wise words.

Steve Boyle, one of our Managing Consultants, reflects on how dyslexia has been an asset throughout his career, from critical care nursing to NHS management. He advocates for a holistic approach that uses the strengths of dyslexic thinking – creativity and problem-solving – to drive innovation and inclusivity in healthcare.

Championing our passion for inclusive co-design, Lydia Suffling invites us to consider the benefits of neurodiversity in bringing about powerful change. She also gives some hints and tips on how to support neurodiverse individuals to thrive. By Lydia Suffling

In our first post for Neurodiversity Week, Miki delves into her personal experience with receiving an ADHD diagnosis, shedding light on the unique challenges and strengths of women navigating neurodiversity in the workplace. Her story is a call to action for greater understanding and support, affirming the value of diverse minds in professional environments.

As key elections approach, the fusion of AI with democratic processes demands our attention and action. This thought piece examines the journey from the birth of social media to the advent of AI, emphasising that protecting the truth in our electoral system is more crucial now than ever.

In this article, Aislinn Gannon discusses the challenges faced by women in the digital sector in Ireland, including low representation in leadership roles and barriers such as gender bias and discreditation. Drawing on her own experience in the sector, she highlights initiatives and strategies to promote gender diversity and equality in the tech industry and the call for systemic changes to support and empower female leaders.

4OC is made up of lots of different teams, some of whom do the brilliant behind the scenes work we need to keep our shiny project work ticking along. Take a sneak peek at a day-in-the-life of one of our Business Support Coordinators, Patrick Overs.

Yasmin Wills invites us to embrace a warmer, more personal way of nurturing talent with ‘Thriving in the Era of Engagement.’ Discover a world where continuous feedback and growth go hand-in-hand, making every day at work an opportunity to learn, achieve, and shine together.

4OC came together with Connex, the Housing Leadership Network, and several housing leaders for a workshop on the need for and benefits of developing your people while delivering change. Facilitated by Catherine Cross and Paul Marray, the discussion focused on the need for organisations to invest in improving their teams’ capabilities in parallel to investing in new technologies. What everyone agreed was the importance of establishing effective change management, providing clear communications and developing talent to enable successful system implementations and organisational growth.

We finally all get together in Athlone, at the centre of Ireland, to talk strategy, operations, the size of the fish that Paul caught, magical healing powers and everything in between. We’re really excited about building up the company in Ireland.

by Geraldine Rynne Introduction 4OC were recently commissioned by the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) to co-develop with them a Digital and ICT Strategy in partnership with the 31 Local Authorities across Ireland. This strategic phase has a core aim to shape the future of local government by harnessing the power of technology and collaboration.  [...]

A short post about some of the things we get up to inside the organisation. One of our Strategic Aims is that 4OC is a great place to work, be and to stay as long as you so choose. Here we talk about some of the ways we do that. And that everyone has their part in it.

In our fast-paced working world, one thing we often don’t stop to consider is how we relate to the concept of ‘work’ – what is work, what should it look like, and how responsive should we be to cultural and contextual changes in the 21st century? 

A little tale about getting back to our roots and enjoying doing a little bit back in the community. This time, we talk about our sponsorship of a small GAA club in Monaghan and why we chose this village.

Bright Osemwegie, one of our project managers, discusses the concept of unconscious bias and microaggressions. He talks through how to deal with an example scenario and shares his thoughts on how to be best equipped to have the difficult conversations in situations where others may be put in an uncomfortable position.

One of our Senior Analysts, Amanda Medler, term of office as Chief Guide at Girlguiding comes to its conclusion today. This coincides with World Thinking Day, which has been celebrated by the movement as a day of international friendship since 1926. We’re proud to be joining in with thanking her for all she’s done for the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Here she shares her own thoughts on World Thinking Day.

Wilson highlights how to manage complex digital transformation through effective change management, involving people and culture. Co-design with operational teams can unlock workforce creativity and productivity. Clarity of vision is essential to ensure everyone is on the same page, while effective sponsorship ensures transformation aims stay on course and benefits are realised. He draws on a few case studies to demonstrate how these approaches can improve outcomes and aid digital transformation.

UK-based consultancy 4OC has launched in Ireland to provide public service transformation consultancy services, focusing on transport, health, housing, local government, and education. The company will work with government bodies to improve organisation, systems, efficiencies, and value. Fran Hoey will lead our Irish business.

While there is a clear value add from introducing technology to the public sector, uptake has been historically slow. Esteban Chinetti returns to share his perspective on how a digitalisation is analogous to a healthy routine, along with some suggestions for making it successful.

Transformational ideas require time and space to be developed and fostered. Ariel Dickson, a health savvy project lead at 4OC, offers up some suggestions for how you can identify the right people and enable them to birth and breed these Game Changing ideas.

With fierce operational challenges now the norm in health and care services, it’s hard to find the time and headspace to focus on improving value. Loretta Outhwaite, a former healthcare Chief Finance Officer, offers her top tips for bringing it into the centre of our thinking and making it a habit you won’t want to break.