Toolkit Navigator
A compendium of toolkits for public sector innovation and transformation, curated by OPSI and our partners around the world

The publishers describe the PD concept as: based on the observation that in every community or organization, there are a few individuals or groups whose uncommon but successful behaviors and strategies have enabled them to find better solutions to problems than their neighbors who face the same challenges and barriers and have access to same resources.
This resource orients newcomers to the Positive Deviance (PD) approach and provide the essential tools to get started. It includes a brief…
Authors Julie Wagner and Dan Watch draw from nearly 50 in-depth interviews with global-reaching and local-serving architects and innovation space managers to analyze the continuum of modern innovation-oriented workspaces. They find the role of well-designed innovation spaces in improving firm competitiveness, company culture, and the formulation of new products and ideas, offers important lessons for companies, universities and other drivers of the innovation economy on how to re-imagine space…
The Collective Action Toolkit (2nd edition) is a set of activities and methods that enables groups of people anywhere to organize, collaborate, and create solutions for problems affecting their community.
It guides users through methods according to six action areas, with suggested pathways from one method to the next. For each method, step-by-step instructions are given, in addition to the time, roles, and materials needed. Some methods include canvasses to guide activity.
The toolkit is…
This resource offers on ways to do things differently by introducing basic guidance on the process of design thinking. It provides guidance on how to introduce this new approach into day-to-day work in the public sector. It was developed for both policymakers and people who design and deliver public services who need to make large changes in how they serve their citizens.
It includes guidance on creating an environment set up to do design work as well as an overview of some of the most commonly…
This resource tells the stories of 20 teams, units and funds established by governments and charged with making innovation happen. i-teams, short for innovation teams, are dedicated teams, units and funds, to structure and embed innovation methods and practice in government. They are largely affiliated with Bloomberg Philanthropies and its associated i-teams program and usually within local governments.
This resource analyses the diversity of structures and approaches, their impacts, and the key…
This guide outlines BETA’s approach to developing behavioural interventions for randomised controlled trials (RCTs), based round 9 guiding questions through four project phases:
Discovery, Diagnosis, Design, Delivery. The guide is designed to primarily help with the discovery and diagnosis phases.
It also includes basic guidance on setting up an RCT.
The website includes an academic directory of those working in the behavioral economics research community.
The stated aim of the resource is to enable public sector organisations to use design management thinking and methods currently used by leading companies in the private sector. There is a library tools that are available for free (one must subscribe to access the case studies.) Many of these are commonly-used design methods which have been tweaked and re-branded as Shape Better Services resources. The library content is free to view but using their online guidance requires a paid subscription.
A platform for researchers to share findings and methodologies and a repository of theoretical and applied research on open and innovative governance techniques and tools.
It includes:
A platform for researchers to share findings and methodologies;
A repository of theoretical and applied research on open and innovative governance techniques and tools;
A diversity of publication types – from research reports and journal articles to books and dissertations;
A taxonomy for browsing research by…
This is a collection of methods and activities, based on Hyper Island’s core methodology, for creative collaboration and realising potential in teams or organisations. It’s a collection of methods and activities, based on Hyper Island’s core methodology and is focused on Learning-by-doing (or Experiential Learning), Reflection (or Reflective Practice), and workshop or group facilitation. It includes Hyper Island tools as well as tools from others.
This web-based resource was designed to build an understanding of how adopting an experimental approach can be used to make policies more effective. It focuses on designing and delivering trials. It includes interactive guidance to determine which type of trial is appropriate.









