Complexity and communication technology are changing the nature of governance
Governance in the past has often been seen as the provenance of governments and corporate boards, but, that is changing. National and local governments, international agencies, companies, universities, private groups and individuals can all be stakeholders in activities that need to be governed. In Collaborative Governance in Theory and Practice, scholars from the University of California, Berkeley define this new form of governance as:
A governing arrangement where one or more public agencies directly engage non-state
stakeholders in a collective decision-making process that is formal, consensus-oriented,
and deliberative and that aims to make or implement public policy or manage public
programs or assets.
International agencies, such as UNICRI (U.N. Inter-regional Crime and Justice Research Institute) acknowledges the importance of engaging all governance stakeholders and creating mechanisms to ensure the broad needs of society are met.
Metaphor Mapping is an excellent tool for establishing Collaborative Governance because it allows excellent communication across functions and cultures and promotes understanding of the big picture and interrelationships within a situation to be governed.
