Breakthrough Designs

When creative approaches are sought, design is a more useful approach than analysis.   Creative problem solving requires a thorough challenge of the existing assumptions and an open process for designing new solutions.  This is not easily or naturally accomplished.  It usually requires some type of explicit format.

Design work often entails the following

  • A thorough challenge of the existing assumptions of the current system
  • A presentation and discussion of the current system’s strengths and opportunities for improvement
  • A presentation of reinventing ideas and theories from other locations
  • An open process for designing new service delivery alternatives.  We work first with design principles or “features,” then deepen the ideas using dyads or small groupings.

The product of this work is usually “to-be” designs for a new way to deliver services that produce better outcomes at less cost.

Check out this video of a design lab (this example was facilitated by The Public Strategies Group for the Bush Foundation and the University of Minnesota).

Examples of design Work

(Members performed this work while part of The Public Strategies Group)

“Performance Contracting - Outcomes for Kids”

illinois

In the mid 1990’s, the State of Illinois was in crisis and under court order for improving the protection of its children.  The usual approaches of lawsuits and more regulations had failed to improve the system.  In this design work, the leading actors from state government and the plaintiffs agreed to meet and develop desired outcomes and measures. A new strategy was designed to develop performance contracts with child protection providers based on those outcomes.  This work changed the incentives from "paying" to keep children in the system to "paying" for safe, more permanent homes.  This resulted in a dramatic improvement in the lives of Illinois children and was ultimately recognized as a winner in the Kennedy School Innovations in Government Award.

“Special Ed LEADs The way”

Oregon

The Oregon Secretary of State, under her performance audit authority, championed a Design Lab to “identify breakthrough ideas that will produce better results for children and youth ages 0-21 with diverse abilities.”  Over 60 stakeholders met to identify the outcomes they wanted from the special education system and to comment on what was working currently, and what was not.  Based on that input, designers met for 3 days and arrived at seven key ideas.  All the ideas emerged after one revelation:  “What if there was no Special Education system?  What if all children were educated according to their diverse abilities?”   The design that resulted was for one education system that meets the diverse needs of every learner regardless of their abilities.

“Minnesota Bottom Line” 

In 2009 Minnesota faced a huge budget deficit and politicians were seeing only two ways out – either raise taxes or dramatically cut services. Several Minnesota foundations came together to develop design ideas that could solve the budget crisis by producing the same or better results at less cost.  Redesigns of seven service delivery systems were developed to improve Minnesota’s bottom line— value for the dollar. The proposed designs promised improved results and $8 billion dollars less spending over the next two biennia.  In addition, new approaches to tax expenditures were designed to both increase accountability and save additional millions.  Legislative and executive action continues on these designs.  Similar redesigns were developed for Ohio, Vermont, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Iowa.

“Facilitating Compliance with Child Support Obligations”

Minnesota 

In the late 1990s, the Minnesota Child Support Enforcement Director asked for help to design new ways to improve compliance with payments of child support expected from non-custodial parents.  The new design rejected an underlying assumption that all non-custodial parents were “deadbeat dads” who needed more punishments.  Instead, the design was the first design in the nation to start from the non-custodial parent’s point of view.  It designed different systemic responses based on why non-custodial parents do or do not comply.  The Director says to this day that this design changed the national conversation around child support enforcement.

“My Life, My Choices”

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota

Looking at pending budget deficits, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSS) was concerned that people with disabilities would be especially vulnerable to budget cuts.  In the fall of 2010, they asked for a redesign of the delivery of services for people with disabilities in the state of Minnesota.  Key to this design work was a powerful challenge to an underlying assumption – that disability equaled inability.  Instead, using an assumption of differing levels of ability resulted in a design that provides a person with disability more independence and more choices – including choices that involve risk – and trades in expensive, often over-protective system components.  The design increased the value equation – i.e. from within the dollars available throughout today’s system of supports and oversight, it is helping more people live in community, with safety, dignity, and quality of life.   This design work won a Minnesota 2011 Public Policy Innovation award. 

“Property Tax Equity across New York State”

New York Office of Real Property SErvices

In 2000, the New York State Office of Real Property Services (NYORPS) utilized design to develop a five-to-seven year strategy for achieving and maintaining property tax equity across New York State.  The strategies developed reached way beyond traditional enforcement, including new incentives for meeting standards, built in peer accountability mechanisms, and public scorecards that let the public know about progress made toward equity.   Also, the strategy suggested making the costs of continued inequity painfully obvious to citizens.  Two years later, ORPS was recognized for its leadership in making the state’s real property taxation system in New York more visible, open, and less administratively confusing.  This award of achievement – the International Association of Assessing Officer’s International Property Tax Achievement Award – had never before been granted to a state property tax agency since the award’s inception.

“Behavioral Health Redesign”

Clackamas County Oregon, Board

In Clackamas County, the mental health and substance abuse program was serving only slightly more than 1% of its 380,000 residents, primarily from one site in this mostly rural county.  Research shows that 27% of people experience mental health problems every year and for the poor, it’s 40%.  The Clackamas County Board directed its Department of Human Services to look for better ways of meeting the critical needs of people with mental health and substance abuse issues, and increase access. A three-day Design Lab resulted in a redesigned system with these components -

  1. Public campaign for Health – increasing early self-awareness of symptoms
  2. More Front Doors – early detection and connection to physical health systems
  3. Knowing Thy Customer – targeting interventions by better identification of need, motivation, and availability of supports
  4. First Responders – reinforcing natural supports, including families and peers
  5. Right care, the First Time – decentralizing and integrating formal systems
  6. Health-e Clackamas – using tele-technologies to expand access, as well as self-care or medication management (with the county serving as an innovator in development)
  7. Performance drives it all – regular assessments of progress

Clackamas County is now well on the way to implementing this design, with the support of the Board of County Commissioners.

MINNESOTA EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

In 2009, eight foundations asked for help in creating an action plan for achieving a legislatively-adopted goal that all Minnesota children would enter school ready for kindergarten by 2020.  Via design, the foundations developed a new statewide accountability framework for achieving kindergarten readiness.  They also designed a leadership agenda for themselves, creating a common role for their efforts in supporting the kindergarten goal.  

“DEVELOPING MINNESOTA LEADERS”  

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

University of Minnesota President, Robert Bruinniks, used design to develop a new approach to leadership development in Minnesota.  Part of the new design involved development of “In Commons” - a virtual town square to bring leaders together with development services that support them.

“OREGON LEARNS” 

STATE OF OREGON

Oregon Governor Kitzhaber used a facilitated design process to develop a statewide strategy to overhaul of the state’s P-20 educational system.  The strategy revolves around three major system changes: a) A fully integrated learning pathway from birth through lifelong learning, replacing the siloed and unconnected educational systems of today; b) An outcome based approach to all education funding, replacing the current “seat time” approach to funding; and c) A gradual transition toward student centered, competency based movement as opposed to the traditional grade level approach.  Implementation began in 2011 and is fully underway.