Make things open, it makes things better: Overcoming leadership challenges in communication

“We should share what we’re doing whenever we can. With colleagues, with users, with the world. Share code, share designs, share ideas, share intentions, share failures. The more eyes there are on a service the better it gets — howlers are spotted, better alternatives are pointed out, the bar is raised.” – GOV.UK design principles

Across the world, governments are moving their work, their processes and their people into the open. The personalities of individual public servants, once subsumed into the monolithic voice of government, are emerging; they’re sharing their work, their wins, their failures and their learnings. This shift has aligned quite closely with the adoption of more digital and agile ways of working. In fact, a willingness to work in the open is considered a bellwether for government’s overall digital maturity.

Although the benefits of communicating more openly are clear — silos are broken, products are improved, users are brought into the process and opportunities for collaboration increase — building a more open and communicative culture can be a challenge in government.

This panel will help public sector executives understand common blockers to working in the open and how to overcome them. Three senior communicators from inside and adjacent to government will share their experiences, offer tangible strategies and practices for ‘showing the thing,’ and discuss tips for building communications teams that are less risk-averse and more opportunity-tolerant.

Who should attend? Executives looking to leverage communications and storytelling to empower product teams, connect with users, or build buy-in for digital projects.