Relational public service, test & learn methods and practice workshop course
After waiting for some decades the public sector is finally ready to 'rewire the state' through devolution. Starting and ending around Place.
This is a practice based workshop that will help you in designing ways of working that integrate services based on a relational 'test and learn' approach underpinned by Human Learning Systems. You will learn how devolution can point local government and health to mobilise itself to work with people at a local level, allowing people to decide where and how to begin their journey back into balance. It is less about 'delivering services', and more about understanding and working with people to help them to get back in control of their lives. A way of applying test, learn and grow concepts into practice.
test and learn workshop
Workshop learning objectives
- Learn how to apply relational working practices.
- Apply 'test & learn' approaches.
- Develop new ways of understanding citizens/ customers, that will capture whole strength based wider needs.
- To recognise complex 'wicked' characteristics and how to incorporate them into your work.
- Expand from traditional digital or process change to evolve them to a new level.
- Incorporate systems thinking, complexity and systemic design concepts and tools.
- Apply new collaborative workplace behaviours and techniques.
- Successfully influence and integrate what you do within an organisation and with decision-makers.
- Co-design to enable innovation, and develop participatory leadership.
- Develop your self-awareness as a change agent, and how that relates to others to maximise your impact.
This type of change is different because it is not about simply adding methods to what you already do. When we develop a systemic lens and look at what Rewiring the state really means, applying test, learn and grow initiatives, we need something very different.
Leaving behind jargon that is prevalent in the literature, we will be focusing on robust practice and case studies that I and others have personally undertaken over 21 years. We will explore test & learn, and reform, and we will expand them with powerful and practical concepts and methods.
We will explore how to develop new ways of working, that you can then take forward in your journey of developing yourself.
The will explore at how you can position yourself in an organisation to co-create change with decision-makers and employees.
Ideally, you perhaps are;
- You have an internal change role, wishing to learn wider systemic techniques to take devolution forward.
- You are operational, and want to learn more about cutting edge ways of working.
- You may be a manager or owner of a service, wishing to delve closer to the re-design of services and better ways to lead your teams.
- You are in central gov, the Treasury, or in policy, or applying TLG Test, learn and Grow. This might be helpful to you.
If you are currently involved in such change, then we will be discussing and mitigating challenges:
- How do I get the underlying services to actually accept change?
- What do we do with the list of immovable barriers we have created?
- How can leaders lead differently?
- How can prevent current policies and practices preventing this?
- How can we grow this?
Please note, this workshop is our private initiative, and is in no way connected to the UK government Test, Learn and Grow programme.
14 - 16 December 2026
Three half days over three consecutive days.
3.5 x 3 = 10.5 hrs total hours.
12 participants max to ensure quality engagement.
Location; Wherever you are! Online - Zoom
If you have any further questions, please email me on john.mortimer@improconsult.co.uk
£410 per person, inc vat.
£ 350 outside UK non-vat
Or email to bill me directly
Learn how to move from concepts, to creating impactful change
The current methods we know today are not suitable for what the public sector needs to reform itself in the biggest paradigm shift in decades.
We will explore Test & learn, going back beyond what they stripped out to create Agile, and go back to the roots of iterative learning from practice that has created a whole new way of transformation in innovative organisations. We will explore concepts that we know involve:
- Co-creation, iterative, complexity, learning, person centred, team creation, psychological safety.
This workshop is designed to understand and deepen what these really are and how to apply them. It will strengthen our skills to enable us to become more effective, particularly as we begin to tackle complexity in areas like adult social care and homelessness. We will be introducing Human Learning Systems, systems thinking methods, and Relational public service design.
Why is this workshop different?
You can already learn about relational working, or read about making change in localities, but thats not enough.
What is different in this workshop, is that we will use several real examples of relational change from the public sector. We will link new systemic change principles with test and learn experiment approaches; some that you can use immediately, and others that will give you pointers for further and deeper collaboration with change experts outside of your change discipline.
The hard work of sifting through theories, books and blogs has been done for you!
This is an interactive course that adapts to your own challenges that you might bring to the workshop. We will explore together how we might overcome them using our new found knowledge. You will also have the opportunity to continue a discussion one to one about your work with me after the workshop.
Lets hear it from participants...
What John is doing, the mix of systems thinking and service design in a really practical way. No-one does this. This is really interesting.…
How powerful it is when we can bring this and make this visible, and help the decision-makers to make the right decisions.
The reason so many digital projects fail is that were not helping the staff to build the service first…
Relational working, missions, and Human Learning Systems
Further exploration of the concepts and methodology behind this workshop
human learning systems
Course design
Module 1 - The core of test & learn design and complexity, discussing the implications for the intervention methods we use today. We will go through some concepts using a case study, where we will hear from those involved in the case study, and relate that to the concepts. Day 1.
Module 2 - Working on what we have learned, to delve into the reality of co-design, and a test & learn methodology. We will link into deeper aspects of systems, human learning systems & systems convening, where you will participate by bringing your previous experience to the group to discuss ways forward. Day 2
Module 3 - This is where we we will stand back and complete the synthesis between systems, change and complexity. And we will bring the elements we have discussed together, so that you can relate this to your specific work. This module benefits from using the experiences of those in the group to boost our sense-making from the interactions between us. Day 3
Pre-requisites & preparation
After booking, you will receive invitation details, and be asked about the issues you face at work that you hope to work on in this workshop.
You will already have real world design or change experience to gain maximum benefit from the workshop. And you must be expecting to expand your view of change & design that you currently hold, that will challenge some of your currently held assumptions. If you're not prepared to absorb new concepts, internalise them, and move them forward yourself, this workshop is perhaps not for you.
For further reflection, a one to one follow up session is also offered after this course. And this will extend to periodic invitations to alumni meetings if appropriate.
Your level of English will be good, and you will need to have access to a good screen and audio/ visual.
About John Mortimer
I originally started work in engineering, design and managing operational departments. I quickly realised that the ability to make a difference lay beyond the technology or in any specialism itself. I have worked in software, operations, engineering, robotics, and finally business consulting. I have an MBA that corresponds to a business background.
I have participated or led over 45 direct interventions in change and transformation, learned from OD and systemic change consultancies and experts in their field with Vanguard consulting. I became fascinated and enthused by alternative approaches to change, re-inventing work, and managing organisations. I continue to spend time researching and discussing with others who do this far better than me. Since 2003 I have led or participated in 29 public sector test & learn interventions, including 2 INTs.
I am now returning back the experience and knowledge gained, both from the mistakes, and the successful outcomes that have been achieved across a myriad of services. Incorporating learning has been borrowed by ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’.