OPSI goes One Team Gov Global!

One Team Gov Global builds an international network

On 16 July, I attended the first One Team Gov Global event. This one day event brought together several hundred people, including a significant smattering of representatives from many different countries. One Team Gov describes itself “a public sector reform movement which aims to improve public services and change the way we work through practical action” and the participants of the day certainly embodied this spirit. It was great to such a diverse group of people passionate about the work of the public sector and how it could be made better.

You can see the issues that were discussed on the event page, which included topics as diverse as “How can we make government more tolerant to failure?”, “How can we radically raise trust in public institutions?”, and “How to improve tech and policy interaction?”. There was a lot of discussion of how to take some of the big ideas and integrate them in to the day to day work of the public service.

As with any of these events, it was the side-conversations that were as important as anything else. I saw a lot of mixing going on between old acquaintances as well as new connections. For those whose work involves trying to change the status quo, these interactions can be vital as they help to revitalise people (and their determination) and help reinforce that you are not alone in trying to fight the good fight (even if it might feel like it sometimes).

Join your local One Team Gov chapter

The One Team Gov Global movement is global in more than name, with chapters of the group recently established in both Sweden and Canada. Networks such as these can be a powerful avenue for connecting people from different environments and providing a means to share and learn from inspiring people across the globe. If you want to get involved, you can see follow the conversations at #oneteamgovglobal or get involved.