Leadership, governance, and systems change

Why it matters

Approval bottlenecks, diffuse responsibility, and unclear decision rights were named repeatedly. Systems change is leadership work with owners, not an event.

Questions to begin with

• Who has the authority to change this, and what do they need to decide?
• What is treated as immovable that is actually a choice?
• Where are equity commitments funded, staffed, and reviewed, and where are they only stated?
• How will leaders learn what is working without surveilling staff?

Work you can take forward

Make and record an equity-informed leadership decision

A decision record that names the equity questions considered, alternatives, owners, and the date the decision will be revisited.

Division and administration leadership · Program and policy staff

• Operational equity review canvas: eight steps for any decision — program page /library/ja-operational-equity-canvas
• Start from the work you are doing: role-aware entry points — program page /library/pn-role-aware-entry

Ask: What should a leadership decision record contain so equity considerations are visible later?

Build equity into a contract, grant, or procurement

Equity considerations in the solicitation, evaluation, and monitoring, with vendor diversity practice and accessibility requirements named.

Fiscal, contracts, and procurement · Program and policy staff

• Equity in contracts, grants, and procurement: where the questions belong — program page /library/ja-procurement-contract-equity

Ask: We are drafting a request for proposals. Where do equity and accessibility requirements belong?

Develop leaders and leadership pathways

Transparent pathways, sponsorship, and leadership learning that connect to the State's Emerging Leaders Institute and DHS practice.

Division and administration leadership · Supervisors and managers

• Mentoring, sponsorship, and reverse mentoring: three different things — program page /library/pn-mentoring-sponsorship
• State of Minnesota Emerging Leaders Institute — program page /library/ext-emerging-leaders-institute

Ask: How do we build leadership pathways that people can actually see and enter?

Tools and frameworks

• Tool card: GARE Racial Equity Toolkit — The Government Alliance on Race and Equity describes racial equity tools as structured ways to integrate explicit consideration of racial equity into decisions, policies, practices, programs, and budgets. Public. Permitted use: cite, link, adapt the method with attribution.
• Tool card: Minnesota Equity Analysis Toolkit — The State of Minnesota's official equity analysis toolkit, published by Minnesota Management and Budget, used with the DHS Equity Policy. Public. Permitted use: cite, link, follow. The policy owner determines when it is required.