In a discussion led by Tommi Laitio at the Nordic Capitals meeting, he emphasizes the importance of redefining the roles and skills of civil servants and local politicians to engage citizens more effectively in democracy. Key themes include the need for empathy, community involvement, and addressing 'wicked problems' through collaborative efforts. The document advocates for a shift from traditional governance to a model that prioritizes citizen-centric approaches and shared responsibilities.

1. What do civil servants
need citizens for?
Tommi Laitio
(@tommilaitio)
Executive Director, Culture and Leisure
City of Helsinki
Annual Meeting Of the Nordic Capitals In Helsinki
Open Cities – The Nordic Way: 16 - 17 February
2017
16.2.2017City of Helsinki

2. Tommi Laitio
• Head of cultural services, city
museum, art museum,
philharmonic, libraries, sports
and youth affairs.
• Leading the build-up for
Helsinki´s new local democracy
model
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3. Are you happy with
the state of
democracy in
Finland?
(Kansan arvot 2016)
51
53
43
45
2013 2014 2015 2016
Very or rather happy
Very or rather happy
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4. 16.2.2017 4City of Helsinki
Trust Ranking of Institutions
(Kansan arvot 2016)
1. Police
2. Education System
3. Health Care
4. Judicial System
5. Armed Forces
6. Finnish Companies
7. United Nations
8. NGOs
9. Trade Unions
10. Church
11. Parliament
12. EU
13. Government
14. Municipal Decisionmakers

5. Five drivers of change
in the ways cities
should be run
16.2.2017City of Helsinki

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1. US(s)
challenge
IT.

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2. People want
We and Me.

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3. Wicked
Problems

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4. Wellbeing
doesn´t motivate.
Freedom(s) do.

10. 5. Building
empathy
Tragedy of the commons is an
economic theory of a situation
within a shared-resource system
where individual users acting
independently according to their
own self-interest behave contrary
to the common good of all users
by depleting that resource
through their collective action.
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Power over
Power to
Power with
History

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Testing solutions
Defining the problem
Improving services
Creating efficiency (cost, quality)
Delegating responsibility
Mapping alternatives
Establishing trust
We need citizens for:

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Empathy
Commons

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We need less
factories and
more gardens.

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Civil servant
Local
politician
Citizen
Communities
Need to redefine skill sets, rights,
responsibilities and relationships

17. New skills for
civil servants
& politicians
• Being humbitious (humble yet
ambitious)
• More listening, less lecturing
• Goal-oriented wonder and
amazement
• Sense-making
• Controlling and managing
extreme emotions
• Digital interaction
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Tommi Laitio
Executive Director, Culture and Leisure
City of Helsinki
@tommilaitio
Tommi.laitio@hel.fi