Sunday, 7 June, 2020

NEWSLETTERS Q2 2020

Jamie Ounan

We believe that the best solutions are yet to be discovered and the best outcomes yet to be delivered. That is why we prepare organisations for change and help them implement it. We do this through an intimate understanding of their business, a relentless focus on delivery, the use of techniques that challenge the status quo and bridge traditional disciplines. We provide a range of services to public and private organisations including project and programme management, property consultancy, change management and strategy development and strategic advice. Contact us to discuss a project.

Sunday, 7 June, 2020

 

WHAT WE’RE SEEING AND WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO

Good things are emerging from this crisis. A new art of delivery is emerging. We are seeing the supremacy of logistics over strategy and the collective realisation that agility trumps linear thinking and gets better results than top-down control. We have seen fast action to help the vulnerable in the immediate responses stage. I also believe we are seeing the acceleration of a mindset change we have long promoted, and witnessed, in our most forward thinking Local Government clients.

 

What’s the evidence of this change? We have seen and been part of some extraordinary activities to set up community hubs that distribute provisions to the shielded in a matter of days when it would previously have taken months of preparation and decision-making. We have seen the rapid re-organisation of previously siloed teams. This is a level of collaboration which has previously been a stubborn challenge for managers all over the country. We have mined high frequency data and found creative ways to analyse the impacts of COVID19 on local economies, which you can read about here. The data has helped ensure sound decisions have been made at pace. We have also planned practical actions to re-open high streets safely when previously the regulatory machine would have said rejected plans. The best leaders will carry these lessons into the recovery phase with the same energy and determination.

 

WHAT WE’RE LEARNNG AND WATCHING

We love the NHS, learned that key workers are underpaid, but most crucially, the country has learned that our Local Government clients are really are the unsung heroes of the coronavirus response. Inner Circle’s #publicsectorthanks campaign was a nice idea from the team to show our genuine gratitude, long before the advertising agencies jumped on the bandwagon – well done team.

 

Lockdown has meant we’ve all become scholars out of necessity or forced reflection. Here are a couple of recommendations from Jamie, our Founding Director:

 

WHAT’S GOING ON

The team has kicked off our webinar series in partnership with The Voice of Authority. We have brought together perspectives from many of the people delivering real change. There is a lot of thinking being done and theories promoted, but we believe in prioritising logistics over strategy in the midst of this crisis, so the aim of our series is to give practical insights. You can see a recording of our first session and sign up to our second session here. Our forward plan includes how to help the creative and cultural industries recover and how to accelerate home building in all its forms. Definitely watch this space!