Everyone who works in local government as within every organization is a product of their own biology. Their bodies are filled with millions of chemical transactions that are choreographed by the fundamental laws of physics. Ultimately everything that we do is governed by these laws. There is no escape.
We live in a chaotic system. Any system which has more than two variables is chaotic and is impossible to predict any more accurately than with a degree of probability. Our world is chaotic but one of the features of such systems is that patterns will emerge. Think of the sea with all of the rocks and islands and winds and weather. How chaotic is this? Yet the waves crash against the shore in almost parallel lines and with metronomic frequency. Think of the weather with all of its winds and rain and clouds and drought. Another chaotic and unpredictable system yet clouds appear with similar shapes, storms are formed and whirlwinds appear. These are all regular patterns which emerge and these are not just earthly phenomena. Look at our universe with its billions and billions of variables yet the same patterns of stars, galaxies, planets and comets appear over and over again.
Patterns emerge from chaotic systems, the only problem is that you cannot predict where or when other than with a degree of probability. But what has this got to do with local government? Well everyone knows that we work in a chaotic system. You don’t have to have been in such an environment and it is not meant to be derogatory but, by its very nature there are so many variables at play, so many different demands and priorities that it has to be chaotic. From this there emerge two things for consideration.
As local government is a chaotic system you can never be certain that the introduction of a change or the implementation of a policy will have the desired effect. It will have an effect and there is an unknown probability that the effect will be close to what you wanted but there are many other possible and probable outcomes to look out for as well. You cannot take it as read that your planned end game will be the result of the change or the policy. Careful monitoring and consideration after the event is needed to observe the actual outcomes and to take appropriate actions which, as always, are subject to an unknown probability of success. Don’t be too despondent if things don’t work out quite right as remember you are dealing with some fundamental laws.
In addition, in the ensuing chaos some form of pattern is going to emerge. In local government this is likely to be in the people who work there. You make the change or introduce the policy and within a short while people have formed into groups to complain or look to adapt and rework the change to their own liking. Each change will produce different groupings and new work patterns will emerge which may be very different to what was intended or hoped for. Again this is part of the process, part of the natural order and there is little that you can do about it other than to look out for emerging groups and to work with them to help you influence any outcomes rather than to rail against them.
We work in a chaotic system and out of chaos will come order but we just cannot be absolutely certain what that order will be, probably. It’s the laws of physics.
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 