Radical Reformers ep.116: Test, Learn and Grow with Nick Kimber, Director of Public Service Reform in Cabinet Office and the lead for the Test, Learn and Grow (TLG) Programme.

In the latest episode of Radical Reformers, I welcome Nick Kimber, Director of Public Service Reform in Cabinet Office and the lead for the Test, Learn and Grow (TLG) Programme. 

We all know the huge pressures public services currently face - and in this conversation we’re reminded that fast experimentation and learning can be more powerful than writing the perfect business plan.

We also discuss:

• What the TLG programme is - and isn’t (spoiler: it's not a digital change programme!)

• How starting small and testing in the real world can build evidence and confidence through iterative learning rather than long, linear, pre-determined pilots.

• The importance of working across departmental and organisational boundaries at all levels to close the gap between policy intent and achieving real change.

We finish with a call to action. The TLG programme, the Changing Futures programme, the place-based budget pilots will only have succeeded if they are catalysts for a broader and sustainable movement.

If you’re trying to deliver change in complex systems, this episode is one for you.

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