Laura Bunt outlines Nesta’s new report the ‘Art of Exit’ – exploring the role of creative decommissioning in public services – and reflects on some of the key themes emerging from the launch event.
When Oslo's transport authorities wanted to design and implement a new transport system for Ruter, they knew that providing useful, legible information would be as critical as the lines themselves.
There’s a lot of social innovation going on. All over the world, citizens, governments, communities, NGOs are experimenting with new ways of responding to social issues.
Laura Bunt reflects on some of the key themes to emerge from the launch event for our new Compendium for the Civic Economy - a showcase of 25 trailblazing ideas that are transforming local places and economies across the UK.
How can the Big Society connect with communities and local places? We must learn from what’s already happening, and witness how the civic economy is flourishing across the UK.
A radical approach to localism is not just about scaling back bureaucracy and central control. Realising its potential means re-thinking the role of government at all levels, and actively developing the right tools and methods to structure activity. Will the localism bill deliver this?
If you take one thing away from this series, it’s the insight that the only way to make savings sustainably is to start from how services can be better, not from how to save money.
An important challenge now for chief executives and service leaders is how to create the right environment for radical innovation across the organisation, supported with the right balance of risk and reward. But this doesn’t mean creating an innovative culture for its own sake, but a culture where staff feel empowered and supported to affect change and adapt their own practice.
Look at your services through different eyes – where are you wasting resources that could help you be more effective?
There’s a perception of innovation as something that’s expensive, or only the task of experts. This doesn’t need to be the case. We’ve come across countless examples of innovation in public services driven by the staff who work in them using low-cost tools and speedy processes.
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