6. Governance rules and policies
To govern effectively, a community or organisation needs to be able to get things done and to be clear and transparent about how it gets things done—and that means it needs rules and policies. The members of the community or the organisation must agree to the rules. They must decide how to apply the rules and how to enforce them.
This chapter contains the following topics:
This chapter focuses on rules for organisations and informal groups, not the rules and laws of traditional Indigenous governance.
Also:
- Resource 6.1 What can we do?—Cultural legitimacy in governance rules and policies
- Resource 6.2 Check-up—Our governance policies and rules
- Resource 6.3 What can we do?—Steps to develop effective policies
- Resource 6.4 Template—A policy
- Resource 6.5 Tips—The benefits of having governance policies
- Resource 6.6 Quiz
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... groups need rules—both formal and informal—that regulate the behaviour and authority of individuals and groups. ... These rules cannot simply stay inside people’s heads. They must be plainly set out and hard to change, so that strong individuals cannot undermine them for their own personal or political interests. Mick Dodson and Diane Smith, Governance for sustainable development: Strategic issues and principles for Indigenous Australian Communities CAEPR Discussion Paper 250/2003 |
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