Managing client relationships in the public sector.

Abstract

Today we’re talking about trust and relationship management in the delivery of government services. That involves cooperation between government agencies and the community. How can we trust that the community will cooperate? Well that’s easy many might say - the law and the use of contracts, sanctions and audits ensures that we can trust others. The law allows us to trust others because we all know what is expected of us and we all know what will happen if we don’t do what is expected. The law is important but I suggest to you that this is a narrow view of trust – because the law, contracts, and monitoring are never perfect. We may be talking about control rather than trust. That is a rational view of trust, and it forgets something very important, something so basic we often don’t even realise it. And that is that trust is also relational – trust is the basis of our social relationships, not only with those we know personally, but with strangers and with government departments. I prefer Einstein’s view that cooperation is based primarily on trust and only then on reliance on the law. Trust is first and foremost a moral orientation or a social bond with others. Show more