2026-06-25-TRIP26-Benjamin-Taylor-why-do-relational-public-services-fail-v1.0BT
The slide deck, authored and presented by Benjamin Taylor for the Cabinet Office Commissioning Academy and RedQuadrant partners, diagnoses why effective relational public services—those that centre on a person’s context and require flexible, judgement‑driven delivery—rarely become the norm despite numerous successful pilots. The presentation frames the issue as a systemic puzzle: good work exists, but scaling it is blocked by forces beyond day‑to‑day operations. Taylor maps four layers of the problem (service delivery, coordinating capability, governance ceiling, organisational defences) and illustrates a recurring “bubble” pattern where breakthrough work is named, gains attention, then collapses under demands for legibility, budgeting, and risk control. He contrasts vertical accountability (process‑centric, metric‑driven) with horizontal accountability (person‑centred, relational) and outlines a spectrum of service designs from standardised to relational. The deck explains why organisations resist change through the concepts of schismogenesis (splitting of frontline, advocates, managers, leaders) and the “palisade” (institutional norms protecting identity). Practical guidance includes governance on‑ramps, authorising discretion at the edge, building horizontal learning, and framing the economic value as a reduction in total effort (“volume under the curve”). Real‑world case snippets (e.g., intensive social care, orthotics, child sexual abuse reporting, various UK local authority pilots) illustrate both successes and the special circumstances that enable them. The presentation concludes with actionable tips to avoid naïve pitfalls, three strategic vanguard approaches, and a call for sustained coalition building.
Topics
The Relational Services Puzzle: Good Work That Fails to Normalize
Highlights the paradox of successful relational pilots that do not become standard practice, emphasizing that replication is not a simple, blank‑page process.
Four‑Level System Diagnosis: Service, Coordination, Governance Ceiling, Organisational Defences
Breaks down the problem into four layers, noting that most effort is spent on service delivery and coordination, while failure stems from governance limits and defensive organisational identities.
The Bubble Cycle: From Breakthrough to Collapse
Maps a recurring pattern where innovative work is named, forms a “bubble”, is pressured to scale/evidence, meets system legibility demands, and then collapses or hardens.
From Vertical to Horizontal Accountability: Redefining Value
Contrasts traditional vertical, process‑centric accountability with horizontal, person‑centred accountability that requires flexibility, judgement, and continuity.
Outcome Typologies of Relational Initiatives
Describes possible end‑states for relational work (bubble, stable bubble, integrated service, pooled whole‑system model, modular add‑on, incremental improvement, wedges/discs) and why the system pulls them back to familiar structures.
Schismogenesis: Predictable Forces Splitting Frontline, Advocates, Managers, and Leaders
Applies Barry Oshry’s power‑systems theory to show how different stakeholder groups react to relational change, leading to polarisation and defensive postures.
The Palisade Metaphor: Institutional Norms and Identity Defence
Uses the “palisade” image to explain how organisations protect what counts as work, evidence, authority, risk, and money, framing resistance as identity defence rather than project opposition.
Practical Strategies: Governance On‑ramps, Edge Discretion, and Horizontal Learning
Offers concrete actions—create governance entry points for leaders, authorise discretion at the service edge, and build real‑time horizontal learning systems—to counteract the systemic pullback.