Responsive and Adaptive
Level:
Practising
Practising
Responsive to the Government of the day and works with agility in uncertain situations to improve the lives of people in New Zealand.
- Understands the policy process is iterative, and adjusts thinking and approach as required.
- Can challenge earlier assumptions or conclusions in light of new information.
- Makes sensible trade-offs between time, risk, quality and completeness.
- Is resilient in the face of change and can switch focus to new priorities.
70% on-the-job learning
- Regularly test your thinking with others, including the need to revisit the problem definition, or next steps in your policy development.
- When changing circumstances require you to adapt your plans, quickly reconsider your approach and brief relevant people accordingly.
- Apply lessons from one policy problem to another.
- Volunteer for roles that are new or challenging.
- Study ‘wicked’ policy problems, such as those where there may have been disagreement about key issues and where complex independencies exist.
- Experiment with new ideas to solve policy problems.
- Reflect on your achievements, what you’ve done well, and what you could do better.
- Be clear about what you can influence to get the outcomes you are seeking.
20% learning from others
- Attend workshops on unfamiliar topics and incorporate what you have learnt into your agency's approaches.
- Seek feedback from colleagues on how you deal with change, uncertainty or setbacks.
10% formal learning
- Talk to your manager about any formal learning opportunities available to you.
PDF version
Use the Development Pathways Tool
The Development Pathways Tool can help you identify how to develop your skills (or your team’s skills) to the next level of policy practice.
Explore the tool further by selecting the skill you wish to develop and by selecting the development level you want to achieve.