A Complexity Case Study : The Implementation of an Interministerial Policy
Figure 3 . Hologrammatic dynamics of HiAP within Québec government .
coordination ): “ Often , when they ( employees ) work in a specific sector , they think about calling their own sector only .” Such a situation could reflect a gap in institutionalizing long-term change and the fragile state of modifications brought about , in part , by HiAP .
Overall it appears as a largely silo dynamic , where the whole system influences the parts . Such a situation is favored by a context where little visibility and incentives are designed for horizontal initiatives ( as HiAP is ): performance indicators are sectorial rather than cross-sectorial , professional time is directed to ministerial projects before cross-sectorial ones , and so forth .
aware and functional in current settings , while flagging and encouraging new limits for work . Here a capacity for communication seems essential .
Whether intergovernmental , or within a single ministry , HiAP requires connections and alignment among established actors , managers and professionals , and a sense of how to trigger structural changes favorable to HiAP . The theme , we label episodes of communication , highlights the importance of exchanging information , whether scientific or political , as well as how the information can / does / must circulate . We advise considering episodes of communication , especially the two-way direction of exchanges ( e . g . activities of a network of respondents ), external triggers ( e . g . requests from a fellow ministry for information for designing a brochure ), and inclusion of knowledge-exchange processes ( e . g . role description for
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