Previous Page

Next Page

Table of Contents

5.0 CHALLENGES TO COLLABORATION

There were several challenges reported by interviewees to moving collaboration forward as a way of working together.

5.1 Legitimacy

Firstly, although the majority of the voluntary sector representatives indicated that they felt that SIDPD provided them with increased legitimacy with the federal government, several also felt that the government still saw them as advocacy organizations and thus not providing “objective” policy development. There may be links between this issue and the voluntary sector’s expressed need for a review of charitable status regulations which could have an impact on the perception of organizations’ advocacy roles.

Our biggest problem still is that we are not seen as “legitimate”.[…] SIDPD for the first time began to change that. Voluntary Sector Vice President

5.2 Support for Skills Development

If public policy is defined as a commitment to a course of action and a set of outcomes by those with the resources and power to carry it out, there is also realization that no organization or individual starts out with the skills and the knowledge necessary to function effectively in this collaborative milieu¹¹. Much of the necessary skills and knowledge can only be attained through action learning or targeted workshops where people learn by working together on real issues with opportunities to reflect on their experiences.

5.3 Understanding Jurisdictions in Public Policy Development

Several of the projects dealt with issues that were either solely within provincial jurisdiction or part of a shared jurisdiction. Several interviewees spoke of the time and resources spent sorting jurisdictional issues out and of the need for federal government project officers to help identify jurisdiction from the beginning of a project

This issue is very much related to support for the federal government playing a facilitator role – which in fact it does not need to be front and center on all issues. This notion is very much in keeping with the work underway in some areas of the country with regard to Urban Agreements—where there are federal staff assigned to act as facilitators across multi faceted agreements with the federal, provincial and municipal levels.

5.4 Administrative Constraints

The last point is one that forms a backdrop to all evaluations and analysis of horizontal initiatives – that is bureaucratic and administrative constraints.

This issues is some ways the bane of the Western World. Recent research in Canada, in the UK and in the US identifies and leads to similar conclusions with regard to initiatives similar to SIDPD.

These findings include:

• The tendency (by government programs) to take a provider-centred perspective rather than that of the service user.
  
• The lack of incentives or rewards for organizations or individuals who contribute to corporate/horizontal goals or those of another department or organizations.
  
• The absence of the skills and capacity to develop and deliver cross-cutting solutions.
  
• Budgets and organizational structures that are arranged around vertical, functional lines (e.g., education, health, defense) rather than horizontal, cross-cutting problems and issues (e.g., social exclusion, sustainable development).
  
• Systems of accountability (e.g., audit) and the way risk is handled often work at cross-purposes to innovative crosscutting work.
  
• The centre is not always effective at giving clear, strategic direction, and providing mechanisms for resolving conflict between departments.

Clearly these issues are ones that will be a challenge for sometime as the government and the voluntary sector collectively develop and hone the skills and understanding required to manage complex interrelated problems.

Our funding rules have become too hard and fast –we need to be more flexible. On the other hand, we need to help the voluntary sector understand that the government is subject to public scrutiny with respect to the way public funds are spent. It is difficult to be accountable and get the funding quickly to the voluntary sector organizations we work with. Government Manager

 

---

¹¹Journeys in Governance: The Role of the Public Sector in Addressing Tough Community Problems, James P Ellsworth and Dr Lawrence Jones Walters, April, 2004 (unpublished)

Previous Page

Next Page

Table of Contents