Ignite Lab

In the current climate councils are faced with the challenge of cutting cost but do want to default to cutting levels of service.

But is the process of enabling the community to do more for itself just a polite way of dressing up a service cut. At Ignite we would argue not – what is important is using the scarce resources of the council to deliver outcomes for the community.

Building the capacity of the community also needs to go hand in hand with the sensible management of expectations of what the council will do and what the community – and individuals within it – need to take responsibility for. Read on →

Eric Pickles was recently heard saying that it is all about localisation/localisation/localisation, but not necessarily in that order. Whatever your view of localisation his point was well made.

So it is with managing change.  Engage/Engage/Engage, but not necessarily in that order.

Anyone who has attempted to manage change that does not have the support of the organisation knows that it is like pushing jelly uphill.  You can’t keep it all together and any progress seems to slip through your fingers. Read on →

Well – the news has been out a while now.  Local authorities now have an extra layer of clarity. The general consensus seems to be that at 28% the cuts are slightly less painful than the worst expectations.  What came as a nasty surprise was that the cuts are to be front loaded.

Whatever the interpretation – it is time to act. Anybody waiting for more clarity in December will find that time will run out.

So will this make a difference to the way local authorities respond? Read on →

We’ve previously written about the emergence of the technology function from the back office and how IT teams are increasingly playing their rightful role in leading and enabling new business models.  Clearly, the role of the technology function must have implications for ways of working, skills and performance measures.  But is the core capability so different, whether you are looking for process efficiencies or leading the transformation to updated or new and innovative business models?

Read on →

“Actively engaging customers in a meaningful and creative way to inform the future direction of an organization is a powerful tactic.”

There is no doubting the changing nature of the relationship between customer and supplier. Modern technology, globalisation and changing lifestyles are all reasons why an organisation needs to respond to a new breed of confident and empowered customer.

But how far should this impact spread? There is a myriad of examples of organisations that have gone to extraordinary lengths to get closer to their customers. In terms of engaging them to help develop innovative new products or services, successes at Lego are often cited as a compelling argument for finding ways to tap into the creativity and insight of existing customers. BMW has found a way to collect the views and opinions of car enthusiasts and is using these to inform future commercial activities. Computer gaming giants have for many years benefited from being able to co-create products with computer-savvy youths.

So what have the most forward thinking organisations suggested are the key things to get right when engaging customers in informing the development of future products & services?

Read on →