Understanding Human Learning Systems
Human Learning Systems is a framework for innovation teams to lead, design and operate the transformation towards relational public services. It shows us how to redesign services, that creates the right support to enable people to live well, whilst also reducing the resources that are needed to do this. This site is designed to help you to explore, understand, implement and practice Human Learning Systems through resources, examples, and case studies.
What are Human Learning Systems?
Human Learning Systems (HLS) moves public services delivery away from an internal legislative focus, to a design around citizens needs, helping us to develop new relational ways of designing and working. It engages with localities and communities, by being inherently collaborative and needs led. It shifts our focus from delivering individual services, to integrated working.
Human Learning Systems brings with it better ways to design services that create better outcomes with staff for citizens. It guides front line staff to co-design solutions that ensures that the complex nature of peoples real needs and what is going on in their lives and communities, becomes an inherent part of service delivery.
In summary, HLS is systemic, it shifts not just the front line, but also the way we see how to design with the whole public and voluntary sector.
Human Learning Systems brings with it better ways to design services that create better outcomes with staff for citizens. It guides front line staff to co-design solutions that ensures that the complex nature of peoples real needs and what is going on in their lives and communities, becomes an inherent part of service delivery.
In summary, HLS is systemic, it shifts not just the front line, but also the way we see how to design with the whole public and voluntary sector.
Implementing human learning systems
Part of its strength is local. We often view communities as places where public services and health need to do something - to provide support, to spend resources 'fixing'. The reality is that our communities, if we allow them to thrive, become places that create support, that allow for people to build up their ability to stand on their feet. So when you look at case studies here and the work that we do, it is about bringing communities and the people within them back into a place that they could and should be.
Why should we use Human Learning Systems?
Today, we know the outcome of austerity and designing individual services according to the principles of New Public Management. We understand far more about complexity and designing services than we did 15 years ago. And we can see what has happened to our services, communities and health over three decades:
- Austerity has created huge resourcing problems, forcing us to focus on short term activities.
- Prevention has been sacrificed as costs have been cut.
- Demand has risen.
- Citizens become poorer, and the divide in society widens.
- Community cohesion and voluntary groups has suffered.
- Seemingly quick fixes like digital service design do not change the underlying causes.
We now know, that the way we have designed the public sector today is driving increases in cost and demand . Here in the UK it is failing us from an efficiency, and citizen outcome perspective. We need something new and Human Learning Systems is a proven approach with robust examples that work.
HLS is more than supporting communities. It is a shift in thinking. It gives us a path for public sector reform.
We often view communities as places where public services and health need to do something - to provide support, to spend resources 'fixing'. The reality is that our communities, if we allow them to thrive, become places that create healing, that support, that allow for people to build up their ability to stand on their feet. So when you look at case studies here and the work that we do, it is about bringing communities and the people within them back into a place that they could and should be.
HLS is more than supporting communities. It is a shift in thinking. It gives us a path for public sector reform.
We often view communities as places where public services and health need to do something - to provide support, to spend resources 'fixing'. The reality is that our communities, if we allow them to thrive, become places that create healing, that support, that allow for people to build up their ability to stand on their feet. So when you look at case studies here and the work that we do, it is about bringing communities and the people within them back into a place that they could and should be.
How to do human learning systems
We have been working with these principles and approach now for over 20 years, having redesigned every type of local government service. We have seen how Human Learning Systems works, its impact, and its ability to reduce cost and demand.
When we apply a test and learn implementation method and bring our experience, to enable the bigger picture of change and transformation to occur. We help by;
- Each local authority service is different and needs different approaches.
- We can help you to decide how much transformation depth of change is best?
- How do you start, who is involved and how do we actually create the team?
- What is the plan for change, and how do we ensure the right direction, measure how well we are doing, what we are learning and the next steps to make this scaleable?
- How to lead this change.
Undertaking such change is complex. Below is a graphic that shows the various parts of a change methodology that we have built up. Each element is necessary.
Human Learning Systems elements
John Mortimer is part of a core collective that have pulled together the these concepts, and resources. On the Human Learning Systems website there are a collection of case studies, of which two are examples that we have led.
How we can help you
We are experts in transformation and reform. Redesigning services.
We are often asked to support organisations in two ways;
- we can directly partner to help you to do this,
- we can help your internal consultants do this for themselves through workshops and virtual mentoring.
The expertise that we have gained helps you to avoid the significant issues and problems associated with such implementation, and boost your internal capability to do this yourselves. With this type of complex change, we have found that those that have struggled to do this are far more common than those that have succeeded.
We have led or participated in:
- 5 locality hubs.
- 2 health and social care prototypes
- 29 service redesigns
We are often asked to support organisations in two ways;
- we can directly partner to help you to do this,
- we can help your internal consultants do this for themselves through workshops and virtual mentoring.
The expertise that we have gained helps you to avoid the significant issues and problems associated with such implementation, and boost your internal capability to do this yourselves. With this type of complex change, we have found that those that have struggled to do this are far more common than those that have succeeded.
We have led or participated in:
- 5 locality hubs.
- 2 health and social care prototypes
- 29 service redesigns
Human Learning Systems workshops, examples and resources
If you are looking to implement HLS in your organisation, we have created a workshop that is designed to help your internal consultants gain key methods, and learn from our expertise how to do this themselves. We can follow this up with virtual mentoring and guidance.
We have examples of practice from our work.
Other locality based work from the report 'Saving money by doing the right thing', are good examples. The Liberated Services report by Demos brings some of this together in a coherent whole.
And up to 80 examples of Human Learning Systems on the HLS website.
Details of the Human Learning Systems principles & concepts
This table highlights the shift from traditional to Human Learning Systems principles.
human learning systems principles
Let's start with the belief that public exists to enable each person to live a good life. To do this, we believe that public service must embrace the complex reality of what it is like to live in our communities today. This means we understand what it is to be human, continuously learning and nurturing healthy systems.
BEING HUMAN
This refers to creating the conditions in which people can thrive. This means understanding the variety of needs of citizens, understanding their issues, and working with people’s and community strengths.
It also means designing services allowing staff to adapt to deal with and make the right decisions for the variety of peoples needs. And it allows for unhindered collaboration across disciplines.
New management competencies support teams to develop people to make decisions to be made close to the work.
CONTINUOUSLY LEARNING
When working in complex environments staff are required to work together to support and learn from each other.
When designing services, the optimal design is derived through an on-going process of testing, learning and adaptation.
This means using measures to learn rather than control. Continuous learning means creating reflective practice environments between and across peer groups. Learning becomes a management strategy.
SYSTEMS
Systems thinking contain a series of ways of seeing how work should truly glow, horizontally across the public sector. It contains concepts and techniques that help us to understand our services shifting from mechanistic services thinking, to the public sector as a whole system. Flows that create value, rather than designing individual fragmented parts.
It is a powerful way of reframing our organisations, strategy and decision-making, moving away from New Public Management.
MISSION
The reform of public services requires a shift to an outside-in perspective of a public mission driven or mission oriented public sector. This is central to this work through a focus on purpose and what matters to people and their communities.
BEING HUMAN
This refers to creating the conditions in which people can thrive. This means understanding the variety of needs of citizens, understanding their issues, and working with people’s and community strengths.
It also means designing services allowing staff to adapt to deal with and make the right decisions for the variety of peoples needs. And it allows for unhindered collaboration across disciplines.
New management competencies support teams to develop people to make decisions to be made close to the work.
CONTINUOUSLY LEARNING
When working in complex environments staff are required to work together to support and learn from each other.
When designing services, the optimal design is derived through an on-going process of testing, learning and adaptation.
This means using measures to learn rather than control. Continuous learning means creating reflective practice environments between and across peer groups. Learning becomes a management strategy.
SYSTEMS
Systems thinking contain a series of ways of seeing how work should truly glow, horizontally across the public sector. It contains concepts and techniques that help us to understand our services shifting from mechanistic services thinking, to the public sector as a whole system. Flows that create value, rather than designing individual fragmented parts.
It is a powerful way of reframing our organisations, strategy and decision-making, moving away from New Public Management.
MISSION
The reform of public services requires a shift to an outside-in perspective of a public mission driven or mission oriented public sector. This is central to this work through a focus on purpose and what matters to people and their communities.
To learn more about this approach
John Mortimer is part of a core collective that have pulled together the Human Learning Systems concepts, and created the materials. If you would like to find out more this is the free book that has been published and explore all the main elements. Public service for the real world.