Saline County commissioners discuss innovation, examining failure & progress
Saline County commissioners and other staff met in the basement of the Salina Masonic Temple for a special workshop meeting focused on innovation in government.
On Tuesday, 11 members of county staff attended the plenary study-session-style presentation by Andi Mirviss with the Centre for Public Impact. The goal of the session was not to leave with immediate solutions but to become inspired with potential ideas to overcome challenges in local government.
CPI is a global non-profit organization and think tank that has organized similar workshops for counties and municipalities throughout the U.S. focusing on streamlining government processes and outlining what it means to have a “culture of innovation.”
Looking into Saline County's challenges
Mirviss began the presentation by explaining CPI’s views on approaching challenges: most issues are complex, quality human relationships matter and progress is achieved through experimentation.
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“Anything that makes things better for residents and is new to the person doing it is innovation,” Mirviss said.
After hearing from Mirviss about ways to recognize challenges, the presentation turned more discussion-based and the county staff all shared ideas on innovation.
They first addressed some factors that hold them back from implementing new ideas.
Commissioner Mike White said the topic of slow-moving measures frequently comes up when he speaks with friends.
"We have a crockpot government in a microwave society," White said.
Other commissioners joined in the discussion, describing circumstances that may have held back progress in the county.
Commissioner Roger Sparks said getting people to fully invest in changes is a concern.
"Sometimes we give power to somebody that makes changes, and I don't think we dig deep enough to believe in that change enough to get the right people doing the changing," Sparks said. "We just tell somebody 'here's what we're going to do,' but those people don't have any belief in that change at all."
At one point during the presentation, Mirviss stopped to ask those in the room to define innovation using one word.
Defining innovation
Emergency Management Director Michelle Barkley said "failure" while County Clerk Jamie Ross said "progress."
"I couldn't have asked for a better scenario," Mirvis said about the response. "Because it is about failure and progress and their relationship with one another."
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She then said new ideas may lead to failures, which can in turn lead to better ideas. But the public isn't always patient or accepting in potential failures, Mirviss said, since the outcomes affect people in the "now."
Mirviss went on to address the issue of "status quo" in local government and how that is often a large obstacle to overcome. Commissioner Monte Shedwick agreed.
A big part of solving problems, she said, is focusing on what individuals or individual departments can control.
Near the end of the presentation, those in attendance were to write down potential ideas to address the challenges discussed. An idea came up about potentially implementing better mentorships in the county to facilitate disseminating information from more experienced staff and leaning on inspiration from younger staff to better implement any necessary changes in the future.
Those in the room collectively agreed with this sentiment.
"A big part of these processes - always - is having learning at the center of your work," Mirviss said.
This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Saline County staff discuss ideas for innovation in local government
