2020-11-18-the-Public-Service-Transformation-Academy-and-Redquadrant-the-adaptive-council-model-v0.2BT
This paper, authored and facilitated by Benjamin P. Taylor and produced by RedQuadrant in partnership with the Public Service Transformation Academy, records a May‑August 2020 learning community of about 120 public‑service practitioners that explored how local government could ‘build back better’ after the first COVID‑19 lockdown. It outlines the pandemic‑driven ‘COVID world’ – rapid innovation, gaps in data, funding pressures, rising mutualism, and shifting trust – and situates these within broader economic, environmental and social trends (gig‑economy growth, climate concerns, housing and care pressures, polarisation). The document details the strain on the public‑service workforce, emerging leadership, and the looming ‘perfect storm’ of 2021 structural changes (devolution, procurement reform, possible national care service, Brexit, estate reshaping, budget pressures, planning overhaul). From this context it argues that a single static council model is insufficient and surveys a dozen alternative future council typologies (place‑shaping, digital‑first, community‑first, merged, commercial, commissioning). It then proposes the “adaptive council” – a flexible operating model built on twelve capability/behavioural aspects (flexible employment, municipal entrepreneurialism, cross‑boundary collaboration, systems thinking, culture shaping, learning, citizen‑equal partnership, adult development, open governance, ethics, insight‑led understanding). The model is underpinned by a values‑driven vision ‘We are all citizens’, emphasizing equality, human relationships, collaborative power, a planet‑centric economy, and lifelong learning. The paper concludes with contact details, invitations to join the learning community, and links to related programmes, toolkits and reports.
Topics
Learning Community Genesis and COVID‑Era Context
Describes the formation of a 120‑person learning community during the first UK lockdown, its weekly online meetings, and its documentation in external media.
COVID‑World Challenges for Public Services
Analyzes how the pandemic ‘unfroze’ innovation, exposed data gaps, created funding shortfalls, sparked mutual aid, and heightened trust tensions between central and local government.
Economic, Environmental, and Social Drivers of Change
Outlines macro‑trends accelerated by COVID‑19: gig‑economy growth, digitalisation, climate awareness, housing and care costs, social polarisation, and a crisis of meaning.
Public‑Service Workforce Strain and Emerging Leadership
Highlights staff exhaustion, trauma, shifting employee expectations, and the emergence of new leaders shaped by the crisis.
The 2021 ‘Perfect Storm’ of Structural Risks
Lists imminent reforms and shocks (devolution, procurement overhaul, national care service, Brexit, estate reshaping, budget pressure, planning reform) and frames them as a turbulent, uncertain, novel, ambiguous environment.
Strategic Requirements for a New Council Operating Model
Synthesises the complex challenges into a set of demands: insight‑led decision‑making, digital acceleration, adaptability to complexity, equitable service models, cultural transformation, and employee transition support.
Survey of Emerging Council Futures
Reviews over a dozen proposed council archetypes (place‑shaping, digital‑first, community‑first, merged, commercial, commissioning) and argues for a flexible toolkit rather than a single static model.
Twelve Pillars of the Adaptive Council
Defines the core capabilities/behaviours required: flexible employment, municipal entrepreneurialism, cross‑boundary collaboration, systems thinking, culture shaping, reflective learning, citizen‑equal partnership, adult development focus, open governance, ethical outcomes, insight‑led understanding, and more.