tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12786774383184884822024-02-08T02:18:22.684+00:00Small & creative ideas with big resultsA news blog to collect ideas from around the world - of where small changes have been made to the public & third sector services that have resulted in big benefits. I am looking for ‘bite sized’ ideas that have helped your organisation deliver more to your local communities, or helped make work even more efficient, or just saved some money or staff/officer time. And the idea could be applied elsewhere reasonably easily. All creativity & innovation welcome!
ThanksJon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.comBlogger336125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-80030810263242486652015-04-29T09:22:00.003+01:002015-04-29T09:23:19.189+01:00The source of ideasI have stopped researching and servicing this blog so actively now but it still contains <b>hundreds of ideas</b> about how to do more with less in the public services. These are all searchable and browsable below.<br />
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Also: if you come across a particularly good (new) example, please let me know and I will upload it to these pages. My email address is <a href="mailto:jon@jonharveyassociates.co.uk">jon@jonharveyassociates.co.uk</a><br />
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<b>And please remember:</b> <i>within in every organisation is a wealth of talent, innovation and ingenuity! Hire consultants (if you wish to) for their ability to help you and your colleagues uncover this talent, innovation and ingenuity - not because you want to import theirs!</i>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-15607604652804438232012-07-24T14:06:00.002+01:002012-07-24T14:06:22.359+01:00It's the summer!This is the time of year when many people begin thinking about suitcases and ice creams. But as you sit or stand in a queue somewhere, please ponder a moment: what ideas for improvement impressed you in the last 12 months. What different ways of doing things are now yielding some fresh and better results.<br />
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Perhaps when you return - you may like to share them with everyone here on this blog - which has now be browsed over 26,000 times by people from around the world.Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-10688412456184673422011-12-23T09:58:00.003+00:002011-12-28T10:09:56.255+00:00It has been a while... (and seasonal greetings!)I have been busy with other things. But my apologies for not posting much on here in recent months.<br />
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So to refresh this blog - and remind people this blog is entirely searchable - I will say again why I started this blog. Two ideas really. I get fed up with the public services wasting money on large consultancies to tell them what their front line staff already know about ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness. And secondly, I just want people to be engaged and it saddens me when creative, resourceful and innovative people are overlooked in favour of some external bright thing who has the next best answer to slicing bread...<br />
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This blog is about documenting the remarkable ways that people have found to make public services better often with no more and often now with far less resources. How are you doing it? Please tell us here. Thanks.<br />
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If you are looking for an idea - have a look below. You will be delighted, amazed and impressed by the range of ideas. And if you cannot find what you are looking for - please email me - I may well be able to point you in the right direction. (Just click on the side bar for my email address).<br />
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And - moreover - it is free! There is no charge for this information and support. In how many other places would you find ways to save you and your taxpayers money whilst improving services.<br />
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Unlike others (whom I won't mention) this blog knows about VALUE as well as cost!<br />
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Finally - do have a great Christmas and New Year - 2012 will be tough for many people. I hope that this blog will go some way to making things a little easier.Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-86288995822497406572011-05-16T08:35:00.004+01:002011-05-16T08:59:46.682+01:00Developing IT Provision in Times of Austerity<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 31px;">Austere</span></b><b><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 31px;">:</span></b><b><i><span style="color: #002060; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 31px;">IT’</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 31px;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Government, Local Authority & Third Sector </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>IT Provision in Times of Austerity<br />
Friday 10th June, Westminster Studios, Central London</b></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The need has never been greater for public and third sector services to make the most of their existing IT infrastructures and systems, and harness the free and low cost options provided by the web. Options to procure new systems or expensive upgrades are now very much more limited due to fiscal pressures.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This 'open space' conference will offer you a unique and intensely interactive opportunityto investigate, develop and enhance your existing IT systems, and explore how web tools (such as dropbox, yammer and many other social media applications) can help you to achieve more with less.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The workshops will provide you with many opportunities to share, collaborate and devise shrewd strategies and deft innovations designed to make the most from the IT within your organisation and how you can harvest all that the net provides – often for free.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>What is Open Space?</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">How many times have you been to an event and come away with two thoughts: the ‘break times were the most valuable’ and ‘how I wish we had talked about X subject’? How many events have you attended and discovered later that a colleague or contact was present but you never had the chance to sit and talk with them? How often have you wished to leave an elective workshop after the first few minutes and visit another, but felt compelled to stay?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Austere: IT</b>’ has been designed with these experiences in mind: not only will you be able to create the agenda precisely around the issues that matter to you but also you will get to know all about what other discussions are going on as well. You will have the scope and flexibility to craft the day to exactly what you want it to be.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Or as <b>Ken Eastwood of NOMADS</b> (<a href="http://publicsectornomads.com/">http://publicsectornomads.com/</a>) has said “Having a conversational event around these issues will be most fascinating and helpful”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This event will identify critical ways in which existing central government, local government and third sector IT systems can be innovated to provide enhanced value for money with no or very minimal extra investment. As a consequence, the possible topics include:</div><ul><li>Developing new ways in how to use low cost off the shelf packages, or free to use services on the web to deliver services to the public (such as <a href="http://www.dropbox.com/">http://www.dropbox.com/</a>, <a href="http://www.doodle.com/">http://www.doodle.com/</a> and <a href="http://www.caffein.tv/">http://www.caffein.tv/</a>) </li>
<li>Using social media to ‘oil’ communication around public & third sector organisations (here is one example: <a href="http://danslee.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/case-study-how-yammer-can-help-local-government-innovate/">http://danslee.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/case-study-how-yammer-can-help-local-government-innovate/</a>) </li>
<li>Redesigning the human processes to make more use of the IT systems </li>
<li>Using unconferences, govcamps and other interactive means (face to face and web based) to create new applications with partners and users </li>
<li>Making more flexible use of existing contracts with external suppliers to provide more for less </li>
<li>Harnessing the insights, ideas and power of customers, users and other stakeholders </li>
<li>Collaborating with neighbouring agencies and authorities </li>
<li>Extending functionality to new areas and services </li>
<li>Developing and adopting greater commercial leadership & ‘nous’ in negotiating with external providers</li>
</ul><ul></ul><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>This is not just about making do, or even mending what we have (though those can help) – it is critically about harnessing all the resources at our disposal – which includes many low cost or free services already available</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://neilstewart.msgfocus.com/c/11Us2j68ACYigl22">Register today</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">and</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><b>save</b></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">£200</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">(All delegates registering by Friday 6th June will be entitled to a £200 discount. To register please</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.neilstewartassociates.com/sa273/register.php">follow this link</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">.) If you have any questions regarding the event please email</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="mailto:katie.gilroy@neilstewartassociates.co.uk">Katie Gilroy</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">. (Account Manager- Local Government, Neil Stewart Associates. Direct Line: 020 7960 6852)</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">More information <a href="http://www.neilstewartassociates.com/sa273/index.php">here</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><b><i>BREAKING NEWS:</i></b></span></div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><b><i><br />
</i></b></span><b>Brendan Harris</b> - Interim Director of Knowledge and Innovation</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Services Directorate Support Team Manager</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Local Government Improvement and Development</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>will be giving an opening presentation</i></div></div>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-15544186621399184942011-04-21T09:37:00.001+01:002011-04-21T09:37:23.947+01:00Questioning Engagment<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Here is a link to the latest e-book from David Zinger's ning - a set of brilliant questions for leaders to ask their staff, colleagues and bosses - in order to create more engagement.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.davidzinger.com/wp-content/uploads/Primers-for-Engaging-Confersations.pdf">http://www.davidzinger.com/wp-content/uploads/Primers-for-Engaging-Confersations.pdf</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">There is nothing as powerful as a good question, in my view!</div>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-50889817169342888722011-03-20T11:58:00.002+00:002011-03-20T11:58:24.138+00:00Austere:IT' ...sweating the existing systems<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I am now in the advanced stages of organising a conference on a 'make do and mend' approach to public services IT. It will be a different style of conference - a <a href="http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/2010/03/conferences-bah-humbug.html">highly interactive and dynamic conference</a> - in that all present will be able to shape the agenda on the day - towards what can be done to sweat, tweak, exploit (etc) existing IT in order to achieve more with less.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This is in the context of there being no money to buy expensive new systems or upgrades - hence the title.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If you are interested in finding out more, possibly attending and getting involved in the debate - please contact me: <a href="mailto:jon@jonharveyassociates.co.uk">jon@jonharveyassociates.co.uk</a> . Thanks</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The date to pencil into your diary is <b>10 June 2011</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Otherwise - please watch this space for further details...</i></div>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-41528772585178096352011-03-10T17:22:00.000+00:002011-03-10T17:22:23.159+00:00New digest: 330+ ideas & counting!This blog has now had over 20,000 page loads so I thought it was about time to produce another digest of all the ideas in an readily accessible pdf format. You can download it <a href="http://tinyurl.com/smallcreativeideas">here </a>(from Google docs)<br />
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Please search, peruse and plunder practices that will help you deliver more with less.Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-44290031343880315952011-03-09T11:03:00.000+00:002011-03-09T11:03:49.862+00:00Slugging: a sustainable response to higher fuel costs?<i>...Public transit never shows. But, eventually, a blue Chrysler Town & Country does. The woman behind the wheel rolls down her window and yells a kind of call-and-response.<br />
“Horner Road?”<br />
“Horner Road?” repeats the first woman in line.<br />
“Horner Road!”<br />
And two women get in the van, heading, presumably, for Horner Road...</i><div><i>...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><div class="MsoPlainText" style="display: inline !important;">People here have created their own transit system using their private cars. On 13 other corners, in Arlington and the District of Columbia, more strangers — Oliphant estimates about 10,000 of them every day — are doing the same thing: “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slugging">slugging</a>.”...</div></i></span></i><div><div><br />
</div><div>A (long - and I have not read it all) post about how commuter behaviour has altered in the US in response to high occupancy lanes - a self organising system for sharing transport - that appears to benefit all. (Click <a href="http://www.miller-mccune.com/culture-society/slugging-the-peoples-transit-28068/">here </a>for the full document)</div><div><br />
</div><div>Yesterday I tweeted about the system that Devon has in place to help people organise car sharing (<a href="http://smallcreativeideas.blogspot.com/2010/02/devon-county-car-sharing.html">see below</a>) - and why more councils should be copying this approach. </div><div><br />
</div><div>But perhaps what is needed is the space to create <i>slugging </i>in this country... So come on local government - can you create conditions in which this might happen in this country too?</div></div></div>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-48083094535022441122011-02-24T11:34:00.000+00:002011-02-24T11:34:14.777+00:00DotGovLabs: Innovation HubJust been sent details of this website which is designed to provide "a virtual space enabling digital innovation of public services."<br />
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</div><i>The philosophy of the Innovation Hub will help you learn more about how the hub brings together users, innovators, investors and government to shape and build radical digital solutions to social challenges. The Innovation Hub provides new ways to collaborate. Finding solutions to social challenges and breaking down barriers</i><div><i><br />
</i></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Here is the link: <a href="https://dotgovlabs.direct.gov.uk/Page/Home">https://dotgovlabs.direct.gov.uk/Page/Home</a></span></b><br />
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</div><div>So it is a place to find out more ideas on how to deliver public services in innovative ways. Please visit!</div><div><br />
</div><div>(Thanks to Noel Hatch for the invitation)</div></div>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-45396612690932513622011-02-23T23:39:00.000+00:002011-02-23T23:39:35.919+00:00Do you know where you smalls are?<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Regular readers of my ramblings will know I run two blogs: <a href="http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/">one about leading change and development from a whole systems perspective</a> and this one about the small and creative ideas that are making a difference in the public and third sectors.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I am posting this - just to remind people that this blog has <b>over 300</b> ideas for how to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of local services.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This blog is:</div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Totally free</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Totally searchable</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Totally open to more ideas being added!</span></li>
</ul><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">In these stringent times - there may just a few small ideas in here to help you reduce costs while still maintaining or even improving services.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The blog also stands up for public service organisations 'home growing' their own improvements rather than spending buckets of dosh on consultants who borrow your watch, tell you the time, keep the watch and slip a needle in to carry on drawing blood too.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>And this links back to my other abiding interest: leadership. What are leaders doing or should be doing... (apart from not signing cheques for large consultancy contracts that add no value) to foster the necessary levels of engagement / verve / commitment / creativity (even in these austere times) amongst public service staff?</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Answers on a postcard - or better still - please post them on the parallel post on my other blog <a href="http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/2011/02/do-you-know-where-your-smalls-are.html">here</a>. </span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Thanks</i></div>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-85718748945011741112011-02-10T12:44:00.002+00:002011-02-10T12:45:00.515+00:00A festival of ideasNews from the Innovation Unit of exciting developments in Leeds:<br />
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<div class="MsoPlainText"><b>Local authorities helping innovators</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><i>Yesterday, Innovation Unit hosted its tenth Festival of Ideas in partnership with Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership looking at greening public services. In the room, were senior colleagues from local authorities across the Yorkshire and Humber region, social investors who work closely with innovators from the community and voluntary sector and eight innovation projects working to green our public services...</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Full story <a href="http://innovationunit.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/local-authorities-helping-innovators/">here</a></div>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-28609650894560415022011-01-31T11:46:00.000+00:002011-01-31T11:46:15.599+00:00Direct debits: making savingsPrompted by an enquiry on another site - I did a brief piece of research into good practice on increasing the numbers of people paying their council tax by direct debit. Here is what I turned up:<br />
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Here is some details from Wandsworth - in case you have not already seen this: <a href="http://www.bacs.co.uk/Bacs/SiteCollectionDocuments/500209%20Wandsworth%20CS%20Final.pdf">here </a>and <a href="http://www.telephoneticsvip.co.uk/local-government-case-studies/51-wandsworth-borough-council-case-study">here</a><br />
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There also appears to have been a London wide campaign: click <a href="http://www.havering.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=13915">here</a><br />
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<div>And here are some more links too:<br />
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<a href="http://www.burnley.gov.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=12542">Burnley</a></div><div><a href="http://www.bacs.co.uk/Bacs/SiteCollectionDocuments/Daventry_DC.pdf">Daventry</a><br />
<a href="http://www.southtyneside.info/article/3377">South Tyneside</a><br />
<a href="http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/localgov/goodpractice/financialmgmt/Pages/leedsdirectdebit.aspx">Leeds </a><br />
</div>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-91186657434091536462011-01-27T17:31:00.000+00:002011-01-27T17:31:27.458+00:00The BEST in BirminghamThere is a good summary of the BEST programme that Birmingham City Council runs to harness the ideas of the staff <a href="http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=9308021">here</a><br />
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<b>The BEST programme: </b><div><b>Improving employee engagement in Birmingham City Council</b><br />
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<i>Summary</i><br />
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<i>Change for any organisation can be hard. The frontline workforce can often feel left out. Birmingham City Council has placed its staff at the heart of the process, boosting their motivation in the process. Birmingham has set up a network of groups that are helping shape the future.</i><br />
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<div><i>Key learnings for other councils...</i><br />
</div></div>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-48414176836128537592011-01-26T10:36:00.001+00:002011-01-26T10:37:04.101+00:00Welcome to this blog!I have just written to a large number of public service bodies alerting them (again) to the existence of this blog. If <i>you </i>have been prompted to come here as a result of that email - <b><i>thanks </i></b>for coming to visit!<br />
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This blog now has over 300 ideas for how to increase efficiency, effectiveness and overall service. The aim of the blog is to disseminate, celebrate and stimulate practical improvement ideas in the public and voluntary services.<br />
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Given all the huge pressures facing local services, I thought now would be good time to remind people that this blog exists – to help where it can.<br />
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<i>Please: </i><br />
<ul><li>Have a look at the blog – browse and search it – there may be an idea there that you could use – it’s free and no sign up is required </li>
<li>Let other people know - anyone who you think might be interested in ways to improve efficiency </li>
<li>Write back to me with an idea (or two) that you would like to add to the blog </li>
</ul>The blog has been browsed now nearly 20,000 times in the last couple of years.<br />
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Everyday people from the UK (and often from places further afield) visit the blog for inspiration.<br />
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I would be most grateful for any ideas you would like to contribute. (They don’t have to be amazingly creative, or unique or even that small... just an idea that you know of, or implemented yourself, that you think is making a positive difference. I will assume that whatever you send me can be uploaded with your name & organisation attached – unless you tell me otherwise. Non attributed postings are quite OK.)<br />
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Thank you.<br />
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JonJon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-31725787392347304632011-01-26T09:38:00.000+00:002011-01-26T09:38:13.349+00:00U Suggest<div class="MsoPlainText"><i>A local District Council writes:</i></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">The scheme was set up in October 2007, and awards are made approximately quarterly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of the nearly 90 ideas sent in to U Suggest so far, 23 suggestions have received awards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The types of suggestion we receive include operational improvements; the highlighting of areas of our service which would benefit from review; suggestions for improved staff facilities; suggestions for carbon emission reduction; ideas for improving internal communication, and so on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">I would draw to your attention the following two suggestions, both of which received significant awards under our scheme. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><b>Suggestion regarding Council Direct Debit changes</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">An award was made to an officer for his suggestion that changes to benefits for Council tenants paying by Direct Debit should be generated by an electronic report. This suggestion was made by someone from outside the relevant department, who realised that such a report could save much staff time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The idea has been successfully implemented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><b>Suggestion regarding testing of Lifeline equipment<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Instead of officers carrying out visits to customers using Lifeline equipment purely in order to check that the equipment was working, telephone testing was suggested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, in view of the vulnerable nature of many of these customers, this suggestion would not be feasible or desirable in certain cases, but where appropriate, remote testing will take place, thus saving officer time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><i>Thanks for this</i></div>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-67238284176914430192010-12-19T18:14:00.002+00:002010-12-19T18:14:38.505+00:00Seasonal greetings: a time for prosperity<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">At this is a time of year, a good many people take a moment to remember the riches they have.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><o:p></o:p></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">These are not the riches that can ever be measured in £ or $ signs. These riches are far, far more valuable than that. These are the riches in the smiles from neighbours, the gleams in the eyes of our children, the kind words of old friends, the courtesies of strangers or the laughs of our family members. These are the riches that make us feel truly warm, solid and human.<o:p></o:p></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Although sadly, not everyone has these riches in abundance, happily we can all take action to spread more of this wealth around. Whilst I do try to do this wealth creation as much as I can, I will admit that during these austere and recessionary times, I have sometimes become just a tad too focused on the lesser (financial) riches. My resolution for 2011 is to remain resolutely focused on building true prosperity.<o:p></o:p></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">With this in mind, I have adopted the word 'prosperity' for the next 12 months. (The 'I CAN' charity in association with Collins Dictionaries allows you to adopt words in exchange for funding action to ensure that no child who struggles to communicate is left out or left behind. You can adopt a word yourself by visiting here: <a href="http://new.adoptaword.co.uk/index.php">http://new.adoptaword.co.uk/index.php</a> And you can see a copy of my adoption certificate below.</div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcx-GG85yhnUVm0gPyTKphM9mAYVeT_sP1dp4Tu02hYSN0Dc6DMAP3oGJkYHKijJftFBeIjNwOcNMSWSKZYMEZSjXyHgmTfdaabyVoTXaCULCOEmlr940-Ea5AvDyrhQS0aZNCKAkE3I/s1600/Prosperity.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcx-GG85yhnUVm0gPyTKphM9mAYVeT_sP1dp4Tu02hYSN0Dc6DMAP3oGJkYHKijJftFBeIjNwOcNMSWSKZYMEZSjXyHgmTfdaabyVoTXaCULCOEmlr940-Ea5AvDyrhQS0aZNCKAkE3I/s320/Prosperity.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <o:p></o:p></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">So I am sending you my seasonal greetings: I sincerely wish that 2011 will be a <i>truly </i>rich and prosperous year for you, your families, friends and communities.</div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><o:p></o:p></div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Jon</div></div>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-50344356096837074362010-11-22T12:37:00.000+00:002010-11-22T12:37:04.878+00:00Communities of PracticeIf you are not already registered with the IDeA communities of practice website - I would strongly recommend joining. It is a hot bed of ideas and helpful practices designed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the public services.<br />
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You can register to join <a href="http://www.communities.idea.gov.uk/welcome.do">here</a>.<br />
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Watch this space for further links into the CoP as they emerge. Although I am sure you will find much there yourself once you get inside!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; white-space: pre;"> </span>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-70829754295385669252010-11-18T18:37:00.000+00:002010-11-18T18:37:14.558+00:00All ideas wanted!Welcome to this blog - thank you for passing by.<br />
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Below you will find <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">over 300 ideas</span></b> for making public and third sector services more efficient, effective or just better. There is a search button to look for any themes or ideas you have in mind.<br />
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I am always on the lookout for new ideas that you think others might like to hear about. So if you have something - please <a href="mailto:jon@jonharveyassociates.co.uk">email me</a> and I will post it here. (This can be done anonymously or with attribution - your choice entirely.)Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-45488029166520139802010-11-08T17:27:00.001+00:002010-11-08T17:27:14.690+00:00Free creativity toolsGo to <a href="http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/2010/11/04/50-free-fabulous-tools-for-mind-mapping-brainstorming/">here </a>for some helpful free apps to get your creative juices flowing!<br />
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<div class="MsoPlainText"><i>From smart phones to iPads to our various personal computers and data managers, we have all kinds of tools at our disposal to help us collect information for school work, business, personal use, and more. But even though it’s easy to find, that information still needs to be stored, saved and even shared in a way that’s also simplified....</i><o:p></o:p></div>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-51810363827289399802010-11-08T17:22:00.001+00:002010-11-08T17:22:36.092+00:00200 to 0: Northants Police winExtracted from: <a href="http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre/news/crime-cracking">http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre/news/crime-cracking</a><br />
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<i>An initiative which reduced the number of sex workers from 200 to zero topped this year's Home-Office-backed Tilley Awards.</i><br />
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</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><i>Northampton’s Operation Uncanny set up innovative measure to tackle prostitution in residential areas. This included a 'toleration area' where sex workers were not arrested for solicitation.<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><i>The Sex Workers Around Northampton (SWAN) partnership also gave advice and support on health, housing, drug addiction and education to help the women exit prostitution. Meanwhile, police monitored the area to identify and arrest customers.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="MsoPlainText">Seems like a very good result all round. Congrats to the Northants Police team</div>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-56927276819186675322010-10-22T00:06:00.000+01:002010-10-22T00:06:34.341+01:00Employee engagement - even more yet again!David Zinger has managed to inspire an even better (free) e-book on employee engagement - a series of 6 word descriptions on what employee engagement means. Well worth a browse!<br />
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<a href="http://www.davidzinger.com/wp-content/uploads/Employee-Engagement-Six-Word-ebook.pdf">http://www.davidzinger.com/wp-content/uploads/Employee-Engagement-Six-Word-ebook.pdf</a><br />
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(My contribution is on page 6)Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-3373167005210396602010-10-07T18:18:00.001+01:002010-10-07T18:21:00.921+01:00Another story of front line dedication & innovationHere is a great blog post about why front line people should be celebrated and indeed involved in the process of finding cheaper and better ways of delivering local public services.<br />
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Here is the <a href="http://spencerwilson.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/just-a-reason-why-frontline-services-in-local-gov-should-be-celebrated/">link </a>to the article entitled <i>"Just a reason why frontline services in Local Gov should be celebrated!"</i> and you will be intrigued and delighted by the story told. It is a story of dedication and the resulting insight reduced the amount of work to be done to achieve the same result.<br />
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The service is street cleaning by the way - one of the core services provided by local councils.<br />
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And thank you to <b>Spencer Wilson</b> for the story - who can also be found on his twitter account <a href="http://twitter.com/SpencerLWilson">here</a>.Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-6689123323043714612010-09-21T19:32:00.003+01:002010-09-22T00:42:17.952+01:00Sexual Offences Almost Halve During Operation NorthdaleI understand this project run by West Yorkshire Police won the overall winner of the 'Excellence in Policing' award (sponsored by <a href="http://www.alexander-ecc.com/">Alexander People</a>) at the <a href="http://www.eip-conference.co.uk/Home/">ACPO EiP</a> conference today.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Congratulations!</span></b><br />
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<div class="MsoPlainText"><i>Streets in West Yorkshire’s towns and city centres have continued to get safer for late night revellers this summer following the end of a major campaign. Police and partners have said they are very pleased that levels of sexual offences in the towns and cities have remained low and dropped by 48% during the operation Northdale campaign..</i>. </div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">More information <a href="http://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/?Page=4371|Sexual+Offences+Almost+Halve+During+Operation+Northdale">here</a>. (Twitter site for <a href="http://twitter.com/WestYorksPolice">WYP</a> is here.)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Thanks to <a href="http://twitter.com/jiiiii">Justin Partridge</a> for this information<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">UPDATE:</span></b> Here are all the other winners - click <a href="http://eip-conference.co.uk/EIP10_Awards_Win_Comd.pdf">here</a> (thank you to <a href="http://twitter.com/SurreyPA">SurreyPA</a> for that link) Congrats to all!</div>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-17106291727048269642010-09-13T11:49:00.000+01:002010-09-13T11:49:11.951+01:00Austere:IT<div class="MsoPlainText">I am part of a small team which is planning a guerilla conference on a make do and mend approach to using IT in public services. The aim is to create an event that will enable people to exchange ideas and develop new ones on how to make the most of existing IT. Specifically, we hope the (free) event will be a celebration and dissemination of all that can be achieved without purchasing new kit / software / contractor time / bells / whistles etc. (This event will be an antidote to the burgeoning number of other events which are still promising huge cost reductions by paying for just that one more piece of ("waffer thin mint?") IT investment <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Please watch this space - there is more to follow - including what we mean by a guerilla conference! (Well - you have heard of guerilla gardening... try thinking along similar lines...!) The date will be towards the end of the year - possibly early into the next.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">But meanwhile... do you have examples of where you have spotted or even initiated a change or achieved a result with a deft (and zero or very low cost) use of an existing IT system?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Please post these examples below as comments (or you can <a href="mailto:jon@jonharveyassociates.co.uk">email me</a> if you prefer) - thank you!<o:p></o:p></div>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1278677438318488482.post-56918995066516791112010-09-07T17:00:00.001+01:002010-09-07T17:00:18.741+01:00E-books: now more easily availableWhen this blog reached 15,000 uploads I turned into an e-book. You can now access and download if you wish, this off <i>Google Docs</i> by going <a href="https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B3YzEOVB8hi2ZTc2N2NkZTMtM2M0ZC00N2IxLWJhMWUtOGVmYjMyZWQ1OWQ0&hl=en&authkey=CM77l8cC">here</a>.<br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">For your information my other blog (<b><a href="http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Jon Harvey Associates</span></a></b>) is also available in e-book form as well (produced when it hit 10,000 uploads) from <a href="https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B3YzEOVB8hi2YjZhZWEyN2EtZDAwOS00MTJiLWFjZDktNTkyMjI2Y2VlZDli&hl=en&authkey=CL2VsvMG">here</a>.</div>Jon Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12792245973965010468noreply@blogger.com0