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Confronting Contemporary Challenges
These events provide participants with a forum to hear and interact with leading speakers on significant challenges facing the APS, based on recently launched publications.
Tackling Wicked Problems
Successfully solving or at least managing wicked problems requires a reassessment of the traditional ways of working and solving problems in the Australian Public Service (APS). Listen and interact with Sean Rooney on this contemporary issue relevant to your work.
This event is the third of a four part series. The next event will focus on Building Better Governance and will be held in September 2008.
Programme overview
- The recently published Tackling Wicked Problems – A Public Policy Perspective encourages public service managers to reflect on how to tackle wicked problems and look for further ways to improve the capacity of the APS to deal effectively with the complex policy problems.
- Sean Rooney will present insights into the Sustainable Communities Initiative (SCI) ‘action learning’ program that brings together participants from across the public, private and civil society sectors, to work in partnership with communities to develop and deliver innovative solutions to community specific sustainability challenges and opportunities.
- Sustainability issues are characteristically complex and hard to define, affect multiple stakeholders, have many interlinked contributory factors and multiple frames of reference (economic, social, environmental and political) and go beyond the capacity of any one organisation to understand and respond to.
In short, they are what we know as ‘wicked problems’. This session would be of interest to Australian Public Service employees working on a range of complex issues including Public health issues, climate change, natural resource management and active welfare policies.
About the presenter
- Sean Rooney, is the Director of the Sustainable Communities Initiative (SCI) within CSIRO’s Division of Sustainable Ecosystems and was appointed to the position in July 2006.
- Through his work in CSIRO Sean has practical experience in working with organisations from across the public, private and NGO sectors, and in partnership with communities, addressing local sustainability issues.
- Sean’s professional background includes business and finance roles in CSIRO, national cultural institutions and the private sector. He has a Bachelor of Commerce from the Australian National University; a Masters of Business Administration from the Melbourne’s Business School; and recently completed post graduate studies at Cambridge University in the area of Cross-Sector Partnering for Sustainable Development.
- In addition to Sean’s CSIRO role he is a faculty member on Cambridge University’s Sustainable Development Leadership Program and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Griffith University (QLD).
- In 2006 Sean’s leadership in developing and implementing the SCI was recognised through being awarded a Future Summit Leadership Award.
Who should attend
EL 1-2
Upcoming events
Key speakers from APS agencies will pose thought provoking questions in this interactive series.
The Commission will be hosting a series of programme events on:
- 25 August 2008
Tackling wicked problems - a public policy perspective
Tackling complex public policy problems that cross organisational boundaries and where there are no simple solutions. - Date TBC
Building better governance
Embedding strong governance policies and practices within organisations. - 5 May 2008
Changing Behaviour-a public policy perspective
Working with citizens to change behaviour in key policy areas such as welfare, health, crime, employment, education and the environment.
Further information
For further information on ACT programmes go to www.apsc.gov.au/learn or Regional Programmes go to www.apsc.gov.au/regional or contact the Programme Manager at your local office:
- ACT 02 6202 3778
- NSW 02 8239 5300
- VIC/TAS 03 8610 1550
- SA/NT 08 8224 0955
- QLD 07 3004 0777
- WA 08 9226 1977
Terms and conditions
For cancellation and transfer terms and conditions please visit http://www.apsc.gov.au/learn/cancellation.htm.
