How do we approach ‘unthinkable’ events?
The idea of ‘unthinkable’ events, that appear out of nowhere was explored in sessions with Nik Gowing and Chris Langdon.
On 29th January 2020 we hosted the National Leadership Forum, bringing together 400 public service leaders for discussions about how we are Working Together; as a system.
In the spirit of sharing the insights from the day, we have written blog posts describing the content of the discussions.
The idea of ‘unthinkable’ events, that appear out of nowhere was explored in sessions with Nik Gowing and Chris Langdon.
Nik and Chris spoke about our current environment and about how the structures that we once thought of as stable are changing and unravelling. They quoted the German Foreign Ministry (who they worked with in 2016) who said that we are now seeing an “end to tranquillity.” They also endorsed the morning’s Keynote speaker Doug Gurr who had stated that leaders need courage, humility and the ability to create safe spaces in order to address complex, systemic issues. Nik and Chris said; “We will have to take risks, accept some failure, and place emphasis on experimentation.”
In the afternoon, Chris cited a recent survey by Cambridge’s new Centre for the Future of Democracy showing that fewer than 50% of people in the UK believe in the current democracy; an unprecedented number. Nik and Chris asked whether one of the reasons for the lack of faith in the current democracy is that citizens can see that leaders are held back by ‘zombie orthodoxies’ a term coined by Geoff Mulgan (previous Chief Executive of the Innovation Foundation, Nesta) to describe outdated but still surviving policy and process, when they should be challenging the status quo.
How do you experiment safely?
Many ideas were discussed within the room, but the overarching feeling was that people wanted to experiment more but didn’t always feel safe in doing so. Some noted the idea that in public service “inaction has a low cost, whereas action has a high cost”, affecting perception of both themselves and their organisations.
Attendees noted that people in the private sector appeared to be much more willing to make ‘risky’ decisions, perhaps because their accountability structures were different to public servants. Public sector organisations are generally held accountable to more specialist or defined groups of shareholders and board members, whereas public sector organisations are held accountable to the public and parliament. But they agreed that innovation is needed in order to move the public sector forward and address these complex 21st century issues.
Leaders spoke about how this work is difficult; it can be hard to stand out, tell unpalatable truths or be seen as a ‘maverick’. As such, burnout and exhaustion are prevalent especially among the most dynamic, purpose-oriented people addressing these issues.
A clear theme seemed to be “let’s think about working more across systems, yes… but not forget the humans doing that work”. There was a general consensus in the afternoon session that staff need to feel supported in their decision making and that they can air their views in a ‘safe place’ where they won’t be met with judgement and immediate cries of failure. This then helps to bring forward new ideas that can start to change the way the system works.
Are there ways that we can quickly and simply change some of the language we use to describe people working on these issues to create a better working culture that welcomes challenge? For example, a maverick becomes a visionary… can simple changes to the language we use make it more welcoming for those who seek to interrogate our biggest problems?
During discussion within the room our delegates acknowledged that there is a willingness to work across systems but that sometimes this was dis-incentivised by the need to deliver within a set area, or that processes and systems imposed upon others can lead to a lack of collaboration. Attendees also mentioned that when running complex operational areas creating innovation or adapting our approaches can feel like less of a priority, especially when budget or resources are extremely tight.
The delegates in the session agreed that change is inevitable and that times are complex. However many examples were shared about where systems working is already established and working well already. A number of people in the room spoke about to their ability to thrive on working on these kinds of issues and enjoy working on the most complex problems. Leaders present talked about being hopeful and choosing to work on these challenges.
Let us know your thoughts on ‘unthinkable’ events or any other issues around leadership, systems working and collaboration in public services. Get in touch by email on NLC@CabinetOffice.gov.uk or by Twitter @NLC_HQ.
