Zachary Spicer

For policy-leaders the future often feels uncertain, making it hard to predict where they will need to allocate resources and talent to get ahead of challenges they may face. The problems that governments confront are arriving at a rapid pace and becoming more complex, meaning that pressure is mounting on public sector leaders to respond. Drawing from lessons in one of Zachary Spicer’s latest books, The Platform Economy and the Smart City: Technology and the Transformation of Urban Policy (McGill-Queen’s University Press) and design thinking using future-ready policy models, this talk provides a road map for public sector leaders to plan ahead and gain control of complex policy challenge. Throughout he discusses different policy models to help governments anticipate technological change, foresee disruption and proactively redesigning policy models that are ill-suited for a new age of digital change.

A new breed of public servant is entering the workforce. They have very different preferences for how they work, who they work with and where they work than previous generations. They have very different motivations for seeking out work in the public sector and very different reasons for leaving. Nonetheless, they are looking to make their mark in the public sector. How are public sector organizations best able to attract and retain young talent? This presentation explores the challenges and opportunities that Generation Z presents for the public service, while explore pathways for organizational change to ensure governments attracting and maximizing the talent of aspiring public servants.

Governments have long known that they do not need to produce every service they provide. Contracting out and shared service delivery has been a tool for municipal governments looking to save money to provide for service continuity.  Many governments deal with inherent limitations around resources and fiscal capacity, leading them to seek out private contractual delivery or shared service models with other governments. Inter-governmental cooperation opens new opportunities to expand policy and service areas and create value for the public. However, cooperation does not come naturally to some governments and these relationships can be fraught of challenges. In Zachary Spicer’s latest book, Delivery By Design, He creates a road map for government leaders to think outside the box and explore meaningful, valuable cooperative relationship with other governments, the not-for-profit sector and private firms. This talk provides public sector leaders with a strategic advantage in cooperative service design and the inside track on how to negotiate, design and deliver on winning shared services and contractual service models.

No city wants to be a “dumb city” – everyone wants to be “smart”. Smart cities are those that deeply integrate Information and Communication Technology into policy and service design. These services may support internal process, provide new digital means to interact with the public or involve new technology like artificial intelligence and machine learning. Along the way to adopting and implementing these technological changes, governments walk a complex path of privacy legislation, technology inequity, data governance frameworks and resource constraints. Infrastructure, policy and servicing in government is becoming increasingly digital. Whether governments are prepared for it or not, the smart city revolution is here. Drawing lessons from one of my latest books, The Platform Economy and the Smart City: Technology and the Transformation of Urban Policy (McGill-Queen’s University Press), this talk helps public sector leaders better understand the smart city revolution. Focusing on three key pillars – identifying and procuring skill to manage technology, designing beneficial relationships with vendors and putting in place a solid governance structure – public sector leaders will gain the tools they need to create a vibrant, responsive and just community.

Digital government is more than just technology; it’s a mindset. Embracing a digital-first approach in government requires seeing government services like a consumer, recognizing the raised expectations of the public in how they interact with government and working through the policy and process chain to deliver seamless, valuable service to members of your community. This approach is not easy to achieve, leaving some governments feeling left behind as their peers adopt and deploy new digital services. This talk of Zachary Spicer provides an insider’s view of service modernization and policy design, helping public sector leaders create a digital-first mindset and design a roadmap to a winning digital government strategy in organizations of any size. Throughout public sector leaders will gain an understanding of how citizens want to use digital government products, how digital teams are organized for success, how managers need to view the service design process and how new evaluation methods are used to keep teams on track!

Despite some perceptions, governments can be innovative. Building an innovative culture in government, however, takes time and, above all, is dependent upon leadership. This talk examines design principles and practices to support innovative management, policy-making and administration. Focusing on organizational leaders, we explore different leadership styles, culture-building strategies and administrative practices to drive an innovation agenda in the public service. Topics covered include problem identification, design thinking processes, employee-driven innovation, strategic competence development, skill procurement, co-creation, co-production, strategic management and execution. Above all, Zachary Spicer focuses on re-thinking the concept of risk and how allowing teams the space and room to be creative, take risks and even fail creates tremendous benefits to the organization and strengthens public services. Through an interactive experience, audience members will gain a broader understanding of design thinking, solutioning, creative problem-solving and innovative management practices.