bill notes: the outer limits of technological change - ncsl

Bill Notes: The Outer Limits Bill Notes: The Outer Limits of Technological Change of Technological Change

RACSS Fall Seminar RACSS Fall Seminar Tampa, FloridaTampa, FloridaOctober 6, 2008October 6, 2008

Our story’s differentOur story’s different

Adapting existing technology Adapting existing technology to provide timely information to to provide timely information to legislators and staff legislators and staff Adaptation worked but wasn’t Adaptation worked but wasn’t usedused

What is Bill Notes? What is Bill Notes?

Electronic log bookElectronic log book

Accessed, maintained and shared Accessed, maintained and shared only by nonpartisan staff only by nonpartisan staff

Who cooked this up and why? Who cooked this up and why?

Finance Committee’s researchers Finance Committee’s researchers and revenue analystsand revenue analystsCommittees referring more bills to Committees referring more bills to Finance Committee Finance Committee Finance chairs wanted Finance chairs wanted background on these bills background on these bills

Committee Staff Support

Legislative Committee

Bill Drafters(LCO)

Revenue Analysts (OFA)

Researchers(OLR)

Downstream Effect: Bill Regarding Downstream Effect: Bill Regarding Brownfield Remediation Brownfield Remediation

Commerce Committee

Environment Committee

Finance Committee

Bill Notes: The Technical StoryBill Notes: The Technical Story

Based on “Cal Notes”Based on “Cal Notes”Caucus bill screening staffCaucus bill screening staffRecord and communicate decisions on bills Record and communicate decisions on bills

Access Bill Notes via legislature’s Access Bill Notes via legislature’s WebpageWebpage

Enter bill number Enter bill number Add, amend, or view bill notes Add, amend, or view bill notes

Trial Run Trial Run

Bill Note Contributors: Commerce and Bill Note Contributors: Commerce and P&D Committees’ Staff P&D Committees’ Staff

OLR researchers OLR researchers LCO bill draftersLCO bill drafters

Bill Note Users: Finance StaffBill Note Users: Finance StaffOFA revenue analysts OFA revenue analysts OLR researchersOLR researchersLCO bill draftersLCO bill drafters

Bill Notes Contents Bill Notes Contents

Early Stage Bill Screening:Early Stage Bill Screening:Why the proponent wants the bill Why the proponent wants the bill ContactsContacts

Public Hearing:Public Hearing:Fiscal impact and sources Fiscal impact and sources Members’ comments and questions Members’ comments and questions Technical problems Technical problems

Bill Notes Content, continued Bill Notes Content, continued

Late Bill ScreeningLate Bill ScreeningOrigin and purpose of substitute languageOrigin and purpose of substitute languageUnresolved technical problems Unresolved technical problems Provisions transplanted from other billsProvisions transplanted from other bills

Committee MeetingCommittee MeetingPurpose of substitutes adopted during Purpose of substitutes adopted during meetingmeetingFiscalFiscal--related comments related comments

Did it work? Sort of. Well, less Did it work? Sort of. Well, less than sort of…than sort of…

No technical problemsNo technical problemsLittle or no support from LCO and OFALittle or no support from LCO and OFABill Notes contributors (i.e., me) weren’t Bill Notes contributors (i.e., me) weren’t sure what to add sure what to add Entering notes was a choreEntering notes was a choreBill Notes users didn’t use it muchBill Notes users didn’t use it muchFizzled out Fizzled out

Ok, so why are you telling me Ok, so why are you telling me about something that about something that

ultimately failed?ultimately failed?

““She knows there's She knows there's no success like no success like failurefailureAnd that failure's And that failure's no success at all.”no success at all.”((“Love Minus Zero/No Limit”)“Love Minus Zero/No Limit”)

Ok, so what did we learn? Ok, so what did we learn?

Developing an innovation is a Developing an innovation is a technical process technical process Deploying an innovation is a social Deploying an innovation is a social processprocessInnovations often address problems Innovations often address problems caused by fundamental changescaused by fundamental changes

Immediate Lessons Immediate Lessons

Think it throughThink it throughTest, experiment, simulate the change Test, experiment, simulate the change

Identify organizational strains Identify organizational strains Get to the root causes Get to the root causes

Increase in bill referrals Increase in bill referrals Power shifted from committees to caucusesPower shifted from committees to caucuses

Pay attention to how the organization is Pay attention to how the organization is changing changing

What to look for What to look for

Dynamic conservatismDynamic conservatism——tendency tendency of people in organizations to of people in organizations to resist or undermine changeresist or undermine change

This theory serves as a practical This theory serves as a practical conceptual tool for planning how conceptual tool for planning how you introduce and deploy an you introduce and deploy an innovation innovation

Organizational Culture Organizational Culture

Members know what to expect from each Members know what to expect from each other and act accordingly other and act accordingly Expectations reflected in:Expectations reflected in:

StructureStructure——organization chartorganization chartIdeologyIdeology——what we’re about what we’re about Tools and how they’re used Tools and how they’re used

Any change to one of these elements Any change to one of these elements affects the others affects the others

Keeping the Elements Aligned Keeping the Elements Aligned (Dynamic Conservation)(Dynamic Conservation)

I thought I was helping…I thought I was helping…

I use my dead time I use my dead time to speed up the to speed up the process process But that wasn’t in But that wasn’t in the contract the contract It also created It also created problems later in problems later in the shift the shift

ContinuousContinuous--aim Firing (CAF)aim Firing (CAF)

Involved existing Involved existing technology technology Simple mechanical Simple mechanical changes that turned naval changes that turned naval gunnery into a science gunnery into a science Tremendously increased Tremendously increased accuracy accuracy U.S. Navy resisted the U.S. Navy resisted the changechangeWhy? Why?

CFA Upset the Balance CFA Upset the Balance

Continuous-aimFiring

Dynamic Conservatism at Work Dynamic Conservatism at Work

Late 19Late 19thth century Navy was already coping century Navy was already coping with many technological changeswith many technological changesCAF suggested current gunnery system CAF suggested current gunnery system wasn’t working wasn’t working CAF challenged a way of life that grew up CAF challenged a way of life that grew up around that systemaround that systemCAF enhanced gunnery officer’s status CAF enhanced gunnery officer’s status and power and power

Gauging Dynamic Conservatism Gauging Dynamic Conservatism

State assumptions State assumptions Test proposed changes under simulated Test proposed changes under simulated conditions conditions Identify and address potential Identify and address potential organizational strainsorganizational strainsUnderstand the root causes of those Understand the root causes of those strains strains Pay attention to the broader organizational Pay attention to the broader organizational context context

SourcesSources

Gary Hamel, Gary Hamel, The Future of Management The Future of Management (2007)(2007)EltingElting F. Morison, F. Morison, Men, Machines, and Men, Machines, and Modern TimesModern Times (1966)(1966)Donald A. Schon, Donald A. Schon, Beyond the Stable State Beyond the Stable State ( 1971)( 1971)Peter Senge, Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline: The Art The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization and Practice of the Learning Organization (2(2ndnd edition, 2006)edition, 2006)

John Rappa Office of Legislative Research Connecticut General Assemblyjohn.rappa@cga.ct.gov