Governance arrangements often work well when conditions are stable. The challenge comes when circumstances shift and decisions need to be made quickly, with incomplete information.
Adaptive governance recognises that not every situation can be managed through detailed control. It combines clear purpose with structures that allow judgement. When people understand what matters most and why, they are better placed to make decisions on the ground while remaining aligned with the broader direction.
In practice, this might involve treating plans as working documents rather than fixed instructions. Community response plans can be reviewed after each event. Contact lists and coordination roles can be updated as circumstances change. Leadership may shift depending on who is available and what the situation requires.
Feedback plays a central role. Regular debriefs, open communication and honest reflection allow governance arrangements to evolve over time. Without this, structures that were once helpful can become rigid.
Adaptive governance does not remove the need for clarity. Shared principles and defined responsibilities still matter. The difference lies in allowing decision-making to adjust as conditions change, rather than assuming the original plan will hold.
Something to chew on:
Where in your governance arrangements would clearer purpose and greater flexibility improve how decisions are made under pressure?
Resilience Bites offers weekly insights from the Australian Resilience Centre, drawn from decades of work alongside communities across Australia and internationally. Each Bite explores an aspect of resilience and closes with a reflective question to chew on.
Across the series we'll explore themes that shape resilience in practice, including place, patterns, networks, leadership, learning, feedbacks, thresholds and the deeper work of change.
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