A reading list on, “What could the role of government and public services could look like (in the 21st century and beyond)?”

I asked a question. Twitter responded. Loveliness ensued.

Image: “Thank you for noticing this notice. Your noting has been noted.”

A list of all the things lovely people on Twitter recommended to read

Question: I’m going to be doing some reading on what the role of government and public services could look like (in the 21st century and beyond). Particularly different ways of thinking about transformation, reimagination, and redesign. I welcome all and any suggestions!

Videos

• Human Learning Systems — Public Service for the Real World by Centre for Public Impact

• COVID-19, complexity leadership and spread of innovation by Professor Mary Uhl-Bien (see also: How to master the art of creating ‘Adaptive Spaces)

• How to master the art of creating ‘Adaptive Spaces by Professor Mary Uhl-Bien
• Radical Help by Hilary Cottam

• Our Loss of Wisdom by Barry Schwartz at TED Talks
• How to Citizen with Baratunde Podcast by Baratunde Thurston

Episodes | How to Citizen

• Three Horizons Framework — a quick introduction by Kate Raworth
• The Cynefin Framework by Dave Snowden

Blog Posts (and Reports!)

• If you could change just one thing: hacking the policy system by Kate Josephs at Sheffield City Council
• Reimagining government in Australia and New Zealand: what we’re learning by Centre for Public Impact

Reimagining government in Australia and New Zealand: what we're learning

• A Vision for Better Government by Adrian Brown at Centre for Public Impact
• Certainty artefacts: the constructs we create to make sense of the world by Thea Snow

Certainty artefacts: the constructs we create to make sense of the world

• The (il)logic of legibility: why governments should stop simplifying complex systems by Thea Snow at Centre for Public Impact
• Networks, Serendipity and the flow of ideas by Emily Webber

Networks, Serendipity and the flow of ideas — Emily Webber

• Leading in Uncertain Times by Sahana Chattopadhyay
• Our approach — In With Forward by @inwithforward

Our approach — InWithForward

• Coherence and ‘truth’ by Dave Snowden at Cognitive Edge
• The Uluru Statement from the Heart by @fromtheheartau

The Statement - A Voice to Parliament - From The Heart

• The Think Tank Storytelling Series — Part 1 by Aidan Muller at @castfromclay
• The Necessity of a Boring Revolution by Indy Johar at Dark Matter Labs

The Necessity of a Boring Revolution

• Problematizing Scale in the Social Sector (1): Expanding Conceptions by @inwithforward
• Exploring the new world: practical insights for funding, commissioning and managing in complexity by Collaborate CIC

Exploring the new world: practical insights for funding, commissioning and managing in complexity

• Innovation Portfolio Sensemaking and Management Workshop by @SitraFund
• From design thinking to systems change by Rowan Conway, Jeff Masters, and Jake Thorold at The RSA (see also: What does systems change mean in 2020?)

From design thinking to systems change

• The Public Sector Pia Review and The Pia Review — 20 years in 20 slides by Pia Andrews
• Introducing a ‘Government as a System’ toolkit by Dr Andrea Cooper at UK Civil Service

Introducing a 'Government as a System' toolkit

• Designing better future to better inform the present and A quick reflection on digital for posterity by Pia Andrews
• Rethinking the social contract in the post-pandemic world by Demos Helsinki

Rethinking the social contract in the post-pandemic world - Demos Helsinki

• Making A Big Difference, From The Back Office by Dave Conabree
• See the future. Act now by the The RSA

See the future. Act now.

• Reading list contributions, The adaptive council, and The days after: are we learning? by Red Quadrant and the Public Service Transformation Academy
• Designing Responsible Technology by Aly Blenkin at We are Snook

Designing Responsible Technology:

• Resources for applying a systems lens to your work by Aly Blenkin at We are Snook
• Visibility of the work and its possibilities by Cassie Robinson.

Visibility of the work and its possibilities.

• 7 Implications of seeing organisations as complex systems by Sonja Blignaut

7 implications of seeing organisations as complex systems

• 7 Differences between complex and complicated by Sonja Blignaut
• Ten Lessons from Covid for the Decade of Transformation Ahead by Otto Scharmer

Ten Lessons from Covid for the Decade of Transformation Ahead

• An optimistic future by Pia Andrews
• True Transformation Isn’t Top-Down Or Bottom-Up, But Side-To-Side by Greg Satell

True Transformation Isn’t Top-Down Or Bottom-Up, But Side-To-Side

• Devolve, redirect, democratise: The future of local economic development in the UK by @CLESthinkdo
• New Deep Narratives: we need new stories of what it means to be human by Phoebe Tickell

New Deep Narratives: we need new stories of what it means to be human

• Guaranteed Income for the 21st Century: A Proposal with Promise by Ed Dolan at Niskanen Center
• What does it take to transform a place? by Innovation Unit

What does it take to transform a place? | Innovation Unit | creating impact - reducing inequalities…

• In which purpose demolishes culture while culture is distracted eating strategy by Catherine Howe
• Systems change in local government: learning from COVID-19 by Nesta (see also: Resources on partnerships and working across boundaries)

Systems change in local government: learning from COVID-19

• Bridging the Gap: Infrastructuring Tomorrow. by Dark Matter Labs
• The Water of Systems Change by FSG

The Water of Systems Change

• What is Submerging? by Nora Bateson
• Innovating in Complexity (Part II): From Single-Point Solutions to Directional Systems Innovation by Dominic Hofstetter

Innovating in Complexity (Part II): From Single-Point Solutions to Directional Systems Innovation

• Governance — the overlooked route to transformation: How can we best organise for change? by Louise Armstrong
• Competency Framework for experimental problem solving by Jesper Christiansen at States of Change

Competency Framework for experimental problem solving | States of Change

• The Community Paradigm: Why public services need radical change and how it can be achieved by New Local
• Upstream Collaborative by Nesta

Upstream Collaborative

• Numerous contributions by Benjamin P. Taylor

What could the role of government and public services look like in the 21st Century and beyond?

Books

• Human Learning Systems — Public Service for the Real World by Centre for Public Impact, Collaborate CIC, and others

Human Learning Systems — Public Service for the Real World

• Systems Convening Handbook by Professor Mary Uhl-Bien and Etienne Wenger-Trayner
• Brave New Work by Aaron Dignan

Brave New Work

• Team of Teams by Stanley McChrystal at McChrystal Group
• The Democracy Project by David Graeber

The Democracy Project

• Transforming Relationships for High Performance: The Power of Relational Coordination by @jodyhoffergit
• Head Hand Heart by @David_Goodhart

Head Hand Heart

• We Are Not Users by Eswaran Subrahmanian, Yoram Reich and Sruthi Krishnan
• The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker

Book - Priya Parker

• Good Data: An Optimist’s Guide to Our Digital Future by Sam Gilbert
• How Should a Government Be? The New Levers of State Power by Professor Jaideep Prabhu

How Should A Government Be?

Articles

• Complexity Leadership Theory: Shifting from Human Capital to Social Capital by Professor Mary Uhl-Bien
• When does an issue trigger change in a field? by S. Furnari
• Smarter policymaking through improved collective cognition? by Anders Sandberg

I will continue to add to the reading list as lovely people contribute their thoughts.

Please let me know if I have missed anything, I’m always looking to update the list of resources.

Happy reading!

Nour Sidawi