Are the ‘rebels with a cause’ actually preventing the very change they campaign for?

#relationalpublicservices — are the ‘rebels with a cause’ actually preventing the very change they campaign for? https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_provocation-relational-public-services-activity-7288194671233679361-l4yL provocation paper and Systems Innovation conference discussion

Are the ‘rebels with a cause’ actually preventing the very change they campaign for?

Join the conversation on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_provocation-relational-public-services-activity-7288194671233679361-l4yL

UK public services are in a crisis. The weird thing is, the answer seems clear.

Relational public services prove that when we really listen to citizens and enable people to help themselves, to work together, and to meet the needs of other people appropriately, we get better outcomes and lower costs.

But at the moment, the bigger trend is towards more centralised, legible, controlled silos focused on ‘efficiency of service delivery’. Why is this?

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In this provocation paper, I argue that relational public services are often limited by structural issues, misaligned incentives, leadership capability, and governance complexities. And that we, the advocates for relational public services, are actually part of the problem — the way we advocate actually locks in to the way the systems work, backfiring and reinforcing resistance.

I’m arguing that if we are going to shift from fragmented systems to sustainable relational approaches, we need to redesign governance, build incremental pathways, reshape professional roles, and embed relational practices. That means — not to be too Centrist Dad about it — we need to change our change management approach.

We know that barriers like siloed structures, short-term metrics, and centralised control stymie progress. Change depends on those who most rely on control mechanisms, predictability, and separation of decision-making from consequences.

So the most important thing we can do is to create the conditions where see relational public service as normal, necessary, and essential.

That means speaking their language — talking about control, assurance, accountability. It means services they can understand and direct. It means that activism, advocacy, and disruption become part of the problem. We need to see ourselves less as rebels and more as enablers to the architects of a new way of doing things.

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#LocalGov #devolution #leadership #innovation #PublicServices #SystemChange

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**Please give me your responses to the paper — commentable google doc via https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:ugcPost:7288194668645781504?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A%28ugcPost%3A7288194668645781504%2C7288194882978947072%29&dashCommentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_comment%3A%287288194882978947072%2Curn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7288194668645781504%29 **

There’s a second order question here too, that I’m aware of — am I replicating the problem? Am I blaming and polarising? Am I just asking those who are passionate about relational services to ‘just act differently’?

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And if you are interested, come to the Systems Innovation Public Sector conference on 14 February where I’ll be hosting a panel to discuss precisely this — responding to my paper. All links at https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:ugcPost:7288194668645781504?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A%28ugcPost%3A7288194668645781504%2C7288194882978947072%29&dashCommentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_comment%3A%287288194882978947072%2Curn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7288194668645781504%29