Good governance? You know it when you see it!

Good governance is often talked about. But can be hard to define.

For many people, I think, the image of good governance is a well oiled machine with multiple parts interacting smoothly.

My mental picture is at bit different though. I think that they key to good governance is the ‘biting point’ - that slightly uncomfortable moment of friction when two viewpoints clash. It is the friction - rather than the smoothness - that is crucial.

There are always different interests in any organisation. In the NHS you can’t avoid the fact that the interests of staff and patients aren’t always aligned. In a commercial setting, there is clearly often a difference of interests between staff, management and owners. Charities too are full of competing interests.

It is not that any of these interests is more important than the others. They simply need to be managed. Sometimes that means someone standing up and dissenting from a consensus. Only when that happens can a way be found that brings all interests together. It is in those awkward, sometimes embarrassing interactions when you have to ask for something to be clarified, or ask someone to think again, that the real work is done.

The friction is creative. The key is not to avoid it, but to have an environment where it can be accommodated smoothly.

So don't worry if you sometimes have to stand out and stand up for something that is uncomfortable. That's just good governance in action.