GLF Think Tank Program
Welcome to the GLF
Network’s new initiative – the GLF Network Think Tank!
This initiative is
currently in its pilot phase. We envisage the pilot project
(detailed below) will be the first of a number of GLFN Think
Tank projects over the next few years.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE
OF THE THINK TANK?
To develop a new
approach for the GLF Alumni/Network to work with government
and the broader community to assist them with the generation
of new ideas to current issues...it is anticipated that
there will be a strong link with the South Australian
Strategic Plan (SASP)
The “Think Tank”
projects will meet the following criteria:
-
Add value to the
department/organisation
-
Utilise the core
strengths of the GLF program and the skills base of the
Fellows
-
Provide interest,
enjoyment and a growth experience for Fellows
-
Have a high-level
government/organisation champion (see below)
-
Have timelines of
approximately 3-4 months (in general)
-
Produce practical,
prompt and deliverable outcomes that can be readily
implemented
HOW WILL IT WORK?
The idea is that a
group of GLF Fellows meets to work on specific issues where
various government departments require some ‘out of the box’
ideas and fresh thinking. Government will then take these
innovative ideas and utilise them to enhance policy-making
and/or to establish new initiatives. It is likely that a
focus will be on ‘citizen-centric’ ideas and activities.
Ultimately, the findings may be implemented either directly
through government, or the government may support GLF
Fellows to implement the ideas.
THE PILOT PROJECT
The pilot project will
be undertaken with the SA Governments’ Department for
Families and Communities (DFC). The focus of the Think Tank
is ideas generation. It is a chance to work with senior
management within the department to generate some fresh out
of the box ideas – some ‘new thinking’ on some of the big
hairy audacious problems that DFC may face. The process
that we will adopt will be adaptive. That is to say it will
start with some lose parameters and develop as it needs to.
Successful outcomes of such an approach may be applied to
other departments in due course. A facilitator, Leanne
Muffet FLGF04, has agreed to take on the project to help
ensure a smooth group process and that a tangible product or
outcome (e.g. action plan or report) is achieved.
The first session of
this pilot project will commence with an afternoon meeting
from 2 – 5 pm on Wednesday May 21 2008, with subsequent
meetings planned for out of work hours at a mutually agreed
time and date in the first or second week of June 2008.
Senior staff of DFC (including CEO, Sue Vardon) will be
present for most of the first meeting but the second planned
meeting will be held ‘in camera’ - that is for GLF Fellows
only - in order to facilitate solid in house discussion and
thinking. We are seeking a diversity of ideas about what we
can explore in this pilot. Once we have worked through these
ideas then our commitment will be clearer. As part of this
process we envisage that some Fellows may commit to longer
term projects with DFC working on specific initiatives.
The first Think Tank
will be semi structured with opportunities for facilitated
exploratory (loose) discussions. The Think Tank will be a
chance for an open fluid ideas generation process to
facilitate some truly out of the box thinking.
WHAT IS THE ROLE AND
SCOPE OF GLF FELLOWS AS VOLUNTEER ADVISORS?
All involvement from
GLF Fellows, when working on Think Tank projects, will be in
a voluntary capacity. This is irrespective of their
professional appointments or qualifications. As volunteers,
GLF Fellows will be acting as individuals – not on behalf of
their normal employer or organisation or on behalf of LISA
or the GLF. It is also important to note that the work done
by Fellows, including the final report/response, as part of
this initiative is offered as advisory in nature.
A Code of Conduct has
been drafted which covers the following:
-
Preamble
-
Ethical conduct
policy
-
Confidentiality
-
Conflicts of
interest
All GLF Fellows will be
required to work within this code and complete an indemnity
caveat before proceeding with the project.
POTENTIAL OUTCOMES
Some of the potential
outcomes of the “Think Tank” pilot include:
-
Alignment of the economic growth along with community prosperity of S A
-
‘Big Picture’ 20 year vision
-
Scope for input to DFC’s broad directions for the future (next iterations of Strategic Agendas)
-
Work undertaken with the Think Tank has potential to influence ‘whole of government’
-
Sector wide contributions influence how other sectors ‘think’ / Shared Story
-
Progressing the work form ‘residual’ to ‘central to the growth of the State’
ADMINISTRATION
It is envisaged that
LISA will oversee the process of each project until a final
report/response is submitted to the government. Once the
project is completed, the LISA Programs Manager will meet
with the relevant government department staff (CEO, Champion
etc) to review the process and outcomes with a view to
improving both for subsequent projects.
Beyond this, the
development of any initiatives arising from the GLFN
Collaborative Think Tank reports will be the responsibility
of government and individual Fellows who wish to continue to
be involved in delivering, developing and/or championing
them. Nevertheless, it will be important for government to
commit to keeping those involved in initial GLFN
Collaborative Think Tank projects informed about any
developments that occur following the report.
FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION OR TO GET INVOLVED IN THIS INITIATIVE CONTACT
JAYNE BOASE, LISA PROGRAMS MANAGER:
