Energising a territorial dynamic
Why?
Why separate management consulting from consulting on public projects? This traditional divide rests on organisational and cultural habits: private players and public players, business time and government time, or even, in an ideological view we do not share, the pursuit of profit versus the pursuit of the common good.
Yet, despite these differences, we are convinced that the expertise drawn from management dynamics in companies is effective and beneficial for regional projects (infrastructure and services), as long as the specific features of public projects are well understood – as they are by us.
What is more, collaboration between these two « worlds » creates added value and makes better use of public money.
This is why the regional projects run with Kaqi’s support are innovative, dynamic, demanding and contributive.
To illustrate this perspective, applied to some railway projects: « High-speed rail: for the image or for actual use? » (in French).
How?
In company projects, the interplay between stakeholders is usually well known (even if it can sometimes be useful to open it up).
In an infrastructure or public service project, identifying the key players is a first step that already creates value: finding the contributors, the beneficiaries… in short, all the « stakeholders ».
The next step is to observe, propose and put in place a « distribution of roles » that clarifies what each party brings, clears up misunderstandings and suspicions, and secures everyone’s commitment. Finally, collective intelligence grows through teaching and skill-sharing, generating dynamics that are contributive, accelerating and value-creating.
Partners or co-actors?
Three case studies
Reconciling public and private players
Public projects run on a long timescale. But the investments made in infrastructure and services are subject to short-term pressures, especially in a context of scarcer resources, public-private partnerships and legitimate scrutiny of how public money is spent.
It is therefore legitimate, beneficial and, in our view, essential to accelerate the positive effects of public spending, so that the « return on investment » is both fast and substantial.
Our contribution
By bringing the common good and individual benefits closer together, and by creating « meeting points » between public and private players, we help create value for all and strengthen the solidarity and dynamics between the people and organisations of a given area.
For the image or for actual use?
In a country that values its infrastructure (even ageing infrastructure) as a competitive asset, why should the value created by public developments be seen as a bad thing?
Because this stance often hides a search for indirect gains, through the « compensation » obtained at the end of highly bureaucratic « consultation » processes, in which many opponents are in fact only trying to raise the bill, or the subsidy.
Agreeing to share, and also to question, the added value of your project means choosing real synergies, explanation, transparency and openness. In a regional project, mistrust and hostility are born of concealment.
Our contribution
We create spaces for sharing knowledge and action, to move from contempt and confrontation to dynamics that create value for all.
Growing together
Collaboration within organisations is a classic field of management approaches.
And while companies must also open up to collaboration between organisations, notably through the idea of the extended enterprise, regional projects are places to learn and practise these new skills. A single area is home to very diverse organisations: public, private, independent and non-profit players, businesses, tourism operators, transport companies, restaurants, vocational training bodies, government representatives, elected officials…
Our contribution
Mobilising this diversity of rationales, interests, cultures and skills, and getting it to work together towards collective success.