When it comes to the business of government and regulation,
what's good for regulatory stewardship and capability
are the right conversations between regulators and others,
not just about the decisions they make,
but about their own decision making environment.
Kia ora and welcome
to the programme.
In the business of government and regulation in New Zealand,
about 14 000 people, maybe more,
are potentially giving decisions in pretty much
every area that the State has an involvement with.
Decisions that affect millions of people
and businesses. Now, of course,
getting the decision right is critical,
but so too are the conditions under which the decision
maker is empowered to act. The decision making culture.
In this episode, we ask a chief executive,
a decision maker, and a coach, as well as other colleagues,
for seven talking points or indeed suggestions
as to what a good decision making culture at
work looks like and how assists quality decision making.
The business of being
a regulator is inherently
a people business.
It's about people bringing themselves to work,
thinking about what they're doing,
using the best possible information
they've got available, making good decisions,
and they will inevitably be formed by life experiences,
professional, other experiences and really
understanding the whole purpose of what we're
trying to do.
Decision makers make tough decisions all the time
that impact on people's lives,
and where they have the trade off a range of different
factors which are not black and white,
it's really important that a decision maker is making
a decision in a well supported environment where they're able
to be honest and transparent with the people they report
to and the people who provide them
with information on how they are feeling about
the decision and what factors they're trading off.
Because in that way,
they'll have the support of the people they report to,
and the people who they work with can give them
the right information for them to make the right
tough decision.
One of the main things that helps people do their
jobs at their best is when they know
why they're there,
who they're there with and how they can get
the support that they need.
And it all really comes down to feeling
like they can be at their best at work and feeling
like they're in a culture that supports them,
feeling like they're in a part of a team where
they all know how they contribute and how
they support one another. And it really comes down to,
you know,
feeling mentally safe in a workplace,
accepting all the different strengths that a team can
bring and being able to get, you know,
be challenged in the right way in terms of helping
correct one another along the way.
How do we work through really tricky things?
In 2014,
in a key report on regulatory practice,
the Productivity Commission looked at how important
it was for regulatory agencies to have
the right cultural settings when it came to decision making.
Those settings are very important across all
levels of the organisation.
Culture in regulatory organisations is very
much set by the leaders in the organisation.
And it's really critical that you have a culture
that reflects the purpose of the organisation,
and a regulatory purpose is inherently a challenging one.
So there the culture and the values that support
the way people behave in the organisation
needs to be established, reinforced and lived every day.
For leaders,
it's so important to role model the kind
of behaviour they expect to see,
but also role model the fact that we're all human beings
working in incredibly tough regulatory
environments and modelling the ways
in which we can best navigate through
those environments.
So some of that's role modelling certainty
and stability and how we manage risk
and also some of its role modelling vulnerability.
How do we, as organisations, agencies,
get through some of the tough stuff together? You know,
when the media gets noisy,
what are some of the behaviours that are rewarded?
What are some of the behaviours that are punished?
A lot of people will look at regulatory
systems in New Zealand, and we hear a lot in media.
But the role modelling becomes so important in terms
of an organisation and its culture within,
not just from the top as well,
but from each and every one of us.
So a positive culture, in my view,
is really important for good decision making to happen,
and good decisions can only be made where leaders
are actually leading and ensuring that there
a good positive culture within the workplace for the regulator.
An example of a good cultural settings is one where
people have each other's back.
There’s good and clear information flows
and people actually do want to do the right thing.
And none of this matters if leaders are not setting
a good example and role modelling
that behaviour because culture really starts from the top.
And from my experience,
people are always watching what leaders do.
There’s many definitions of leadership.
And I like the one that says that leadership is influence.
And I also like the converse that influence is leadership.
So, whether you're leading and you've got the job
title of leader, manager, chief in your title or not,
you’re still making an impact,
you're making a decision that either impacts one,
or 1000 or 100 000 people. And so that makes you a leader.
So, these decisions we make, they impact.
Whether you be a customer service person on the phone,
helping a customer, the answers that you provide,
the advice you're giving,
it makes a difference to people's lives.
You're making an impact.
You're providing help to a colleague or friend.
A team-mate, you're making an impact,
those decisions matter.
You might be making huge policy decisions, you know,
or in time of crisis, making some massive,
massive decisions that impact many, many people,
you’re making an impact.
But it doesn't mean that if you don't have that
word leader or manager or chief in your title,
that you're not making an impact.
And I feel very strongly about the fact that decisions made,
particularly in the public sector,
come from a place of real strong grounding,
and that grounding is based on values,
and we come from a very diverse set
of backgrounds and make-ups and skills and experiences etc,
But what grounds is a public sector
or as public servants really is a real deep care for each
other and for New Zealanders.
And that sense of manaakitanga is that shared value
that we bring and that makes our decision making quite
consistent and valuable.
Decision making can be tough. You've got the courts,
the public,
your manager and pretty much everybody else as it were,
potentially, looking over your shoulder.
Add to the mix the Productivity Commission,
who observe that when it comes to delegating decisions,
different agencies may do it differently.
Broader delegation means shifting decision making
closer to the front line,
reserve delegation means devolving less.
There's not necessarily a right or wrong answer to this.
It's up to the agency.
But what's critical is that the decision maker
feels supported in their decision making and also
supported by the appropriate level of training.
If you are delegated wider powers
within a regulatory context,
then I think it's really important to think about
how you can be well equipped to be successful
in exercising those powers.
So the first thing I would think about
is ensuring that you are provided
adequate training and support to understand
the legislative and regulatory context
upon which you are operating. That is really,
really important. Secondly,
I think you need to become familiar
with the practical aspects of what you are delegated to do,
talk to your manager,
talk to the people around you to understand how this works
and in a practical context. And thirdly,
do not be afraid to ask questions,
and I'm hoping that your work environment allows
you to ask those questions because it's true asking
questions that you can actually make sure that you're well
equipped to undertake the powers that you are delegated
to perform.
Every single individual working in a regulatory system,
whether it's on the front line, in enforcement,
in leading a system in management,
I think every single one of us needs to know what we can
do and what we can't do,
and to be aware of what support we need to do our jobs
to the best of our ability.
With everyone,
there's a proactive part than every individual can play,
and there's also the supportive part that every
organisation can play.
So what can we as individuals ourselves identify of,
how do we best meet our needs to bring out the best
of us in the work that we do,
and how can my organisation help me with the training
that I need so I know I can do my job
to the best of my ability with the resources
that I've got,
with the skills and the experience,
and have I got the skills to equip me with that?
Capability development in a regulatory organisation
is critical on an ongoing basis. We live in a dynamic world.
We regulate things that change and move very,
very fast.
So ongoing knowledge gathering is very important for everybody.
A great way to do that is to engage
in the Government Regulatory Practice Initiative,
not only in terms of core knowledge through
the qualifications,
but through the rich engagement you can have
with peers who are working on many different things,
sometimes at a fast pace,
and that can keep you current and actually
makes the job really exciting.
Being authentic to yourself, as well as being professional,
is a key part of a job when it comes
to the business of government and regulation
and decision making.
That's because people bring their own personal
experience and life skills and relationship skills
to the professional context.
Regulatory activity is based in engagement
with the people whose behaviour you’re
trying to influence.
That's much more possible if you bring your
empathetic self to the task,
standing in the shoes of the people you're regulating,
understanding the impacts of what, after all,
we are requiring them to do based on the coercive power
of the State and working out if there's a way to do that,
that enables them to get on with their
legitimate business, achieve their goals,
but also achieve the purpose of the regulatory
system whether that’s safety or economic benefit or whatever.
I'm a strong believer that people
should bring their authentic selves
to work every day.
That is the only way that you can actually come
to work and operate at your best.
And when it comes to tough decisions that we have to make,
I believe all of us have got our own personal
life experiences that are actually invaluable in helping us
to make those decisions that we need to make
as a regulator.
The other point that I would add is that by being
our true selves,
we can be honest and we can be transparent
with the people that we work with,
and we can talk to them really frankly about how
we might feel about a tough decision,
which means that we have that supportive environment
around us that allows us to make that tough decision
in a much more effective manner than we would otherwise.
The moment that you start apologising
for yourself and start being saying,
acting and expressing how you feel in the workplace
is the moment you start to realise
that actually your unique self brings so much
to your mahi.
Diversity isn't just a necessity,
it's actually also an incredible strength.
When we're making decisions that impact all
of Aotearoa New Zealand.
We need to ensure we have voices at the table that reflect
all of Aotearoa New Zealand.
We don't just make decisions based on the facts presented.
There's the backstory, the context,
the person behind the decision.
We call on memories we don't even know from our childhood,
our experiences,
our skills and knowledge acquired.
Scars that we bear from hurts that we may have
had or trophies from wins.
These all contribute to decisions.
And when we become conscious of all these
things that actually contribute to our
decision making,
I believe that's where the beauty in diversity lies.
And that's when ideas flow and where the magic
really happens.
And in terms
of that statement that said
it's okay to be authentic. I actually challenge that.
I actually believe that it's absolutely
imperative to be authentic, not just okay.
And I only fully realised that in the aftermath
of the 15th of March, Christchurch terror attack,
when I realised through my sharing that I had a role
to play in breaking down the stereotypes and people
understanding my lived experience.
Not only did I realise that people
appreciated my sharing,
but they actually needed it for their decision making.
We've got policy makers, customer service folk, lawyers,
regulators, making decisions, facilities,
people and culture people,
all making decisions and put practises in place
which affect millions of New Zealanders
on a daily basis.
These people needed to know what I knew
from my lived experience.
What is an empowered regulator?
It's a very good question to ask,
and I think empowerment comes from when every single
individual in a system can feel like they belong to that system,
that they are recognised,
that their contribution is of value,
and for each and every one of us,
not just to respect the differences that we have,
but to actually honour those differences as strengths.
And a lot of that is to do with,
how do we best connect as human beings in the systems
that we're working in to actually appreciate
and demonstrate and use the diverse skills that we have,
the diverse people that we have and actually enable,
not just allow but enable everyone to play a part.
Regulators are often
asked to be agile, flexible,
customer centric and yet enforce rules at the same time.
Added to that, they're asked to be,
occasionally, entrepreneurial.
It can be a challenge and having some
organisational values to anchor to can often help.
As a regulator you're
going to be working
in an organisation which will
have its corporate statements and its
purpose statements.
But one of the critical things is actually the values
and the decision making processes that you use
as a regulator.
They can sometimes feel like a straitjacket.
But the real essence of being a good regulator
is to apply a bit of an entrepreneurialism
to that,
to think a little bit outside the box and balance those very,
very difficult things of achieving the purpose
of the regulatory system and allowing the regulated
parties also to do their innovative activities
and achieve the purposes that they want.
And finally,
being an empathetic regulator in an empathetic agency makes
for being an empowered regulator.
As a regulator,
you're going to be engaging with colleagues,
with the people that you're regulating,
and with the people that are benefitting
from that regulation. It's really,
really important to show empathy across all
of those parties.
You've got to look after yourself,
you've got to understand how you're feeling.
You've got to understand what the impact
is on the people that are regulated
and the impact on the people that are benefiting
from the regulation.
And try and bring that into your decision making.
Bring your whole self,
bring all of that to the bear and make
a good sound regulatory decision.
Those working in regulatory agencies have a huge influence,
more than they realise,
on how they can choose to spend their time,
energy, resources on what can make the most impact.
And it's all very well having wonderful strategies
or values or cultural frameworks in our organisations.
It's quite another thing walking the talk
with those things, and some of the bravest,
most courageous agencies I see are actually putting
in the hard yards of making sure that these
things that they,
their intent and their culture believes in are being
put into action every single day,
through the role modelling of the leaders,
through the integration of culture and practises
within their agencies,
through the way that they have conversations with each
other as staff. It’s all very well,
writing things down or having it in a framework;
it’s quite another thing to speak the action
and actually to walk it.
And with that, we leave you.
Stay safe, stay well and be kind yourself,
ka kite anō.