Who is Accountable? Where does Power lie?

Something else that’s been on my mind recently has been the book, Power Where is it?, By Donald Savoie, and I‘ve been meaning to write on this for a while now, but in light of recent events surrounding the funding of Kairos, it seems like a good occasion to opine on the subject.

The title is a good starting point for looking into this and Savoie’s best argued point is that there is a confusion in the public, in the bureaucracy, and in the private sector about where Power lies today.
Part of this is seemingly deliberate in the case of The Minister of International Cooperation and her lack of transparency about who inserted the “not” in the briefing note, but also in the case of the Minister of Industry, and his overturning of CRTC decisions . Who in the end is making these decisions?

Savoie obviously has considerable access within the federal bureaucracy and has a good understanding of both its institutional design and its daily rhythms. Sometimes his points ring tellingly true, but his analysis seems to have a rose coloured glasses look. He points to an idyllic past and everything done today seems to come up short.

He writes for example that " The more diverse the purpose of an organization, the less it cna generate power and impose it externally and gain submission from within." and later, "Networks, however, can never be as effective and decisive as hierarchy..."

For me as someone who is interested in understanding the impact of web 2.0
technologies and the possibilities that collaborative technologies offer, his lack of understanding of the potential promise here is astounding. Obviously the boosters of web 2.0 like Clay Shirky and of their application to government like David Eaves and Nick Charney would begin by throwing out the Wikipedia example, followed by a number of other success stories, of the power of networks. While different, I think Savoie's analysis misses the mark here. There is potentially a lot of insight here available for those looking into potential solutions.

In talking to a group of public servants working on a collaborative project of the side of their desk however the difficult tension between the network model and the hierarchical model is evident. In fact I think that we need some elements of both if we are to move forward successful. Therefore my concern with Savoie’s take on this was not only that it flies in the face of the evidence, but it makes it that much harder to move forward. It truly showed his age and his backward looking lens. Rather than providing potential solutions, he laments the fact that we have moved on from his golden age of the 1960s.

Despite this significant criticism he offers valid points and points to the troubling role of the Clerk of the Privy Council, and what I see as the politicization of the role. I remember reading an account of the huge cuts to the federal public service in the 1990s, and the disappointment felt by some about the lack of anyone around the table willing to defend the public service. I know the stakes may not be as high, but I was disappointed that there did not seem to be any defence of the institution following the Census debacle last summer. I think an email sent to public servants to remind them of our role and the fact that we are valued, would have gone a long way in quelling the grumblings I saw.

The recent shocking revelations that a Deputy Minister could sign a document which would later be altered, points to an incredibly broken system. Who is accountable in such a situation?