Effective Accountability Requires Instilling a Public Spirit Into Private Operations

An excerpt from Bridgebuilders: How Government Can Transcend Boundaries to Solve Big Problems

Unlocking Solutions for a Complex World

We wrote this book to help people expand their vision of what government can and should do to solve today’s problems and, importantly, how to bridge gaps between agencies; levels of government; social service agencies and police departments; public and private, and nonprofit organizations; and even between nations.

The key, we believe, is to create new strategies with bridgebuilders at the helm who can transform governance from hierarchy to networks, from authority to collaboration, from process to mission, and from fuzzy responsibility to accountability for results. Most important, we bring genuine hope and optimism for a new public-sector approach that will strengthen the very foundation of democratic governance by improving government’s outcomes and restoring public trust.

We’ve identified ten keys to unlock the solutions:

1. Knock down barriers, because the siloed perspective almost always guarantees failure

2. Seek mutual advantage, because shared governance builds on mutual pursuit of shared strategies

3. Nurture private partners, because effective accountability requires instilling a public spirit into private operations

4. Build trustworthy networks, because improving trust in government depends on excellence in cross-sector collaboration

5. Grow catalytic government, because government often doesn’t so much manage or deliver solutions as it shapes and integrates them

6. Focus on outcomes, because internal procedures can’t dominate the search for multisector success

7. Make data the language, because data creates not only information but the shared grammar for acting on it

8. Redefine accountability, because we need new systems to replace traditional top-down authority

9. Cultivate cross-boundary leaders, because all partners in the governance process have a responsibility to lead—jointly

10. Make the exceptional routine, because the new era of public management requires scaling bridgebuilder know-how across government

In the chapters that follow, we’ll explore these bridgebuilding steps, beginning with how to break down rigid silos—a step essential to making blended government a reality. Government’s challenges, we’ve noted, are large—and growing. But we are optimistic that these ten steps can make government far more effective, both in improving government’s results and restoring citizens’ trust.

How do we know this?

Each chapter builds on the successful efforts of agile, energetic leaders who focus squarely on the problem they’re trying to solve and who demonstrate how to get the job done. Each of the steps has been tried and proven by skilled leaders somewhere. We propose a plan for bringing these proven steps together into a concerted strategy for the century’s biggest problems—and for its routine operations as well.

About Bridgebuilders

Embrace the power of new ideas and transform governance from hierarchy to networks, from authority to mission-driven action. 

Teaching you how to embrace collaboration and accountability, providing practical solutions that bridge gaps between agencies, levels of government, and social service organizations, Bridgebuilders: How Government Can Transcend Boundaries to Solve Big Problems offers the perfect guide for leaders who want to pave the way to an effective, inclusive, and responsive government. Join the ranks of Bridgebuilders and become a part of the solution.

Learn more here.