Better ideas, made together

Who It's For

Leaders driving public service innovation and co-design

Overview

Better public services are more often made with the people who use them than designed for them. Better ideas, made together explores design thinking, from the d.school and IDEO to the Design Council's Double Diamond, and why public sector and open innovation differ from the market. It covers co-design, experience-based co-design developed by Bate and Robert, and co-production from Ostrom and Cahn to Welsh law. Kirton's adaption innovation continuum helps teams value different problem solving styles, while AI strategy and policy show new tools starting from the problem. Human Learning Systems, measuring what matters and The Innovator's DNA help build a culture where new ideas land.

Aims

The aim is to help leaders drive public service innovation that is grounded in the experience of residents and staff, not imposed upon them. It develops the practice to co-design and co-produce well, the judgement to measure what genuinely matters, and the leadership to build a culture where new ideas are tested, valued and adopted.

In summary, you will be able to:

1. 1Explain how design thinking, co-design and co-production differ, and when each is the right approach to improving a public service.
2. 2Apply co-design and experience-based methods with service users and staff to frame problems and develop practical, tested ideas.
3. 3Lead a culture of innovation that values different problem solving styles, measures what matters and adapts in the light of what happens in practice.

What you'll develop

By the end of this Immerse, you will be able to:

1. 1Explain what makes design thinking human centred, empathy driven and non-linear, and compare the Double Diamond, d.school, IDEO and IBM models.
2. 2Describe the five discovery skills of associating, questioning, observing, experimenting and networking, and how a leader can model each one.
3. 3Distinguish consultation, design thinking, co-design and co-production, and apply McKercher's four principles and the Double Diamond to a co-design process.
4. 4Explain the origins of co-production in Ostrom's research and Cahn's core economy, and describe why reciprocity turns recipients into contributors.
5. 5Explain why an AI strategy should start with the problem and rest on data, people, governance and trust foundations.
6. 6Identify when the need itself is uncertain enough to call for design thinking rather than another technique.
7. 7Describe Kirton's Adaption Innovation continuum and distinguish what KAI measures from personality and learning style.
8. 8Explain how targets change behaviour, using Goodhart's law, Campbell's law and Bevan and Hood's ratchet, threshold and output distortion effects.