Strategic Governance in Enfield

In March 2018, with strong community support, Enfield municipal officials began working the Center for Strategic Governance to adopt strategic governance as a way to help leaders and citizens envision and create a desired future for Enfield. While strategic governance can also be used by school systems, the initiative is focused on Enfield’s municipal government.

Strategic governance consists of two related ongoing efforts. The first has to do with engaging citizens and officials in deciding what matters most to their community and in envisioning a desired future in which those values and outcomes are attained and preserved. This is strategic thinking; it aims to help people decide what to achieve. 

The second involves managing efforts to make that vision a reality. It entails framing and managing strategic initiatives as well as the day-to-day efforts of running a municipality. This is operational governance; it focuses on how to achieve those desired outcomes.

Strategic governance enables communities to understand their past, envision their future, and manage the present as a way to get to the future they want. It is an ongoing process in which plans are refreshed annually to reflect changes that inevitably arise. It differs from more traditional planning because it: is data-driven, reinforces Enfield’s culture and values, links strategy with measurable outcomes, and is a repeatable process Enfield can do on its own.