By Michael Aaronson
The New South Wales Council of Social Services (NCOSS) has started a major campaign to do something about the twin philosophies of economic rationalism and managerialism — the philosophies the Liberal government in NSW loves so much and which are driving us and our organisations into the ground.
The campaign was launched at a conference entitled "Power and the Community", held at Sydney University November 5-6.
At this conference, we also searched for strategies that we and our organisations can use to survive and move ahead in the current governmental climate. We came up with two that seem to have some merit: forming links with organisations we wouldn't normally think of, and doing more old-fashioned community development.
Economic rationalism is missing the point.
The purpose of economics is to distribute limited resources so human needs are best met.
According to economic rationalism, most of the decisions that affect our lives should be decided in the so-called free market. Government activity should be minimal, and mostly limited to maintaining the infrastructure upon which the market depends. Finances should be unregulated.
Proponents of this theory, such as Milton Friedman, argue that unfettered individualism under this system will result in the maximum benefit for us all.
This theory is not working! The gap between rich and poor is increasing. Societies all over the world are falling apart. Economists such as Keynes and J.K. Galbraith have been sounding the alarm on this for years.
Here is what Ted Wheelwright, who spoke to us on this topic, suggested we should have instead:
We should have full employment. Meaningful work is essential for a person's sense of worth.
Finances need to be monitored and regulated. The trickle down theory isn't working.
Planning for industry is essential. Human needs are not being met.
Managerialism is inappropriate.
Managerialism is designed to increase efficiency and accountability in organisations. It uses mission statements to clarify goals. It uses Total Quality Management to make sure everyone involved, including the recipients of the services, are getting the quality they deserve. It uses planning techniques to make sure the objectives are realised.
These and other techniques can be quite useful in many aspects of our personal and organisational work.
But there are many problems with the way they are applied to the social service sector.
The mission is defined from above. They decide what needs to be done, and how. This changes us from grassroots community organisers into service providers.
There are lots of other problems.
The important part of much of what we do is hard to measure. For example, the Ozanam House for the homeless in Melbourne is filled with a sense of joy and love which is just as important as the meals it provides. More service agencies would be this way if our administrators got away from the mechanistic, managerial way of looking at the world.
The social environment we operate in cannot be defined in mechanical ways. People have different values and different perceptions of what is going on. Managerialism doesn't know about or use the techniques which help people in our situation develop an understanding of what's going on — techniques like action research, social ecology, use of intuition, use of drama and much more.
A well-documented campaign has started.
NCOSS has documented its arguments in a book called Beyond the Fog: the effects of public policy on NSW community services and how to shape future policy. It includes a survey of 473 community organisations, where the overwhelming response was that they were being forced to provide fewer services.
This technique of wrapping a campaign around a well-documented study is very effective. The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby has achieved heaps through its Streetwatch Report.
Uncommon alliances can achieve a lot.
A conspicuous example of this is the alliance between the farmers and the ACF to repair the damage we have done to the land.
Some businesses, such as the NRMA and Mayne Nickless, are approachable, especially if your idea is "sensible". The Rotary has lots of experts who can help, and even some money. Approaches to the government and politicians can be rewarding, especially if you do something more imaginative than going straight to the person at the top.
People did say it is important not to waste time on alliances that use of a clash of core values or other reasons.
There was a strong sense of solidarity among the wide variety of organisations invited to this conference, including the BWIU, St Vincent de Paul, the NSW Law Society and even the NSW Rugby League! We were united by the fact that we cared, in our differing ways, about the needs of those around us.
Community development.
The workshop I attended concluded that we should shift our focus from being service providers to being community developers. Another workshop came to the same conclusion.
Instead of chasing after and competing for diminishing funds, we can connect with the power that's out there in the community.