Organisation: The Government Outcomes Lab
We were joined by our keynote speaker, Professor Tina Nabatchi of Syracuse University, and hundreds of people across Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, and the Americas. Prof Nabatchi shared insights from her research to explore the conference’s theme of accountability, transparency and trust in cross-sector partnerships. Prof Nabatchi argued that the problems facing society can be divided into “clock problems” – regular, ordered, and solvable – and “cloud” problems, which are irregular, unpredictable, and the products of complex and multifaceted systems, that, as a result, cannot be solved, but only addressed in better or worse ways. Programmes to address cloud problems should be collaborative, participatory, iterative, and adaptable – they require “action from all angles”.
"I believe we all have a responsibility to try to make things better – to build the mosaic of solutions needed to leave our world more beautiful, more graceful, and more kind than it was left to us” – Professor Tina Nabatchi
The keynote was followed by a panel discussion with experts from both academia and practice. These discussions centered on the theories and advice that Prof Nabatchi laid out. Mario Calderini challenged the audience to consider every problem a cloud problem. Russell Jones reminded us that there are no quick fixes, and relationships take time to build. Dr Eleanor Carter invited the audience to share examples on relational practice in partnerships from their own work and Chih Hoong Sin encouraged those trying to address these cloud problems to remember that they are not on their own – this is a movement.