The Human Side of Governance

When we think about governance, what usually pops to mind are things like legislation, protocols, and guidelines. However, even when we have clear rules and regulations, navigating the polarity, uncertainty, and complexity of our world can be challenging. This is especially true when we are trying to address and meet expectations quickly, demonstrate our ability to make a difference and, quite simply, just get things done.

Effective governance involves not only tools and guidelines, but also understanding how we can work together, seek other perspectives and foster collaboration. Essentially - the human side of governance.

The human side of governance infuses the principles of relationship building, collaboration and adaptability into our mechanisms and processes. It acknowledges that governance is fundamentally about people – their needs, aspirations, and diverse perspectives.

In a recent episode of “Decoding AQ with Ross Thornley” he discusses the concept of unlearning, and shares that often, what has been a springboard in the past, can become a ball and chain[1].

This got me thinking about how we can better humanize governance through the concept of unlearning, which focuses on the idea that what has served us well in the past, may need to be reassessed.

This can be particularly impactful for teams coming together in times of transition, such as the appointment of new board members, election of municipal officials, or shifts in our work environments. Typically, when we are preparing for times of transition, our focus gravitates towards the ‘what’ – the tasks, roles and responsibilities that have served us well in the past – our springboards.

While the ‘what’ remains pivotal, we may overlook the fact that we are diving in, weighed down by things like focusing on our individual priorities or maintaining legacy processes and attitudes.

We can alleviate these weights by addressing the human elements of governance.

• If we practice curiosity, we can better interpret guiding documents and the impact they have on others.

• If we examine our personal frames of reference, we can apply new lenses in our decision making.

• If we work collectively, we can better navigate complexity.

By harmonizing the 'what' of governance with the 'how' of our collaborative endeavors, we forge a path towards more efficient and effective governance practices.

If you are interested in learning more about how Emerge Solutions can help to infuse the human side of governance into your organization, please contact:

Dana Garner Senior Consultant at Emerge Solutions, Inc.
dana@emergesolutions.ca
emergesolutions.ca

[1]Thornley, Ross. 20240. “Decoding AQ with Rosh Thornley featuring Dr. Keith Keating” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3n4c1lSD_A