Going Beyond Basic Advocacy

1. Advocacy 301 Next Steps in System Change Fighting for LTC Reform at the Michigan Capitol

2. Limits of Basic Advocacy Laws are limits on change Complaintsonly deal with rules violations Risk of turning over your future to an Administrative Law Judge Money is always scarce Money always goes to stupid purposes Money is always already committed to something else Policies are never clear and true

3. What Else Can I Do? Negotiation Technology Social Networking How to Deal with Charisma and Power Organizing our organizations Strategy

4. Negotiation Negotiate from values, not positions Use mediation techniques Don’t humiliate an opponent, ever, no matter how tempting Don’t make decisions if you are afraid or angry-take a break and calm down. Understand the meaning of BATNA Precedent (control) and cost are the levers

5. Technology Assistive Technology has great potential for ourCommunity Get Broadband! And Learn Tech! Useful computers are dropping below $300 Video conferencing is becoming very cheap and easy Tech infrastructure is necessary for social networking

6. Social networking Blogs: We don’t write enough! Twitter: Status and passing on links Finding articles, ideas, and cutting edge advocacy info: Blogbridge Facebook Aggregators: Digsby Ping.fm Peoplebrowser

7. Charisma and Power Double-Edged swords Shared Attention: key organizing tool Gossip and humor: power balancing tools Art of Getting Things Done: People driven by Power Achievement Affiliation You need people driven by each and all

8. Organizing Our Organizations Organizations are created and maintained by using tools of cooperation The Tools of Cooperation fall into 4 categories: Leadership Culture Management Power Which tools to use depends on consensus about: Reality Goals

9. Leadership Tools Low consensus on reality; high consensus on goals Charisma Vision Role modeling Salesmanship The Tools create consensus on reality

10. Culture Tools High consensus on reality and goals Folklore Religion Rituals Democracy Tradition Apprenticeship Culture maintains and expands consensus

11. Mangement Tools High consensus on reality; low consensus on goals Measurement systems Standard operation procedures Training Performance appraisals Tools build consensus on goals

12. Power Tools Low consensus on reality and goals Role definitions Hiring and promotion Fiat Control systems Threats Coercion Tools build consensus through Force

13. Separation into New organizations Can’t reach a consensus on course of action No one has the power to coerce cooperation You need to divide the conflicted groups into separate organizations with high consensus in each group Think of the separate organizations as different tools for dealing with future change, not different religions

14. The Future of OurOrganizations Most are Driven by Culture right now Common Training Common beliefs about oppression Common personal interests Success will bring with it requirements for management tools As resources and power accumulate, success will also bring conflicts over goals and reality

15. Responding to Cultural “Drift” Re-engagement with oppression Build management tool sets within ourcommunity Acknowledge the right to “pass” as a form of separation Accept and work with a diversityof organizations on the continuum of activism Take an “Evolutionary” approach to change

16. Strategy Four levels of Planning and Action: Tactics: concrete accomplishment of local goal Operations: integrated accomplishment of many tactical goals Strategy: Overall Outcome Grand Strategy: How our values and culture drive what we consider to be good Outcomes We don’t get good at them in this order

17. Development of Strategy Skills First we get good at Tactics Then we run into a resource constraint, and have to come up with a strategy (very important and dangerous decision) Then we integrate the strategy and our tactical skills to create operations Grand Strategy is often unconscious and contains contradictions

18. Tools of Strategy First Develop Consensus Around Vision!!! SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats These days, keep it down to one to two years

19. Scenario Planning and strategy Develop Possible Futures Best Future under current circumstances Worst Future under current circumstance Oddest Future under current circumstances These are NOT predictions, but possibilities Build your strategy so you do well under all three As change occurs, tweak scenarios and strategy

20. The Strategic conversation Talk about your future a lot Don’t fall into the trap of believing that the organizations most like you are your competitors. Your competitors are those with very different values from you who are using scarce funds for other goals Everyone scans the environment for information useful to your organization

21. Soul Resources Two sides of the advocacy coin: Fire: Being a warrior Spirit: Being a saint Your quality as an advocate will depend on how well you integrate these two very different people in your one personality Two books to help: The 33 Strategies of War Nonprofit Stewardship Only You can integrate these capabilities

22. Web Resources Telling your story can be powerful advocacy:http://cogdogroo.wikispaces.com/StoryTools Maps can be powerful communication tools:http://www.policymap.com/map Free High End Project Manager:http://gantter.com/ All Things Business, Change, Information, etc.:http://www.brint.com/

23. My Resources My Twitter Account: mdrcngd My Blogs: The Recovering Life LTC Reform Communities of Power Universal Education MDRC Website: http://www.copower.org/ Linkedin Profile: http://bit.ly/s1mS Email: ndelisle@prosynergy.org Download This Presentation: http://bit.ly/gCm16 Comment on this Presentation

24. Final Thoughts "An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.“- Victor Hugo "Real change always entails the redistribution of power."- Peter Block "You've got to think about "big things" while you're doing small things so the small things go in the right direction."- Alvin Toffler "Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?”- Abraham Lincoln