Friday, March 07, 2008
We need Liverpool Nemawashi after Referendum upsets
Being leader will give Nick many opportunities to learn and reflect on exciting situations and work out better ways for comfort zones (including his own) to be challenged.
So after the euro-vote pains let’s hope for some Nemawashi at Liverpool Spring Conference.
As noted before, in terms of Japanese traditions of decision-making, Nemawshi means the process by which everyone affected by a prospective decision works through in advance what the implications are and accepts the necessary consequences for their own actions and behaviour.
I noted before that “One of the disciplines of Nemawashi is knowing that you cannot ever get complete agreement from all participants on the final goal for a serious action. What you can get however is an ‘agreement to proceed’, to move on to new ground and learn from what taking that new ground implies. Building up an ‘agreement to proceed’ gives an organisation great strength and helps establish the possibility of further ‘agreements’.”
I hope Nick and the Parliamentary leadership will be thinking in this manner. It plays right into Liberalisms strengths after all…
On the substance of the Referendum business. One problem with our Referenda policy evolution was (I think) that a quick decision had to be made just before last Autumn conference when the Ming Leadership was on precarious grounds and serious debate would have been seen as preparations for a coup. Then a final decision had to be made before this Spring conference by a new leadership which has not had a chance yet to interact with Conference and concerned party members outside the leadership election tramlines. Minimal Nemawashi in other words. So it goes. But not again please.
(Update: as usual, Alex Wilcock gives thoughtful context in depth to these issues... )
So after the euro-vote pains let’s hope for some Nemawashi at Liverpool Spring Conference.
As noted before, in terms of Japanese traditions of decision-making, Nemawshi means the process by which everyone affected by a prospective decision works through in advance what the implications are and accepts the necessary consequences for their own actions and behaviour.
I noted before that “One of the disciplines of Nemawashi is knowing that you cannot ever get complete agreement from all participants on the final goal for a serious action. What you can get however is an ‘agreement to proceed’, to move on to new ground and learn from what taking that new ground implies. Building up an ‘agreement to proceed’ gives an organisation great strength and helps establish the possibility of further ‘agreements’.”
I hope Nick and the Parliamentary leadership will be thinking in this manner. It plays right into Liberalisms strengths after all…
On the substance of the Referendum business. One problem with our Referenda policy evolution was (I think) that a quick decision had to be made just before last Autumn conference when the Ming Leadership was on precarious grounds and serious debate would have been seen as preparations for a coup. Then a final decision had to be made before this Spring conference by a new leadership which has not had a chance yet to interact with Conference and concerned party members outside the leadership election tramlines. Minimal Nemawashi in other words. So it goes. But not again please.
(Update: as usual, Alex Wilcock gives thoughtful context in depth to these issues... )
Labels: Clegg, decision making, nemawashi, referendum
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