Building a Better Task Force

Maureen Lane

Building a Better Task Force

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is a big fan of task forces. I am too. The model of teams working in a co-operative and creative way to problem solve is famously helpful.

Key is bringing together stakeholders with diverse perspectives. Diverse voices in open and respectful dialogue are essential to creative solutions.

So often, groups get caught in blame cycles that keep us arguing about the past and not addressing the future. The story reported in the NY Times today highlights the negative effect of blame and narrow thinking on the way government does business. The state legislature, the governor and the city at odds on education dollars is a good example of how blame and dissonance can hamstring policy and hurt our kids.

I salute the Mayor and his intentions to fight poverty in NYC. As the mayor assembles his task force I encourage him to include diverse voices on the team to break the cycles that so often envelop groups: blame and groupthink, for example. People with first hand experience of poverty are a rich source of practical knowledge and new ideas.

People from the community need to be on the task force. I urge the Mayor to bring on members of community groups like FUREE (Families United for Racial and Economic Equality), Make The Road By Walking and Welfare Rights Initiative, for example.

Not only do people who know the real effects of current policies bring important perspectives to policy making, the work of team building helps expand all members' points of view. And expansive views and visions are just what a task force should deliver.

Comments

I missed the NY Times article. The Gotham Gazette posted the full list of task forcers a couple of days ago. They are so stellar they could leap tall buildings at a single bound.

The Task force on Economic Opportunity is filled with academics, foudnation execs and managers of service organziations and policy groups who are so busy they will have a hard time meeting. Do you think city employees will be assigned to staff it?

Do you think the Bloomberg group which has so completely shut parents and teachers out of planning about education can be pursuaded to listen to actual poor people's thoughts about increasing economic opportunities for them? If so it would be a wonderful surprise.

Dear Daniel
Thanks for your question. i do believe that bloomberg can open task forces to include people from the community with first hand experience, even the ones that you named that are already announced. It is not too late for him to rethink and add. The Mayor has an understanding of the process of business innovation over the last few decades. The business community is one of the first to embrace team models for creative solutions. the notion is that people on the front lines need to be part of the decision making for inovation to be productive. Too many latent missteps happen when the voices of experience are not part of the planning.

What are you thinking?
m

Of course there's a higher likelyhood that Bloomberg will diversify the task forces if contituents lobby him to do so. Why would he rethink his picks unless he is directly asked to rethink and add new people? At this point that would be off his radar untill the public speaks up.

I do think he could be convinced, but we can't be silent and expect that to happen.

ann on
great point about the public speaking up. i have been encourgaed by the Mayor positing education is important for people to move out of poverty but often his/HRA's actions put obstacles in the way of poor women and families to get the education they need and want. HRA routinely calls people receiving welfare to monthly, sometimes bi-weekly, wasteful administartive appointments that take students out of classes all day.

Ann on, what are you thinking? Let's organize people to place calls to the mayor's office urging him to diversify his task forces and outreach to community groups for particpants with first hand experience.