They are created through good stewardship, informed decision-making and collaboration between communities, organisations and governments.
My work helps strengthen decision-making at every geographical scale—from neighbourhoods through to nations—using two complementary applications of the Public Value Decision-Making System.
The ACoRN Model strengthens stewardship, resilience and community intelligence in suburbs and neighbourhoods.
Better Decisions, Better Outcomes (BDBO) strengthens the Think stage of governance, strategy and investment in districts, regions, cities and nations.
Together they help create stronger financial value, greater public value and better long-term outcomes.
Two Complementary Applications
Application one: Suburbs
The ACoRN Model
Thriving communities are built on more than good infrastructure. They depend on connected people, capable local organisations, effective collaboration and communities that actively contribute to the decisions that affect their future.
The ACoRN Model (Aotearoa Community Resilience Network) was developed after being identified as the best public value option by applying the Better Decisions, Better Outcomes (BDBO) framework with local leaders to identify the best public value option for strengthening community and disaster resilience.
The result was a Community and Disaster Resilience Model that brings together local organisations, volunteers and residents to build stronger, more connected and more resilient neighbourhoods.
The Newlands Community and Disaster Resilience Pilot is demonstrating how the ACoRN Model can be applied in practice. Working alongside residents, community organisations, schools, churches, businesses and partner agencies, the pilot is building community capability, strengthening community and disaster resilience, generating annual community intelligence and enabling the community to speak with one voice into decisions that affect its future. The pilot provides a practical demonstration of how coordinated community stewardship can improve both local decision-making and public value. Here is a link to the Newlands Website.
Application two: Districts, Regions, Cities and Nations
Better Decisions, Better Outcomes (BDBO)
Districts, regions, cities and nations face increasingly complex decisions about infrastructure, economic development, housing, climate adaptation, environmental stewardship and public investment.
The Better Decisions, Better Outcomes (BDBO) framework strengthens the Think stage of governance, strategy and investment before detailed planning begins.
Rather than replacing existing planning, business case or investment processes, BDBO improves the quality of thinking that informs them.
As illustrated below, BDBO provides a structured five-stage framework that helps decision-makers move from understanding complex challenges to identifying the right priorities before planning begins.
Better Thinking Before Better Planning
Applied during the Think stage of the Public Value Decision-Making System, BDBO helps leaders identify:
the right problems
the right opportunities
the right outcomes
the right public value
and therefore the right things to plan.
The framework strengthens decision-making before organisations invest significant time and resources in developing strategies, business cases, investment proposals and implementation plans.
By improving thinking at the beginning of the decision-making lifecycle, BDBO helps create stronger plans, more effective investments and better long-term outcomes.
