Civic Punks

For this week's Rent Free, I sat down with Brenton Caffin, the founder of States of Change, to learn more about the book that has most shaped his thinking.

He chose "Reimagining Organizations" by Frederic Laloux and shared how he has worked to apply its principles in both States of Change and Government.

I’m on a bit of a mission right now: find government projects that actually worked. Not theory but Real impact. And in Adelaide, I think I found one.

The Thinkers in Residence program did something pretty unusual… it brought in some of the world’s leading thinkers to work directly with government and help tackle big challenges. I sat down with Brenton Caffin, who saw it up close, to dig into what made it work (and what didn’t). Honestly, this is one of those ideas that sticks with you.

Right now, it feels like we are in a moment focused on austerity. Governments everywhere are cutting their workforce, but is there a danger with this? Nick Scott thinks so. In his recent article, "Why Budget Cuts Without Resource Reallocation Rarely Transforms Systems" he argues that when cuts are rushed or made across the board we end up not with more efficient government but with crappy government. But he also has a solution, invest in reforming the pipes of government. Read the full article here: https://www.shiftflow.ca/ideas/budget-cuts-rarely-transform-systems

Darwin, Adelaide and Sydney are now in the books. Lots of great conversations with super-inspiring Civic Punks. What is sitting with me? Temples, Cuts and Farmer! What does that mean? You will need to watch to find out.

Victoria is at a turning point. Before Government Innovation Week begins, here’s what actually matters: the forces shaping the agenda and what to watch for. Featuring Ross Ashman (PSN Co-Founder) on why this moment matters.