GUEST COLUMN.

[Note: In the photo above, Hannes Zacharias is at left, Chris Koliba is in the middle and Alex Terwilliger is at bottom, left.]

Local and state governments are currently challenged by economic instability, insecure funding sources, and the desire to take advantage of the exponential growth of artificial intelligence — all of which complicate the art of governance.

To make matters more complex, in the early days of 2025, executive orders from the current federal administration have added additional pressure to governments, which now must adapt quickly to changing policies in such matters as immigration enforcement, environmental regulations, and funding for infrastructure and a variety of services. This is forcing changes to municipality budgets, redirecting resources, and redesigning the way we serve.

The question is not whether we will face further disruption, but rather how ready towns, cities counties, and states will be to continue to serve their residents consistently and well.   

Local governments will suffer clear perils of the indignities of ineffectiveness if they don’t develop the capacity to cope with the buffeting winds of change that surround them.

This is where the principles of “High Performing Organizations (HPO)”, as defined by Leading Edge, the organization in which we’re all involved,  provide a path. Instead of responding to outside pressures by adopting stopgap measures, we focus on building internal structures to enable us to adapt, intentionally, and purposefully, while remaining steadfastly focused on our core mission and values.

At its core, the HPO model develops an organizational culture that creates, and fosters networked problem-solving structures.  This culture weaves in leadership, vision, values, strategy, structure, and systems—six change levers that anchor our work in uncertain times. This framework doesn’t clear away external challenges, but it gives us the tools we need to focus without the chaos uncertainty tends to create.  The main features of the HPO include:

·        Steady Direction: Strong leadership is essential in uncertain times. The HPO model promotes leadership at all levels so that decision-making authority extends beyond the senior-most officials. In a crisis, empowered department heads and frontline employees can move quickly, keeping operations on track using their understanding of public values, all while making decisions in a long term, mission centric lens. Develop communications strategies around the need to maintain the stability of government services, and what is lost when instability prevails.

·        Vision Clarity: Without a firm vision, we are especially susceptible to external environmental chaos. By ensuring stakeholders, from elected officials to the public employees, understand our vision and use it to drive their actions, HPO helps to make sure we are making vision-centric decisions in line with our democratic values.   And this vision can and should be conveyed clearly to the constituencies of our governments and should evolve around a community’s democratic traditions.

·        Values As Navigational Guides: In difficult ethical contexts or trade-offs, our values give us direction. HPO frameworks focus on these values being expressed and embodied, such that they determine behavior and inform action.  It is important to clarify those values, anchor them in democratic principles and standards, and convey them to the constituencies of state and local government.

·        Strategic Planning for Adaptability: High-performing government agencies adopt organizational principles that result in flexible (as opposed to rigid) strategic plans. This allows us to pivot as external forces move while still staying true to our greater mission and goals.

·        A Structure Built for Agility: Traditional governmental decision-making models can stymie a rapid response to rapidly changing environments. Our priority is to eliminate silos, so departments are able to work across functions to solve problems effectively and efficiently.  In times of disruption, as we learned during the COVID pandemic, working across departmental and organizational lines works.

·        Data-driven decision making: Performance measurement and data-driven decision making are integral to the HPO approach. Through regular assessments of advancements and corresponding modifications in the process, we foster an environment of perpetual growth that enables us to enhance methodologies even amidst a cycle of upheaval.  Communicating the importance of relying on evidence-based decision-making to the public has never been more important.

The capacity to absorb disruption and deliver high-functioning public services is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity. Whether that takes the form of navigating economic downturns, executive or legislative changes, natural disasters, or unforeseen global events, leaning into the HPO model can help our communities to remain a stable force in an unstable world.

The contents of this Guest Column are those of the author, and not necessarily Barrett and Greene, Inc.  

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