Community Development Principles PDF

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Principles of Working Together: Developing Relationships That Support Community Development Initiatives Janet S. Ayres and Anne Heinze Silvis Principles of Working Together: Developing Relationships That Support Community Development Initiatives The...

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Principles of Working Together: Developing Relationships That Support Community Development Initiatives Janet S. Ayres and Anne Heinze Silvis Principles of Working Together: Developing Relationships That Support Community Development Initiatives The ability of people to work together is essential to successful community development initiatives. The Pew Partnership for Civic Change conducted more than a decade of research in communities across the country and identified seven key leverage points to create “smart communities” (Morse, 2004). One of these key points is people working together, and how they build trust and relationships to “unleash new talents and resources to address old and new problems and opportunities” Yet it is difficult and time-consuming for various segments of the community to work together over time toward a shared goal. Complex, multijurisdictional issues; constantly changing circumstances; vested interests of key stakeholders; and competition over limited resources make working together a challenging endeavor. Such challenges, however, necessitate that communities develop collaborative initiatives that build broad-based involvement and create an effective problem-solving and decision-making process to address important issues. Why Working Together Is Important The ability of individuals, organizations, and government to work together in a community is essential. Working together allows the community to adapt to a rapidly changing environment and the unpredictable nature of public issues. Working together also changes the community’s approach to issues, enhancing its ability to address problems with more creativity and a broader perspective, improving its problem-solving and decision- making ability. Changing Community Context Change has been a part of most communities’ reality since their founding, but in recent years, the nature of change and subsequent issues are profoundly different. Several key points of the changing community context are worth noting. Changing Concept of Community. The concept of community itself is being redefined to encompass broad geographic areas. In some areas, urban expansion has created issues around the use of land, provision of services, environmental concerns, and economic opportunities that extend beyond traditional jurisdictional boundaries Changing Volume and Availability of Information. The accessibility of information creates both opportunities and challenges. Information is more available than ever before. It takes time, however, to wade through the myriad of resources and determine credible information on which to base public policy decisions.  Changes in the Stability of Communities and Crisis Situations. Many issues, such as industry closings or natural disasters, can emerge as crises with little forewarning and leave communities in their wake struggling to react as best they can. Increased Exposure to the Consequences of External Decision Making. National and international events increasingly affect local communities. Federal legislation, the global economy, telecommunications, and corporate mergers or foreclosures are just a few examples of decisions made beyond the local community that have profound local consequences. Changing Approach to Issues. Communities are changing the way in which local issues are addressed, how decisions are made, and who participates in these processes. Increasingly, special interest groups— those with a narrowly defined, single-issue focus such as “Stop School Consolidation,” “Stop the Landfill,” or “No More Taxes”—dominate the public decision-making arena. Changing Community Capacity. Another reason for the community to work together is to remain relevant and responsive to an increasingly diverse population. Communities grow and change as their populations grow and change. Advantages of Working Together Individuals and organizations with multiple ways of thinking, diverse sets of knowledge and skills, and access to an array of resources are needed to address today’s complex community issues. Bringing resources together and building upon assets already in the community not only make good sense, they are essential (Beilharz, 2002). From a community development perspective, many benefits can accrue to a community from the active involvement of citizens, civic organizations, and government: New leadership to address current and future community issues Enhanced leadership capacity through new knowledge and skills gained as people and institutions work together Knowledge gained from different perspectives as people discuss issues and inform one another An enhanced sense of belonging and commitment to the community Enhanced communication and relationships among key players, both internal and external to the community A more rapid response to issues as multiple groups or individuals address issues or subsets of an issue simultaneously New linkages with outside financial, political, and technical resources Synergistic thinking and action that can lead to solutions that address current issues Challenges of Working Together Although there are many benefits to be derived from working together, there are challenges to initiate an effort to work together and sustain it over time. Traditional Mind-Sets. One difficulty in working together may be a traditional mind-set on the part of community residents and elected officials regarding their role in the community. High Stakes. Potential collaborators may not want to work together. Most community issues today are complex, with multiple stakeholders who have vested interests in the issue and hold different perspectives and values about solutions. When the stakes are high, as is the case with most community issues, stakeholders may be more interested in winning than in collaborating with others to find solutions.  Turf Battles. Many community issues reach beyond jurisdictional boundaries, and traditional leaders may fear working in others’ jurisdiction, or they may not see the issue as their responsibility (Bryson & Crosby, 1992; Dukes, 1996; Gray, 1989). A lack of communication between individuals and organizations can further exacerbate misunderstanding about each others’ interests (Carpenter & Kennedy, 2001) and foster distrust. Lack of Leadership. Another challenge may be the availability of leadership in the community to initiate a collaborative effort. Not only does working together take time, but it requires courage to take on some issues, especially those that are highly controversial, and skills and knowledge to know how to build a collaborative effort. Regardless of the challenges, it is essential for individuals, institutions, and government to work together if they are to address current and future issues. The motivation for collaboration is grounded in the practical efficiencies of working together, and the inspiration for collaboration is embedded in our commitment to a democratic society. Principles of Working Together Individuals and organizations working together in a community may take on various forms. Some efforts may be initiated around a short-term, single issue, such as building a new recreational facility, whereas other efforts are focused on long-term, complex issues, such as workforce development or access to health care. Efforts can be formed at any scale: —neighborhood, town, city, county, state, and beyond. And sometimes, collaboration is not necessary. If a decision must be made quickly to avoid danger, or if there are no other options, a decision maker might forgo discussion and take action.  The ways in which individuals and groups organize and structure their efforts can range on a continuum from cooperation to collaboration Cooperation (Winer and Ray (1997) as a shorter time, informal relationship without a clearly defined common mission. Coordination is a more formal relationship between the entities, requiring planning and division of roles while each individual and organization retains control of its resources and agenda. Collaboration, at the far end of the continuum, is a form of working together where partners share goals, resources, decision making, and benefits. Working together in community development requires both a mind-set and a set of skills and knowledge that are based on principles of collaborative problem solving and decision making, including the following six principles. People are the greatest asset of the community. Community development is about people and their skills, knowledge, and abilities to help themselves. Relationships are critical. Collaboration is less a matter of familiarity or pleasant associations among people than the ability of people to work together to resolve difficult issues. Mathews (2002) points out that citizen to-citizen and citizens-to- government relationships are critical. He makes three essential points: a) Citizens and government officials working together is not only pragmatic, but essential to finding acceptable solutions to community issues; b) Shifting from identifying “the enemy” to building collaborative ties is necessary and is based not on liking others, but on respecting the interests of the other parties; and c) Joining diverse groups of citizens in public relationships requires an openness to divergent views and ways of acting together that may create new relationships and practices.  Mutual respect and a willingness to find shared interests are important aspects of collaborative problem solving. Every perspective is valid. Almost every perspective is developed around a nugget of truth. People must recognize that it is acceptable to disagree, but keep the discussion focused on the issue, not on people or personalities. Different points of view can lead to new understanding, new approaches, and effective solutions. When people with diverse viewpoints come together to discuss issues respectfully, it encourages discussions that can lead to new understanding and solutions. Shared power can lead to greater community power. In traditional ways of working together, power is seen as zero-sum and one-way. In other words, there is only so much power, and it is used one way—those with power use it over those without. Open communication and shared information are essential to collaborative problem solving. The ability to listen to others; ask questions; understand others’ interests; and speak openly and honestly, with emotions in check, is critically important in building relationships and developing solutions. Collaborative Problem-Solving Framework To work together, individuals, organizations, and government must have 190 the opportunity to come together, speak openly, and listen to others. The process should enable the group to focus on common issues, explore options, and generate solutions. A collaborative problem-solving process provides a useful framework to address complex community issues. Although a successful effort has many important steps, four major components are discussed here. Leadership. Successful collaborative initiatives require leaders who have the courage to take on controversial issues and model the use of shared power and mutual respect for all perspectives.  Stakeholders. From the very outset of a collaborative effort, it is important to identify and involve stakeholders. Stakeholders are identified as those individuals or organizations with the formal power to make a decision, those with the power to block a decision, those who will be affected by the decision, and those with relevant information or expertise (Strauss, 2002). Process for Problem Solving. Early on, the group needs to identify how it will address issues and make decisions, and how it will involve people in the process. In general, the problem-solving process involves identifying the issues and coming to a common understanding of the issues; identifying alternative solutions; analyzing the alternatives in terms of their consequences, including a cost/benefit analysis; making a decision; and developing and implementing action plans. Common Goals and Action. People need to feel that their time has been 191 well spent. It is important that the group identify common goals and celebrate milestone accomplishments to keep collaborative efforts moving forward.