UK & Ireland

KAFKABRIGADE

KAFKABRIGADE

1. A Non Profit Action Research Team• Founded in 2005 • 15+ Researchers• 50+ Projects Completed• Working in Holland and the UK• Research, training & advocacy

2. A process to engage people in identifying, diagnosing and remedying bureaucratic dysfunction• Involving citizens and front line staff • informed by various theoretical frameworks• Built on clinical, experimental research• Focused on mobilizing adaptive responses• Without imposing generic solutions

What is the Kafka Brigade?

KAFKABRIGADE

KAFKABRIGADE

KAFKA BRIGADE

The Kafka Field LabCheckpoint meetings & reflection

Explorative research &

case selection

Case research & preliminary

reports

Expert (counter-factual) critique

Collective Performance

Review

Action planning

(deliver)

Checkpoint meetings & reflection

Checkpoint meetings & reflection

Cycle is

repeated

Domestic Violence in RCT

•86% of reported incidents are against women;

• Majority are unemployed; between 20-29 years old;

• 55% have children; 71% of victims children had witnessed abuse;

• 70.6% of incidents occur in the home;

•67% of abuse is between intimate partners.

• 81% of victims were pregnant;

(Safety Unit data, 2008)

Step 1: Exploratory research: What do we know?

KAFKA BRIGADE

Immigrant Entrepreneurs

•3 x more likely to become unemployed

• more likely to have language deficiencies, low level of education

• 2 x more likely to become an catering entrepreneur in neglected urban areas

• 3 x more likely not to seek help from the government • more likely not to be eligible for small credits, go bankrupt within 5 years

•more likely to enter informal economy

Dutch National and City Government Data 2007)

Step 1: Exploratory research: What do we know?

KAFKA BRIGADE

• Initial stocktake of ‘the problem’

• What is ‘known’? How is it known?

• What data is available (however limited)?• Population• Performance• Financial• Research

• Shift from problem to people

Step 2: Case research:the representative citizen’s story

KAFKA BRIGADE

Domestic Violence

• Single mother, 30 years of age

• 2 children aged 5 & 6;

• Very supportive and caring mother;

• 2 abusive relationships.

• When abuse started, living in Council housing;

• Abuse started 4 years ago;

• Abuse occurred during pregnancy and lost baby;

• Poorly served by services

• Well spoken and analytic; Eager to Help

Immigrant Entrepreneurship

• Young Dutch / Turkish male

• Sandwich shop start-up

• School dropout

• Living in bad neighborhood

• Financial problems in the past

• Unemployed

• Entrepreneur by necessity

• Almost bankrupt

• Poorly served by services

• Red Tape Competent; Eager to Comply

Mapping the Process

• Lease Required for Permits• Bank Statement Required for Lease• Permits Required for Bank Statement

• Sequential Licensing Processes• Contradictory Regulation• Focus on Deterring Entrepreneurs

• Mismatch Assumptions and Reality Entrepreneurship• Misconception of the One-Stop-Shop Idea• Misalignment with Network Partners

Step 3: Expert critique: Validating the preliminary analysis

• Usually 10-25 (units of) organizations

• Gathering more insight and evidence

• Engaging insight of frontline workforce

• Generating initial hypotheses

• Building a coalition of the willing around the population in hand

KAFKA BRIGADE

KAFKABRIGADE

Step 4: Collective Performance Review

Policy Makers

ManagersFront LineStaff

Citizen Sponsor

PART I• Is There a Problem?• What Is the Problem?• What Causes the Problem?• What Keeps you from Solving the Problem?

PART I• What could you do to make a small

improvement?• Who or what do you need for that?

Step 5 & 6: Action Plan & Follow Up: Multiple Incremental Changes

KAFKA BRIGADE

“Entrepreneurship” “Domestic violence”

Case level commitments

Business open without bending the rules

- Emma plus kids safe and employed

Category levelcommitments

-City wide integrated system for license application-Millions in savings for city and entrepreneurs

- Adjusted interagency business processes - all staff DA trained - social housing procedures adjusted

Capacity level commitments

- More frequent reality checks by senior management

- Repeat projects to develop local ‘Kafka’ cadre

KAFKA BRIGADE

The Kafka Field Lab

Checkpoint meetings & reflection

Explorative research &

case selection

Case research & preliminary

reports

Expert (counter-factual) critique

Collective Performance

Review

Action planning

(deliver)

Checkpoint meetings & reflection

Checkpoint meetings & reflection

Cycle is

repeated

Statistical AnalysisPolicy ReviewPreliminary Interviews

Narrative DescriptionProcess MappingFact Checking

Semi-struct’d interviews Business process analysis

CounterfactualsGenerating propositions

Moderated collaborative enquiryCreative problem solving

Managed “holding

environment”

Case, category & capacity commitments

Evidencing improvementScaling up where possId ‘new’ problemsEvaluating the process

Bureaucratic Dysfunction & Innovative Public Problem Solving

Presentation 23rd February 2012, Cardiff Co-Production Event, City Hall

Megan Mathias, Director, Kafka Brigade UK & Ireland