Over the past eight years, we have worked with public sector leaders who are trying to balance competing priorities and challenges in an increasingly complex landscape. Drawing on this experience, we have developed our ‘Balance Approach’ to public services. This is designed to help local authorities find a balance between the competing pressures of increasing demand, rising complexity and decreasing resources, while at the same time responding to wider system challenges.
Too many times we have seen public sector organisations planning change programmes designed in silos. While these solutions may help services solve a specific challenge, they can build pressure in other areas increasing the total load on the system. Balance seeks to challenge orthodox thinking and re-frame complex public service problems.
The first step is to ensure you are solving the right problem using the most appropriate tools at your disposal. To support you in this, we have developed the Balance Diagnostic tool. This is a self-assessment tool that helps public service leaders to understand their key challenges, the interplay between them, and to identify their strengths and weaknesses when responding to these challenges.
To complete the Balance Diagnostic tool and to hear about how you could use the Balance Approach, contact emmet@mutualventures.co.uk.