Public services are often designed and described as linear journeys: a user starts at point A, goes through a defined process, and reaches point B. It’s a straightforward model that can work well for simple transactions.
But this model is increasingly out of step with the government’s own ambitions for service transformation. The “UK Digital Blueprint for Modern Government" (2025) signals a shift toward joined-up, citizen-centric delivery. These strategies move beyond siloed services to focus on integrated, outcome-driven experiences, supported by modern digital infrastructure and cross-government collaboration.
To meet those ambitions, we need to look at services differently - not as isolated pipelines, but as part of broader, interconnected systems.
Service as a system
To deliver real impact, rather than viewing services as pipelines, we need to see them as ecosystems: messy, interdependent, and dynamic. A single service may involve:
- Digital products
- Physical products
- Policy teams
- Frontline and back office staff
- Legal and operational frameworks
Let’s take the example of reducing reoffending, a strategic goal for many justice departments. Achieving this outcome doesn’t depend on a single service. It relies on the coordinated efforts of many: probation services, rehabilitation programmes, case management tools, policy frameworks, and frontline teams.
Each of these is a service in its own right, but none exist in isolation. Together, they form a service ecosystem that needs to work as a whole to achieve its goal.
Systems as a mindset
At its core, a systems mindset means recognising that every team, tool, and process is part of a wider whole. While individual parts might operate independently, they must be in constant dialogue to ensure that changes in one area support, not hinder, others.
To enable a thriving service ecosystem, we need to put in place specific tools, frameworks, and mindsets that support cross-functional alignment and decentralised decision-making.
Embedding systems thinking in public services
Here are four practical strategies to begin embedding a systems mindset into your organisation or service:
1. Start with strategic alignment: Use a shared measurement framework
The first step is making sure everyone understands the overarching goal and how their work connects to it. One tool we recommend and has been deployed across government (e.g. DCMS) is the Theory of Change framework.
Start with your strategic intent. For instance, “reduce reoffending.” Then break it down:
- Top-level outcomes (e.g. reduce reoffending)
- Outcomes (e.g. rich and well-informed Probation interventions)
- Outputs (e.g. behavioural insights for Probation)
- Activities (e.g. data analytics and visualisation)
- Inputs (e.g. prison leaver data)
This structured approach helps every team, from product to policy, to see how their decisions ladder up to the broader outcome. It creates a shared "North Star" and offers a useful lens for day-to-day decisions: Is this task contributing to our shared goal, or is it just solving a local pain point?
2. Enable safe autonomy through guardrails and advice processes
True systems thinking also requires giving teams autonomy to act, without causing unintended harm to the wider system.
Two essential tools help strike this balance:
a. Decision-making guardrails
Especially in high-risk or regulated environments, it's crucial to set boundaries. These might include:
- Cost thresholds: e.g. any investment above £100k requires review.
- User impact thresholds: e.g. changes affecting all users need sign-off.
Guardrails prevent bottlenecks while ensuring major decisions get the scrutiny they need.
b. Advice and input frameworks
Autonomy doesn’t mean acting in isolation. Teams need lightweight processes for consulting others when their work impacts upstream or downstream parts of the system.
This might be as simple as a “who to talk to” matrix or an internal stakeholder map. It empowers teams to own their decisions, while encouraging collaboration across the system.
3. Bake innovation into ‘Business as Usual’
Too often, innovation is treated as something external, brought in through pilots or one-off projects. The Digital Blueprint emphasises a different vision: embedding innovation within delivery teams. In a healthy system, innovation comes from within.
That means:
- Build capacity for innovation in your operating model: Asking people to innovate side-of-desk and jump between ‘doing’ and ‘strategising’ limits results. Building a strategic design function into your operating model is key for driving new ideas and pushing a culture of innovation.
- Involving operational teams early: When you design or improve a service, the people who will run it day-to-day need to be involved. They understand the system better than anyone and can identify both constraints and opportunities for change.
Innovation can’t be an add-on. It has to be a capability built into the structure of your teams and the rhythm of your work.
4. Lead for systems, not control
Leadership plays a pivotal role in enabling systems thinking. It requires moving away from rigid governance models and towards a more enabling, adaptive style - one that recognises complexity and focuses on alignment rather than control.
Systems leadership: In a systems context, individual services don’t operate in isolation. Leaders must look beyond their immediate remit and understand how their system interacts with others both within departments and cross-government. This means:
- Scouting for opportunities to collaborate with departments delivering a similar mission
- Breaking down silos
- Feeding external insights into your system.
Leaders’ role shifts from traditional oversight to ensuring coherence across connected systems, helping teams navigate complexity, not just manage outputs.
Providing focus: Working in government means navigating tight budgets, delivery pressures, and political expectations. In this environment, the idea of “autonomous teams” can feel at odds with reality.
That’s why leadership also needs to act as a constructive challenger, helping teams stay focused on the bigger picture, questioning assumptions, and continually refocusing effort on strategic outcomes. It’s about helping teams "see the wood for the trees" as they navigate complex delivery.
Final thoughts
Shifting to a systems mindset isn’t easy; it requires changes in mindset, tooling, and culture, but it’s essential if we want our services to be more than the sum of their parts.
By aligning around shared outcomes, building in safe autonomy, embedding innovation, and leading with intent, we can design services that are resilient, responsive, and genuinely impactful.
Let’s move from linear pipelines to living, breathing ecosystems, because that’s what our services truly are.
We partner with government and public sector teams to design integrated, citizen-centred services, embed systems thinking, and support meaningful change. Visit our public sector consulting page to explore our expertise and get in touch to learn more about how we can help you deliver impact.
