How would you define the cultural change of Government? Should it become more like a Service Organization instead of a Governing Organization? (Question posed by Sam Mehrani on the “Create a government-wide culture of transparency, collaboration, and participation” item)
My response to him:
I think that the government should use 501c3 non-profit organizations and community-based programs as a model for their culture, as well as some of their organizational structures and processes. I do a lot of work with these types of organizations and have always wondered why our governments couldn't act more like them. I single out 501c3 non-profits specifically because the one thing they are not allowed to do that the other main type of non-profit, a 501c6, can do is contribute to or advocate or campaign for any political party, cause, or candidate. The main workforce of the government is not elected or appointed, they are "civil servants", so they should not be partisan towards one side or the other on political issues. They should be there to serve the common good - period!
I believe that the aspects of 501c3 non-profits and community-based groups that the government culture should emulate are:
-- They are primarily focused on the good of their members/constituents and society as a whole. Although government was theoretically supposed to have the same purpose, we have seen quite the opposite in many cases, where the government acts mainly as a lawmaking and regulatory body and provides little if any real service to the people they represent and serve. So I think your suggestion to act more like a service organization rather than a governing organization is right on on the mark!
-- They are volunteer based. Most of the major decisions and the actions taken as a result of the decisions are done by the members/constituents of the organization/group. The governance of these organizations is conducted by unpaid volunteers, supported by paid staff. For a non-profit org, this takes the form of a Board of Directors and usually some permanent committees and temporary task forces - all volunteers. The work of the organization is shared between paid staff and unpaid volunteers but in many non-profit organizations and community groups, the unpaid volunteers far outnumber the paid staff. In fact, in some smaller organizations and groups there are no paid staff, only volunteers.
As Sam suggested, why couldn't the government act more like a service organization?
Why couldn't the government introduce the concept and practice of volunteerism and community/public-based governance into their culture like non-profits and community groups do?
Comments (0)