Insights from the Field is a new monthly newsletter written by Derek Alton, Head of Community for Apolitical, that captures key themes coming from conversations he is having with public servants all over the world.
Hi everyone, spring is well underway here in the UK; I am still getting used to seeing flowers in early March as my home town (Stouffville, Canada) is still under a foot of snow. For this edition of my ‘Insights from the Field’, I decided to take a different approach; instead of looking for general themes, I want to highlight specific insights inspired by conversations I have had with people worldwide. I wrap up with the exciting launch of our new Advisory Council on 21st Century Government, and opportunities for you to get involved with Apolitical.
Inspiring Conversations
Building an ecosystem for good policy delivery with Michael Wernick – Canada
I was excited to meet Michael. The last time we talked was in 2016, I had just started my journey with the government of Canada, and Michael was the Clerk of the Privy Council, the top public servant position in the government. We took the elevator together during my first week on the job, and he introduced me to his project to revitalise the public service called Blueprint 2020. This interaction made a lasting impression on me. Since that first interaction, much has changed for both of us, but we still share a deep passion for improving how governments work.
Our conversation covered many different topics, but the idea of building a healthy policy ecosystem was at the heart of it. Good policies come from lots of research and the lived experience of users. Like a business investing in Research and Development (R&D) to ensure its long-term success, governments need to invest in R&D for policy development. How R&D happens varies from country to country and is based on the core values of who is in power. Some governments want to develop this muscle in-house; others prefer outsourcing it to academic institutions, community groups and think tanks. Regardless of how you structure it, having a strong and vibrant policy ecosystem is essential for governments to have forward-thinking policies to underpin a prosperous society.
Food for thought: Where is the R&D happening for your policy area? The political landscape often changes, so play the long game by nurturing the whole ecosystem of policy development from in-house knowledge to external organisations.
The power of telling stories with Janine (Amber) McGruddy – New Zealand
I have been having fun reading through ‘Dear Minister: Letters from a Public Servant’ by Janine McGruddy – pen name Amber Guette. Seeing the similarities between her story and my experiences working in government is uncanny.
As a public servant in Canada, I often wanted to write directly to my minister to explain how things worked at my level and how they could help me improve government. Though technically possible, writing those letters would have been frowned upon by my superiors for jumping the hierarchy. So the half-written emails were left unsent. Janine’s book helped scratch this itch without fear of consequence.
It was, therefore, an absolute joy when I had a chance to meet the author and hear how she wrote the book and what is coming next (hint, book two). We discussed how important it is for public servants to share their stories. Through this, we feel validated in our experiences and can identify common problems and work towards solutions.
Food for thought: Public servants are fascinating but often hidden and misunderstood, even by themselves. One of the things that Janine highlighted was how often public servants thought their experiences and challenges were unique and how gratifying (though often upsetting) it was to see they weren’t alone. This hidden isolating experience allows toxic behaviour to develop and flourish to the detriment of those involved and all of society, which makes finding ways to tell these stories all the more critical. Where would you go to share your story? How can Apolitical help?
Building a movement for public service innovation with Jeffrey Allen – UK
It was a great joy when Jeff Allen came and visited us at the Apolitical office. (We love when members of our community visit us at our London office. Interested? Email me.) By day, Jeff works as a lead service designer for the UK Ministry of Justice, and by night he passionately works to connect people working to help make government work better for people and the planet — my kind of person.
We discussed how incredible public servants worldwide are actively pushing to improve government. This work is hard and sometimes lonely, so we both agreed on how vital it is to have a community of support. Jeff pointed out that a foundational way to do this is to convene and hold space for the community.
Groups like OneTeamGov have formed to fulfil these roles, but most are run by volunteers and struggle with having a consistent and reliable presence. We need a backbone organisation to be sustainable support for the community. I believe Apolitical can be this organisation, which is why I am here.
Food for thought: Creating change is hard and tiring; you are constantly pushing against the current. Critical to sustaining yourself is having a safe harbour that you can visit to get refilled and rejuvenated. A place with supportive friends to cheer you on and help you solve problems or be a shoulder to lean on. Where is your safe harbour?
Our exciting announcement!
We just launched our 21st Century Government Advisory Council.
This group will help us stay plugged into leading ideas and practices in government worldwide. For me there are four people in particular from the council that have inspired me in the work that I do:
During my university days, I became obsessed with questions about how to foster government transformation. To feed this curiosity, I did a deep dive into social innovation. Christian Bason and his work with MindLab became my template for how to apply this work to governments. Though the effectiveness of labs in creating and sustaining transformational change in government has been chequered, over the years, they have served as an incredible incubator for a new generation of ideas and public servants to implement them.
I remember my first meeting with Pia at an Ottawa Civic Tech event before the first FWD50 conference. I had never heard a public servant speak with such passion and clarity of vision for a better way of doing government. I was inspired. Her Pia Review blog series should be mandatory reading for anyone interested in where the public service should go next. I recommend you follow her on Twitter for a steady flow of great ideas.
Estonia has been a shining light in digital government transformation for decades. And though Estonia’s success is partly due to the unique context of Estonia itself, what they have been able to do with this can serve as an inspiration to countries around the world. One of the most important things they do is to allow the majority of what they have built to be freely and openly available for duplication, including their insights and platforms. Siim has been at the heart of this transformation for over a decade, inspiring many like myself. What I like most about Siim is his openness to connecting and sharing what he has learned with others, including myself.
I bumped into Tamara at last year's Code for America Summit just before I started with Apolitical. Our first conversation was exhilarating, focusing on how we could turn the country of Montenegro into a petri dish for innovative practices in government. Tamara’s vision, though, was more extensive than that. She asked how we could expand this innovation to all the Baltic states. Since then, Tamara has become one of my favourite people to dream big dreams with. She is constantly pushing me to think bigger and be more ambitious.
Join the conversation
I host monthly meet-ups for public servants interested in helping to improve government. These offer a chance to connect with peers, share ideas and troubleshoot challenges. Please reach out if you want to join: Derek.Alton@apolitical.co.
Warm Regards,
Derek
Make sure to share your own thoughts with the author by leaving a comment below
Log in or sign up to continue the conversation