Lets Talk Capability Building for the Future

The landscape is changing, but what’s beyond the horizon?  

From recruiting, retaining and training the workforce, to the necessary tools required to transform services, is the public sector workforce ‘facing a crisis’? 

Are we empowering individuals to think imaginatively, use technology in the most productive and informative ways and rethink development, so that skills can be recognised and used more effectively?  

Simply considering some of these demands can be overwhelming as capability building differs across industry sectors and even between departments within the same organisation. How do we increase the competence and confidence of individuals while achieving tangible business results and navigating the complex landscape of local government?  

“One highly effective capability initiative that I have found to successfully engage employees is to create an organisational culture of collective ownership.  

One shared vision created by storytelling and scene setting with obvious benefits.  

Who doesn’t love a good story where the possibilities are endless, and the picture painted is so vivid that you can envisage yourself there, a part of that ‘happy ever after’? I’ve seen amazing results when people are given the opportunity to be involved in projects that add significant value to the company. The sense of belonging to something with purpose that they can shape and influence”, Verity Hislop, Portfolio Lead for Digital Leadership & Skills at the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government.  

Jamie Wardlaw, Lead Specialist in Learning and Development at the Scottish Digital Academy believes in a culture of continuous improvement: "Encouraging a culture of continuous improvement can help employees develop a growth mindset and a desire to constantly learn and improve. This can be achieved through a variety of initiatives, such as innovation programs, process improvement projects, and continuous learning opportunities”.

Both the Digital Office and Scottish Digital Academy are exploring capability across the public and third sectors with a focus on quality, standards, professional learning, and talent.  

Building upon the success of delivery in 2021/22 and integrating a series of actions in relation to the Scottish Government Digital Programme, people need to be at the heart of this approach, so we can better understand their needs and focus on outcomes from their perspective, rather than from just an organisational perspective. This capability needs to be underpinned with common approaches to design, architecture, procurement, and data which are the key elements of how we do digital – in other words a consolidated technology structure. 

The end goal is to move to a buy or build once model, based on common design standards, with data held once rather than in separate data stores, in essence, solutions deployed and reused across the public sector to avoid problems with a fragmented approach such as duplication of services. 

Digital Transformation requires collaboration, working together as individuals and organisations across traditional boundaries. We need a continued focus on developing skills and capability and how that will support organisations to deliver transformation in a way that will change how we operate, by adopting digital thinking and embracing the culture and processes of the digital age.