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Heikki Ervast, Bologna 22.10.2014

With the help of future dialogues

Case RovaniemiHeikki Ervast / Bologna 22.10.2014

Rovaniemi

• lies at the Arctic Circle• area 8 017 km2• population 62 000• portion of working age people of the population 65,4%• central area 85,7 residents/land km• entire city 7,94 residents/land km• decision-making: city council, city board and service boards (politicians)• in administration no politicians• the municipality is organizing and producing educational, health, social and community technical

services for the inhabitants• although services are organized in sectors or “silos”, we are working and co-operating across

sectors regularly



About me / Heikki Ervast

• age 54 • education/training: MEd (Master of Education, class teacher), Trained

Management Specialist and Service Design Specialist, Trainer for ‘taking-up worries’

• occupation: comprehensive school head master/principal• chairman of the steering group ‘Early Open Co-operation’• career:17 years as a teacher and 12 years as a manager or director

(head master, head of the educational services /school, day care, youth services, head of school services)

• international co-operation on ‘Early Open Co-operation’: Italy, Netherlands

• now facilitating the organizational change in the municipality administration


From Rovaniemi to Bologna

My inner ”anticipation dialogue”:• what are the expectations from me?• the good position at 5 p.m. on Wednesday: we have had

interesting thinking together and everyone has enriched one’s own thinking

• most of the participants wants to take one step forward…

25.9.2014


Challenges:

How to get from worries to good future?

How to solve difficult problems?

How to make changes happen?


5 minutes humming:

What are you worried about in your work nowadays?

What are your main challenges in your work for the next five years?


The starting point in Rovaniemi

• several conventional development processes: enthusiasm during project period; afterwards back to normal routines and ways of working

• lots of talk about cross-sectoral and multi-professional work without acts and changes

• new point of view appeared: could we start taking up worries instead of focusing on problems?

About dialogues /1“In an ordinary conversation, the participants make a point and argue it.Dialogue, on the other hand, is a conversation where the participants

build on each other’s contribution. In a dialogue, participants are willing to let go of their pre-set ideas and listen to the contribution of others and, thus, are open to ideas generated as a result of this joint interaction which would have otherwise gone unnoticed. In other words, your opinion is not final, but a step towards the ultimate outcome. The aim of dialogue is to gain a new insight, a new understanding of an issue. However, it does not seek consensus, but to appreciate how others think. Thus, the secret of dialogue is that no one will know where it leads. Therefore, dialogic methods are ideal for acting appropriately differently.”

(Arnkil & Erikson: Taking up One’s Worries 2009, 36)Heikki Ervast, Bologna 22.10.2014

About dialogues /1 / italian version"In una conversazione normale, i partecipanti fanno un’osservazione che

argomentano. Nel dialogo, d'altra parte, la conversazione è un pensare insieme. Il senso

delle enunciazioni diviene visibile solo nelle successive enunciazioni , nella nascita della nuova comprensione. Nel dialogo , i partecipanti lasciano le proprie idee prefissate nell’ascoltare gli altri. E’ in questa interazione congiunta che i partecipanti si aprono alle idee che altrimenti sarebbero rimaste inosservate. In altre parole, l’opinione del singolo non è il fine, ma solo un passo verso il risultato finale. Lo scopo del dialogo è di ottenere una nuova visione, una nuova comprensione di un problema. Tuttavia, il dialogo non cerca il consenso, ma l’apprezzamento di come l’altro pensa. Per questo il segreto del dialogo è che nessuno saprà dove porterà. I metodi dialogici sono perfetti per agire con una differenza appropriata .”

(Arnkil & Erikson: Parlare delle preoccupazioni 2009, 36)Heikki Ervast, Bologna 22.10.2014


About dialogues /2

It is a question of• interaction and relational work• I – You >< I – It • facing the Other with respect• listening; being heard is very important• polyphony, enriching ideas and developing

thoughts• external and inner dialogues• anticipation and focusing to the future


About dialogues /3

COMBINATIONS OF SUPPORT AND CONTROL

SUPPORT CONTROL

EMPOWERMENT

SUBORDINATION

Resource combinations

Dependency on support

Imposing own professional solutions

Increasing clients own control

(Arnkil & Erikson: Taking up One’s Worries 2009, 31)

About dialogues /4: Early Open Co-operation

Early intervention doesn’t mean the transfer of ”the problem” to experts at very early stage . If you transfer, you have to go along.

Early intervention means to act as early as possible, as open as possible and in good co-operation to prevent problem situations. It is essential to act when you still have plenty of possibilities and alternatives. Early intervention is to take early responsibility of your own function to support others.

That’s why we prefer speaking about ’Early Open Co-operation’ rather than early intervention.

By dialogues. Ethically. Not behind the backs of people. Not focusing professional work (the main supporters are private networks).


About dialogues /4: Early Open Co-operation / italian…

L’Intervento precoce non significa che “passiamo “ il problema agli esperti in una fase precoce – se “passi” agli altri cammini da solo.

L’intervento precoce significa che agiamo il più presto possibile , in modo più aperto possibile e in una buona collaborazione , nel prevenire l’insorgere delle situazioni problematiche.

E’ essenziale agire quando ancora hai molte opportunità ed alternative.Nell’intervento precoce prendiamo precocemente la responsabilità della

nostra funzione di sostegno agli altri.E’ per questo che preferiamo utilizzare la dicitura “ Cooperazione Aperta

Precoce “piuttosto dell’Intervento precoce.Attraverso il dialogo Eticamente . Non dietro le spalle delle persone. Non

focalizzandoci sul operare dei professionisti ( il supporto maggiore viene dalla rete informale )



5 minutes humming:

What thoughts are waking up now?


History / 1: Early Open Co-operation in Rovaniemi

• project: ”From drug route to care pathway” at the beginning of the millenium

• training on ”taking up one’s worries”• ”Early Intervention” –project• co-operation contract with the National Institute

for Health and Welfare and the municipality of Nurmijärvi (in southern Finland); year 2008

• part-time network cordinator and some trained network facilitators


History / 2: Early Open Co-operation in Rovaniemi

• after 2008 we’ve trained 40 network facilitaitors• full-time network cordinator• in steering group for ’Early Open Co-operation’ we

have the key managers and directors from each sector• ’Early Open Co-operation’ and the principles of

working cross-sectorally and multi-professionally with taking care of the client’s point of view are written on municipality strategy

• taking policy-makers into the process (they are also in our steering group)


What do we do?

• we are working on health, social, educational, elderly and technical services

• both working dialogically with clients and also with workes and practitioners

• training for taking up worries for municipality workers• training new network meeting facilitators• the network coordinator in organizing over 100 dialogical

network meetings / year• promoting, promoting, promoting, …• now we are facilitating the large organizational change in

the administation of the City of Rovaniemi


Early Open Co-operation now in Rovaniemi / year 2020

Anticipating our good future:• our organization is customer-oriented• customers are planning the services with us• workers and practitioners are working dialogically together

and with the clients• special services are overlapped in basic service structures• customers are enough empowered to take their own

responsiblity for their own cases• good peer learning processes with other municipalites (and

Italy, too!)• two full-time network coordinators


What is needed (generally)?

• cross-sectoral steerting-group with committed mangers/directors

• full-time network coordinator(s)• training for workers• trained network/dialogue facilitators• you can practice dialougues only by dialogues • right attitude is needed more than money• time


How to run the dialogic processes?- the question of leadership -

• leading networks in not the same as leading line organizations

• I – You >< I – It • leader’s own experience on dialogues• to separate the moments of monologue from the moments

of dialogue• enough courage to say ”I can be wrong, too”• to tolerate uncertainty• to choose the approach to management according to the

type of the problem• tamed or wicked problem?

Miia Palo 19.2.2013

Defining wicked problems (Jeff Conklin 2005)

1. You can understand a wicked problem only by becoming familiar with the context.

2. There’s no distinct beginning or end for a wicked problem. You can only chase a good enough solution within the framework of resources.

3. The solutions for wicked problems are not either right or wrong. They are just better or worse.

4. Every wicked problem is unique.5. Every solution for a wicked problem works

uniquely on one problem.6. You can’t define the solution set for wicked

problems.


Tools for wicked problems

• don’t try to tame a wicked problem – just accept it• don’t try to achieve the best – try to get the best

possible• don’t try to catch butterflies – let them fly• admit that you are wrong sometimes• leave the doors open• recognize the complexity• create networks• maintain dialogues


Tools for dialogical co-operation

• zones of subjective worry• anticipation dialogues• future dialogues (”recalling the future”)• ”Grains and chaff” / ”Cereali e pula”• dialogues on good practices• etc.You can’t model a good dialogical process and

transfer it into another process/situation. Every process is unique and own for the participants.


5 minutes humming:

Describe the good ways of solving problems you have used in your work?

Describe the good practices you have used and you would like to share with others.

Example of changing organization dialogically

In Rovaniemi we’re having a big organizational change going on now.

We’re doing it dialogically:• every service sector is going to have changes; management is

changed• The Mayor asked us to do the facilitating in dialogic way• series of future dialogues with the personnel (to guarantee the

’being heard’ –experience)• focus on: leadership, organizational culture, service and

customer oriented thinking, responsilibilties, strategies, interfaces

• we opened the doors…Heikki Ervast, Bologna 22.10.2014


The Emilia-Romanga process

• Which one of the problems and challenges in Emilia-Romanga region (health and social sectors) are tamed and which one are wicked?

• Could we approach these challenges dialogically?

• Could the orientation on good future and co-operation be helpful?

• Could we help each others with peer learning?

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