Comments on: “Sense making & decision making in public policy” workshop with Neill Allan

By: Issues with Sense-Making « Knowledge Futures

Issues with Sense-Making « Knowledge Futures — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 12:19:45 +0000

[...] At a recent presentationÂ to VPSCINÂ by my good mate and fellow birdo Neill Allan from the UK, he talked about sense-making as being reliant on sensory information and interpreting that information in some form.Â He stated that we sense-make in the following process; first by trying to categorise (ie it looks like a chair), if we have trouble with that, then we try to pattern-match it, and if we are still trying to make sense of it after that, we will construct a hypothesis and test it.Â Sense-making then is less subject to accuracy and is more driven by likelihood – it is more narrative rather than objective in its approach. [...]

By: Dora Katsaouni

Dora Katsaouni — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 00:22:39 +0000

The Workshop introduced some very interesting ideas and a different way of thinking about public policy. It was thought provoking and engaging. Excellent work!

By: Dean Catoggio

Dean Catoggio — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 23:31:15 +0000

The seminar brought together many concepts relevant to decision (sense) making. As simple as some of these concepts may seem, at times I am guilty of forgetting to apply them. Neill Allan reminded us that the variety of beliefs held by the public means that the inputs into policy making are a likelihood rather than an absolute. He also reminded us that “we know more than we can tell, and yet we can tell more than we can write”. This is important to the process of exchanging knowledge with the public.

By: Coordinator

Coordinator — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 03:29:51 +0000

Something that only makes sense retrospectively can be a real challenge for many. We love to assume we have a pretty good idea of how the cards will stack up. Hence the value of a sense making approach that not only utilises a diverse array of input, but one that will explore possibilites and alternatives.

We have recently had Edward de Bono share the same message with us, and we acknowledge the veracity of the message, but as Luke indicates above – in regard to our decision making, we too often choose the most familiar and comfortable option without a great deal of exploration.

Many thanks to Neill for again shining a light on on some interesting areas of potential benefit.

By: Luke Naismith

Luke Naismith — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 13:17:53 +0000

Neill combined the difficult topics of sense-making, beliefs and stakeholder engagement to outline some effective tips for the development and application of policy work in the public sector. His experience really shone through, by cutting through the nonsense and helping the group to identify some practical tips to take forward in their own work areas.
The main point that I obtained was the clarifying insight that so many decisions (60%) are based around an implicit favourite model and we as public servants then spend our time trying to rationalise them (for subsequent audits!).

By: Mark Feigan

Mark Feigan — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 05:20:01 +0000

There was so much content but it all made sense! It was really jam packed with lots and lots of practical help. Thsi was the first actual CIN event I have attended and i was very impressed.

For a complimentary framework relevant to influence I suggest George Lakoff ‘Don’t think of an elephant- Know your values and frame the debate’ 2004. It is perhaps more relevant to our citizen role rather than working in government but contains some really powerful and stimulating insights.