Guest blog by Tom Brauer, Justin D. Farley, Amber Pollock
In Wyoming, much like throughout the United States, communities lack access to revenue and control of the revenue-raising mechanisms needed to self-determine their future.
Over the past 12 weeks, The Wild Optimists have been immersed in the Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) course, where we’ve grown as a team and participated in the process of identifying and working towards solutions to a complex problem we are all impacted by in various way in our day-to-day work. This blog post will walk through the problem we focused on, the key learnings we’ve taken from the course, the progress and insights we achieved, and how we plan to apply these lessons moving forward. We’ll also share some words of wisdom for fellow PDIA practitioners who are on similar journeys.
At the beginning of this process, our team chose to tackle the problem of the lack of access to revenue and control of revenue-raising mechanisms in Wyoming municipalities. This issue is deeply entrenched in the state’s governance and affects the ability of communities to self-determine their future. Initially, we attributed the problem to the Dillon Rule—a legal framework that limits the power of local governments—but as we worked through the iterative process, we continued to refine our framing of the problem and eventually expanded our scope to include the management of federal funds and community approaches to self-taxation through ballot initiatives. Each of the members of our team interacts with municipal funding issues in some way through our jobs or by virtue of our roles as elected municipal officials. This was a problem that each of us had some baseline knowledge about and something we were all keenly interested in.
Through the PDIA process we employed to work on this problem our team learned a lot. Our key learnings fall into three main categories.
- The first is collaboration and teamwork. The structured team building elements of the approach such as the acts of kindness and the sharing of leadership responsibilities resulted in our team coming together very quickly around our shared interests and supporting each other in this process. It was remarkable to see what a notable impact these efforts to help our team bond had.
- The second key learning is about the iterative approach more generally which emphasizes the power of small but consistent progress and the importance of taking action to see what progress can be made. I think each of the members of the Wild Optimists have been frustrated at some point by the risk aversion we see in Wyoming, where a willingness to pilot programs, try new strategies, and pivot when something isn’t working quite right is hard to come by. The process also helps us understand the dual nature of the problem: it is both deeply entrenched in state policy and subject to dynamic shifts as the political and funding landscapes evolve. The fishbone diagram we created during the course helped us break down the problem into its root causes, providing a clear visual representation of the various factors at play.
- The third is the importance of making connections with others to build awareness of the problem and to expand our areas of influence. These conversations were fruitful and often acted as steppingstones to the next actions we took as a team.
Throughout the course, we made progress in understanding our problem and began to get to the point where we felt like we could begin addressing elements of it. One of the tangible outcomes was securing a meeting with the governor to discuss a potential solution involving a specific pot of money that could provide immediate relief. While this solution does not address the underlying systemic issues, it represents a step forward in mitigating some of the immediate challenges posed by Wyoming’s existing revenue structure. Additionally, we are working on analyzing the outcomes of recent ballot initiatives to understand what lessons can be learned for future efforts. This analysis is part of a broader effort to identify patterns and insights that could inform more effective revenue-raising strategies in the future.
The PDIA approach has changed how we will tackle problems in the future. The iterative process of breaking down problems into smaller parts, testing assumptions, and refining our approach will continue to be a cornerstone of our problem-solving methodology. This approach not only allows for more manageable progress but also ensures that we remain adaptable and responsive to new information and changing circumstances. Moving forward, we will continue to emphasize collaboration in our problem-solving efforts. The teamwork that was so crucial to our success in this course will remain a key aspect of how we approach future challenges.
We are already applying the PDIA principles in our ongoing work. For example, we plan to strategically expand our team to include additional members who can bring new perspectives and help us build momentum. We also intend to continue holding regular meetings focused on analyzing recent election results and understanding how different communities have approached revenue generation. Additionally, we plan to engage with key legislators to explore potential avenues for legislative change. Recognizing that a shift in leadership could open new opportunities for progress, we are positioning ourselves to be ready to pivot as needed. The adaptive nature of PDIA will be critical in these efforts, allowing us to remain flexible and responsive as the situation evolves.
For those new to the PDIA process, we offer this advice: The process does take some time. Understand this and lean into it from the beginning. The time commitment is worth it! Learning the process and exploring deeply the issue you are passionate about will change you for the better. Trust the staff. They are passionate and intelligent; they care! Think small; small steps can result in dramatic change and a deeper understanding of the issues. Listen without the intention of responding; just be present for the conversation.
The past 12 weeks have been a transformative experience for our team. We’ve gained new skills, deepened our understanding of complex problems, and built strong relationships that will support our work moving forward. We are grateful to our team members, instructors, and all those who have supported us on this journey. As we continue to apply PDIA principles in our work, we encourage others to explore this process and discover its potential for creating meaningful, sustainable change.
This is a blog series written by the alumni of the PDIA for Economic Development in Wyoming Program. 15 Participants successfully completed this hybrid program in August 2024. These are their learning journey stories.