@article{oai:icu.repo.nii.ac.jp:00000062,
 author = {Pratt, Richard and Nishio, Takashi},
 issue = {76},
 journal = {社会科学ジャーナル},
 month = {Sep},
 note = {This paper contends that Musashino Place is significant as an addition to its
community and an important example of innovation. This innovation promises
to improve the responsiveness of local governments in Japan and elsewhere,
while protecting accountability. The organizing concept is responsible flexibility.
The paper first summarizes the challenges that public organizations have
faced from advocates of market-based solutions and from cycles of fiscal crisis.
These challenges create dilemmas in balancing (1) order and flexibility and
(2) policy innovation and risk avoidance. Community libraries epitomize this
challenge for public organizations.
Musashino Place’s development is traced from the 1970s. Planning began
with land purchase in 1998. A 2003 report used the key word “Place” (Ba),
which continued as a key concept. When it opened in July 2011 the goal was
to address changes in contemporary Japanese society by seamlessly integrating
four functions to strengthen both individuals and community. This degree of
integration has not occurred anywhere in Japan.
The four functions are:
Providing diverse lifelong learning opportunities
Musashino Place and the Concept of Responsible Flexibility:
The Public Organization of the Future for Local Government?
Supporting and integrating citizen group activities
Engaging children and youth
Being a rich information source
Successfully integrating these has required innovation in both physical and
administrative design. We suggest that physically Musashino Place is like a
small village where someone makes rounds while having unplanned encounters
with interesting items and other community members.
Administrative innovation makes it possible to avoid the “compartmentalism”
common to similar organizations. This is accomplished by dividing its funding
stream. Some operating costs are covered like the Chuo and Kichijoji libraries,
but some personnel costs are funneled through the “Musashino Place Lifelong
Learning Foundation.” Those hired through the Foundation are not subject to the
rules applying to civil service employees. This additional flexibility is used to
support the core value of integration. It supports:
Greater cooperation across roles.
More discretion to support mission-related activities.
Staff discretion in rule enforcement to balance traditional and nontraditional
library activities.
Inclusion of sub-contractors to support the mission.
We contend that several factors support the creation of Musashino Place:
Vision and persistence by a core group.
Community openness to new ideas.
Clear advantages over other options.
Good timing.
Appropriate leadership.
Challenges face this experiment in responsible flexibility. These include
whether to introduce a fee system; maintaining a continuity of leadership;
and sustaining community support for an innovation that may not be adopted
elsewhere.
We conclude by suggesting measures of success. These include the work
conditions of non civil service employees; continuity of leadership; the degree
of workplace integration; misuses of flexibility; public support for Musashino
Place’s mission; measuring important outcomes; and whether this has been a
model for others. In the end we ask: Can this kind of innovation take us beyond
pre-occupations with efficiency and cost-cutting to improve the quality of life
and the satisfactions of community while making public organizations attractive
places to work?},
 pages = {25--54},
 title = {Musashino Place and the Concept of Responsible Flexibility: The Public Organization of the Future for Local Government?},
 year = {2013}
}