wise words.

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.

by Natasha Dwane Introduction Sustainability has become part of all of our lives and far more than a buzz word for businesses. According to a UK survey, 85% of the public believe that living more sustainably is vital. As more individuals are becoming more conscious about their decisions as consumers and caring more about what [...]

There is no end of discussion and debate about the pros and cons of hybrid working. But one thing is certain, it’s here to stay in some form or other. We revisit some of the arguments in this piece written by our in-house psychologist Kim Wakelam, and offer some Top Tips for making hybrid working a success.

by John Curran John Curran was recently interviewed by techUK about his vision for the future of local public services and where digital can make a difference to people and society. The interview, published on the techUK website www.techUK.org, is below: TechUK: Welcome, John. Firstly, tell me more about you, your career, and how you [...]

by Andrew Muir Me too? Prime time documentaries on housing squalor. Thousands of negative comments on Twitter. Being called out by Michael Gove. Is this fair? Aren’t Social Housing providers supposed to be the good ones…? The poor quality, unacceptable living conditions and, in a few cases, the safety of some homes is the social [...]

by John de la Rue The ambition to join up services No-one would argue that joining up services across the public sector is a bad idea which is why it’s been an ambition of successive governments for decades - either to improve services to customers or save money (or, more usually, both). The recent spate [...]

by Kevin Gallagher Introduction All organisations thrive when they have great people focused on a clear purpose.  This is especially true in technology, which relies so much on teamwork and complementary skills to deliver real impact. Attracting and retaining the best people has been a challenge in the technology sector for as long as I [...]

by Kevin Gallagher There is no magic solution to dealing with the issues currently facing tech teams. There are, however, practical strategies that tech leaders can implement to move towards their goals, according to 4OC’s Digital and Technology Lead, Kevin Gallagher, formerly Digital Change Director at the Ministry of Justice and the CIO for Channel [...]

by Kevin Gallagher Introduction Ask CIOs and senior technology leaders what they want to be known for and their responses will revolve around ensuring that their organisation meets their strategic goals. Those goals will include providing better public services, increasing customer satisfaction, delivering digital products and giving their colleagues access to the data and insight [...]

AND Thinking shifts you away from the constraining perspective of right or wrong choices – towards an adaptive, experimental and learning approach, filled with possibilities and all defined by that simple word ‘And’.

Following COP26, which many have seen as a qualified success, Fran Hoey discusses the responsibility on organisations to do their bit and what 4OC can do to help structure making that change happen

by Catherine Cross The time is now... At 4OC, we’re a positive, friendly, and clever bunch that like to have a laugh. We pride ourselves on that. But it’s time to get serious. There is one subject area that we can no longer ignore. It demands all of our attention and action. The environmental crisis. [...]