Creative Bureaucrats are Everywhere

Margie Caust thinks that there are lots of creative bureaucrats in government

Working more than 25 years in government had its frustrations but lots about it was interesting. Imagine being trusted with an idea or a project and off you go to invent something new?

Even my early work classifying jobs was fascinating. I loved asking people about their work and why it mattered. Sometimes I’d get teary because their goodness was so apparent.  But I never thought I was creative. The arts were where the most interesting things happening and the arts were miles away from any job I had.

But lots of different jobs later and thinking too much about everything has made me realise how inventive public servants often are.

(Years of having to double guess everything and imagine how it would look on the front page of the paper also makes me wince at that sentence.)

Yes there are bad stories. But I believe there are far more examples of heroic behaviour in government than poor behaviour.

Public services are hives of creativity because they have to be. It not just making imperfect systems work. It’s finding work arounds, bringing energy, stretching boundaries. It’s being given a vague idea and turning it into a program. It’s convening power and knowing that, perhaps, injecting a charming person at the right moment might influence in a way you can’t. Or an invitation for a decision maker to speak on the very same topic may be what’s needed to turn a decision around. It’s honouring the people that look like they’re in the way of a decision and understanding what they want or need.

It’s a hidden type of creativity that can rarely claim itself. It isn’t celebrated. It rarely wins awards.

Teaching is creative work. Nursing. How do you become carbon neutral city?  How do we spark the economy? Those people who work under the radar tweaking systems to make them better.  ‘How might these limited bits and pieces we have access to help’?

Those who find funding, or say yes to an idea, or are interested or curious. The manager who provides cover to the person taking a small risk. Or the CEO who agrees that they really don’t know the answer.

I think what distinguishes ‘creative bureaucrats’ is that they don’t wait to be ‘tasked’ – they ‘task’ themselves.

If I were to guess, I think around 50% of people in government expand ideas and 50% narrow them. I might change my mind but it’s a starting point. Perhaps more than 80% are up for expanding ideas, some are neutral and some narrow.

But public servants who wants to expand often bang up against those that narrow because the power to say ‘no’ can be addictive. Those who remind you of the rules, tell you of the risks, or all the permissions you need (that are unlikely to be forthcoming).

They question why do you think you can think like that. They don’t understand why you need to leave the office to think or connect. They are good when they motivate you. But they wear you down.

That’s why it’s lonely. Because the hidden nature of work in the system isolates people. It doesn’t need to be this way.

It’s wonderful to find other enthusiasts in government – or outside of government – those who see possibilities. These enthusiasts may initially look like a typical idea of a bureaucrat. They can look conservative, know all the rules, seem a little dull. But sometimes it feels like they save your life.

Sure running espionage undercover can be thrilling in its way. But I’ve watched too many of those people leave the system because it’s too hard.

So for me that’s the ‘why’ of creative bureaucracy. To shine a bit of light on how things really happen. To truly see how much is going on. To help people find each other.

To offer the relief of talking about something that matters.