I WAS HIRED as an organizational consultant by the Rhode Island GOP to serve in the role of executive director from December 2005 to January of 2006. While understanding the components and dynamics of political organizations, I primarily consult with businesses, entrepreneurs and other organizations.

After reviewing the November elections, I suggest that the state’s Republican Party consider these steps to become competitive in ’08 and beyond:

Step One: The governor must take a strong leadership role in the re-organization of the party just as he did in his first two years in office.

His executive management skills, coupled with a high profile commitment to rebuild the party, would serve as a magnet to attract the type of talent and money necessary to activate and motivate the party. As it is in business, if your leadership can attract and energize talent and use that to help secure funding you are well on your way to building momentum and a new belief system among the team and the outside world. The governor is the best person to kick-start this process.

He is also the best person to initiate the effort to get the pro-Lincoln Chafee and the pro-Stephen Laffey people around the same table again.

Step Two: Recruit a chairman who understands the complexities of organizational design and the human dynamics that affect them.

He or she must be committed to building a sustainable organization that is non-personality driven and must be able to build bridges between the various factions within the party.

The new chairman must also keep ego in check in order to effectively deal with those who do not. He or she must be “high touch,” personable and a consensus builder.

This new chairman should not be a “blast from the past” or a divisive figure intent on punishing those who do not, or who have not pledged their undying personal support. He or she must be capable of creating and communicating a vision and rallying support. This new chairman must be committed to party building and not to personal empire building.

Step Three: Build the organization bi-directionally — from the top down and from the grass-roots level up.

The governor and the chairman should work as a team to engage and encourage the various committees and groups within the Rhode Island GOP, such as the Young Republicans, the Rhode Island Republican Assemblies, the Rhode Island Federation of Republican Women, the Log Cabin Republicans and the Minority Caucus. This is the “top down” component.

Then goals and objectives for the town committees should be established and the state party should offer guidance to support them. The town committees are crucial to grass-roots growth.

Energizing and connecting these groups will generate real momentum within the party. They should meet monthly, like division heads of a company, to dialogue with the governor and the new chairman and to keep aligned with defined goals.

Step Four: Build coalitions with taxpayer groups and other reform-minded organizations.

The Republicans should employ a similar strategy to that which the Democrats have pursued with the unions and their affiliates, such as WorkingRI. Without the power, money and volunteers from the unions, the Democratic Party would not be as powerful as it is. The Rhode Island GOP needs to duplicate that strategy and build alliances with reform groups. It is a brilliant strategy that has worked extremely well for both the Democrats and the unions.

Granted, the reform groups and the Rhode Island GOP cannot knit themselves together as tightly as unions and the Democratic Party, but they can create effective relationships and work together on issues important to them.

Step Five: Focus the resources.

The Rhode Island GOP should not try to compete for every General Assembly seat every year. I am reminded of the maxim: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

After spending 12 months implementing these strategies, the Rhode Island GOP will have maximized its resources and will have rejuvenated itself. It should then direct its energy toward winning targeted General Assembly seats and begin to prove to voters that Republicans can win.

Republicans could have gained 12 seats over the past two elections had there not been such a strong turnout for Kerry in ’04, and against the war and Bush in ’06. The races were so close that, had the Rhode Island GOP been able to focus more resources upon those candidates, they very well may have won.

Balanced government ensures competition, which forces debate. Debate hones good ideas into better ones. That is a benefit both to the parties and the people they serve.

With the staggering challenges we will all be facing in the coming decade, we simply must have access to the best minds from both parties or we will all suffer the consequences.

Jeffrey S. Deckman is a senior consultant with New Commons, a Providence-based think tank.