World Book Day: Turning Pages into Good Services
Happy World Book Day! I might not be dressing up at work today but I am happy to highlight several books that have really impacted my approach and our transformation process at Adur & Worthing Councils. My top influential reads:
Digital Transformation at Scale: Why the Strategy Is Delivery
by Andrew Greenway, Ben Terrett, Mike Bracken, Tom Loosemore
This book is a wake-up call for organisations struggling to adapt to digital. It cuts through jargon and emphasises that real transformation comes from doing. The insights from the UK’s Government Digital Service (GDS) are invaluable, demonstrating how focusing on user needs and efficient delivery can lead to significant cost savings and improved services. At Adur & Worthing Councils, this has helped us prioritise action and move beyond just planning.
The Service Organization: How to Deliver and Lead Successful Services, Sustainably
by Kate Tarling
In today’s world, every organisation is a service organisation. I still don’t feel I have really been able to fully implement all the learning from Kate’s book. It has been instrumental in my knowledge to build sustainable service models however. It goes beyond just technology, focusing on the necessary organisational changes to deliver truly effective services. The emphasis on the customer and practical advice has helped us rethink how we operate and in future ensure our services are built to last.
Platformland: An Anatomy of Next-Generation Public Services
by Richard Pope
Richard’s book challenges the status quo of public sector digitisation. It has reinforced our work and the real potential of platform-based services and how they can create more connected and user-friendly experiences for our residents. It’s a reminder that digital transformation should be about more than just replicating existing services online; it’s about fundamentally rethinking how we deliver them.
Good Services: How to Design Services That Work
by Lou Downe
Designing truly “good” services is essential and this a real “must read”. Lou’s book lays out the core principles of service design, helping us ensure that our services are user-centered and truly meet the needs of our residents. It reinforces the importance of understanding what makes a service work (or not work) and provides a clear guide for practical application. It also just looks fantastic — the typography and colours jump.
Multiplied: How Digital Transformation Can Deliver More Impact for the Public Sector
by Ben Holliday
Ben’s book inspires us to think bigger and explore how digital transformation can amplify the impact of our work. The focus on people, teams, participation, and other “multipliers” provides a comprehensive framework for creating more effective and inclusive public services. The COVID-19 pandemic examples add a strong real-world context to the insights. We are still trying to deliver projects with the pace of Covid.
World Book Day is a great reminder that learning and knowledge are essential drivers of innovation. These books, among others, inspire us at Adur & Worthing Councils to continuously improve and deliver better services for our community.
Read more at simon.millier.uk
