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An Independent Advisory Company

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Public Purpose is an independent advisory practice working at the intersection of government, policy, technology and innovation.
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The practice is centred on the work of its principal, Martin Stewart-Weeks and his extensive networks of innovators, ideas and influence in Australia and around the world from over 35 years’ work in and around government, innovation and technology. The practice is busy in the following areas:
Strategic Thinking
Helping organisations think about strategy and change to guide new aspirations, plans and work.
Facilitation
Designing and facilitating small and large scale events and processes to help organisations improve the quality and impact of their work together.
Research
Conceiving, undertaking and writing up social and qualitative research (focus groups, workshops, interviews).
Writing and thought leadership
Undertake research and writing projects, either independently or for clients, that tackle big strategic issues to prompt thinking about strategy and change

Latest Posts

Seven public sector trends

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I gave a presentation today to the senior executive team at the NSW Department of Justice, led by Secretary Andrew Cappie-Wood. These are the notes I used for the talk on seven public sector trends. Framing 1 The first frame reinforces the fact that the work of government is changing.  The public sector has been gradually changing into the “public purpose” sector.  Not that the public sector, in its traditional institutional form, isn’t still important and distinct.  But more of the outcomes we want from those engaged in public work are co-produced in working conditions that are increasingly connected, collaborative and porous. There is a new premium on legibility, which is not the same as transparency (which is always important). People don’t just want to see what’s going on, but at least at some level want to know why. Finally, collective intelligence will be the dominant mode of most public work.  The ability to convene and sustain more complex “assemblies” of multiple and distributed intelligence (platforms, knowledge, expertise, resources) will be a rising function of government. Framing 2 We live in a world trying to respond to the rhythms and potential of distributed networking with organisations and institutions still largely hostage to the constraints and habits of centralised or, at best, decentralised structures and culture. As Paul Baran …

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