This Resources section presents a selection of papers and presentations written by Public Purpose as well as some interesting resources from other people and organisations.
Books and Publications
Martin writes and speaks extensively on government, service design, digital transformation and policy reform.
Selected publications
2020 Joint author, with Simon Cooper and Tom Burton, of “Government without portfolios will work wonders”, a feature for the Australian Financial Review on the next phase of public sector reform and digital transformation https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/government-without-portfolios-will-work-wonders-20200610-p55146
2019 Are We There Yet? The Digital Transformation of Government and the Public Sector in Australia (with Simon Cooper; Longueville Media, July 2019) https://www.arewethereyetdigital.com/
2019 Design matters: reflections on the growing influence of design thinking and practice in the public service and the implications for future workforce skills, capabilities and culture. A chapter in a new book from the University of Melbourne Reimaging the Future Public Service Workforce https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-13-1480-3
2018 Lead author for Chapter 5 of the 2018 Annual Report from the Chief Medical Officer of England and Wales, Dame Sally Davies – Health 2040: Better Heath Within Reach – titled How Health Will be Experienced In 2040? assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/767549/Annual_report_of_the_Chief_Medical_Officer_2018_-_health_2040_-_better_health_within_reach.pdf
Responding to the new economy: an exercise in scalable learning (March 2016) Paper to the Western Australian Institute of Public Administration Australia
2017 We Need to Talk about the Web: A New Conversation about Technology and Society, IEEE.org, September 2017 http://technologyandsociety.org/we-need-to-talk-about-the-web/
2015 “Innovation in the Public Sector”, Australian Journal of Public Administration, with Tim Kastelle Vol 74 Issue 1, March 2015 63-72
2014 Changing Shape: Institutions for a Digital Age, with Lindsay Tanner (Longueville Press, February 2014)
2011 The Resilient Society: Innovation, Productivity and the Art and Practice of Connectedness, with Simon Willis and Albert Cho, IBSG, Cisco, August 2011
Martin also wrote an essay series for The Mandarin on major trends impacting the role and performance of government:
- https://www.themandarin.com.au/67473-martin-stewart-weeks-why-government-doesnt-work-anymore/
- https://www.themandarin.com.au/67827-martin-stewart-weeks-the-contradictions-of-government-command-and-control/
- https://www.themandarin.com.au/68150-martin-stewart-weeks-the-currency-of-transition/
Social media
Storytelling for social change
We tend to work on the assumption that (a) story telling is important for all communication and especially for communication associated with the desire to effect social change, (b) it is relatively easy to do and (c) stories that “resonate” and highlight a crisis or emergency or some kind of terrible situation which we want to put right are best.
Mostly, it turns out, none of that is true. Or at least, it’s not as simple and straightforward as it seems.
This piece from Nat Kendall-Taylor, CEO of Frameworks Institute, is a short and punchy reminder about why it isn’t that simple. And, helpfully, it offers these five principles that should act as a helpful nudge for anyone involved in communication for social change.
Attachments: Storytelling for change
We need to talk about the Web
I wrote this paper based on a “reflect and report” role at Brave Conversations, a 2-day Web Science 2017 conference held in Canberra, Australia.
The conference, convened by Intersticia and the Intersticia Foundation, was supported by the Web Science Trust, the Ethics Centre and the Australian Information Industry Association.
The paper is not an official conference summary or report.
Although it integrates the insights and ideas that emerged over the two days, it does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of any of the participants.
Its purpose is to provide a sense of what was discussed and to provide a starting point for further discussion of these ideas in subsequent and continuing “brave conversations” both in Australia and around the world.
Attachments: Web sciences paper MSWv2.0FINALApril2017
Group genius
A very helpful essay pulling together the 14 axioms, evolved by Matt and Gail Taylor and which form the basis of the exceptional work The Difference, PwC’s collaborative problem solving practice, does and which is now the basis for The Impact Assembly’s work on social impact.
Attachments: Fundamental Principles of Collaborative Design
Reflections on digital government
I gave an interview to Intermedium as part of a series of conferences they ran late last year to explore the next phase of digital transformation in government.
Themes were around mutual respect, humility and the need for digital innovators to understand deeply the contours and constraints of the world they seek to unsettle.
It’s a paradox, I guess, that innovators have to invest heavily in getting under the skin, and showing real respect for intrinsic complexity and contention, of the cultures they then seek to change, often dramatically.
I also explored a couple of other ideas, one of which is captured by the challenge for government more and more to “be digital” as opposed to “do digital”, however well. And the other reflects a view that, in the end, the future of government is government (as opposed to the notion that “the future of government is digital”).
The interview is in two parts and there is a short preview video as well (all available at this link)
URL: http://www.intermedium.com.au/events/martin-stewart-weeks-preview-video
The London Recipe
This is Charlie Leadbeater’s piece on the combination of system and empathy at the heart of successful city making.
London’s ability to pull off this fearsomely complex trick is its real competitive advantage. It has not come about by design but nor is has it emerged from thin-air. The city’s capacity to be self-governing at scale rests on infrastructures that provide the platform on which people can be creative. The combination of two ingredients lies at the heart of London’s success. Understanding those ingredients and how they combine will be vital to its future success.
Attachments: CFL_THE-LONDON-RECIPE
