Achieving lasting change in multi-organisational tasks

The case of flood warnings in Australia. Handmer, J., Keys, C. and Elliott, J. (1999), Applied Geography, 19, 179-97.

Guidelines for achieving change in the performance of a task are of little value unless they are actually adopted and used by both planning and operational staff. This suggests that success - or rather lasting improvement - is dependent on appropriate processes for guideline development. The processes would need to build broad based support for lasting cultural or institutional change. The authors were involved in a recent attempt to change the approach to flood warnings in Australia, through drawing up a set of "best practice" guidelines. This paper explores the background to change, the institutional context, the process of achieving agreement on, and building commitment for, the details of the changes, and the need for further continuous effort to ensure implementation of the changes on the ground.

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