Leading Transformation

Everything you need to know about leading change and transforming public services

Public services face an environment of growing complexity. It is no longer possible to achieve results alone, you must collaborate. And it is no longer possible to lead solely from your expertise and authority and give direction. This course provides actionable insights and tools for improved results through better collaboration, understanding of human behaviour, and appreciation of complexity and systems.

Welcome to our online learning programme, where you will find:

  • A set of online learning modules (video and audio) with short quizzes
  • Self-directed and peer discussion learning
  • Online forum and reference documents

Additional learning support is also available via:

  • Drop-in coaching and advice sessions
  • On-call mentoring and support

You will learn:

  • How to lead when nobody knows the answers and things appear to be a complex mess
  • Distinguish between complex and complicated and know how to tailor your transformation approach
  • How to engage teams and build productive cultures
  • Core consultancy approaches that support transformation
  • New and inspiring ways of thinking about your organisation
  • How to survive and thrive as a change agent
  • Effective organisation design
  • Iterative prototyping to transform processes and services
  • Constructive conversations in transformation
  • Organisational change that works
  • Strategic planning and visioning
  • Service improvement techniques
  • Embedding change and delivering value

Each module has its own discussion forum, and you can always email your learning support person with any other queries.


There are 24 learning modules. They take you on a journey through all the skills needed to lead service transformation, and the ‘five worlds’ of service transformation (citizen world, service world, management world, leadership world, and learning and change). This course will pay back what you put into it – but remember, we are all learners in this field and all constantly adapting – there are no ‘experts’.

Each module has a short, digestible video. We’ve tried to mix them up – some slides and voiceover, some presentation, some discussion and interview. And we’ve provided pdfs and texts. We also provide further attachments and links that expand the topic, provide worksheets and usable materials, and link out to other content on the web. Each module shows clearly what is core material, and what is optional information.

In order to ‘pass’ each module, you need to watch the video and work through the core materials. For each module, there will be a combination of some or all of:

  • Actions – fairly simple actions to take in the real world, real work to do in your project or service area
  • Handouts – additional learning for your reference
  • Online survey/’cosmo quiz’ – surveys for you to take to learn more about yourself, or that you can apply to your service or project
  • Test – very simple tests of learning to date
  • Questions for private responses – information to share with your support people about your learning journey
  • Questions for public responses – discussion starters that each participant will respond to in the public forum

You’ll study the modules, with support, you will come along to the on-island support and the learning review day, then have the chance to put all your learning into practice in a highly intensive, three-day experiential session. In that experiential session, you will be able to use all the learning and apply it to a ‘real’ service on the (barely) fictional St. George’s Island. Meanwhile, throughout the course, you will be applying the learning to your own service or transformation project, and developing your own ‘hundred day plan’ to really put transformation leadership into practice.nkn

Your Instructor


Benjamin Taylor
Benjamin Taylor

RedQuadrant founder and managing partner and an experienced adviser to board level managers and politicians across local government, with knowledge ranging from performance management to strategic policy alignment. Benjamin is widely recognised as an expert in systems thinking and is a highly-experienced large and small group facilitator and presenter with deep relevant experience. His approach is based on systems thinking to solve complex problems within organisations and their wider environment. Benjamin leads on development of our demand management and systems leadership offers. He leads on systems leadership and the first day challenge and definition of commissioning at the National Commissioning Academy and provides input to the National Commissioning Academy for Members, arranged for the LGA, and the Staffordshire Academy, focusing on systems leadership as well as commissioning. Benjamin is Visiting Lecturer in Applied Systems Thinking at Cass Business School, City University, and has been working for fifteen years in the management of local government cost reduction and service improvement, starting at the front line in Shepherd’s Bush Advice Centre and working as Adviser to Leader in Hammersmith & Fulham for six years, before working for PwC and Sector Group.



Course Curriculum


  Question and answer session - post here
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  Module one - introduction and overview
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  Module two - transformation and the possibilities of organisations
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  Module three - system leadership - purpose and measures
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  Module four - leading in complexity - the uses of power
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  Module five - people in systems, learning in the real world
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  Module six - the limits of methods
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  Module seven - mapping systems
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  Module eight - understanding organisations
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  Module nine - designing organisations
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  Module ten - shaping culture
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  Module eleven - citizen and customer insight
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  Module twelve - behavioural insight and strengths-based approaches
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  Module thirteen - understanding demand
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  Module fourteen - understanding and designing services
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  Module fifteen - cost analysis and building the business case
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  Module sixteen - a deep dive into lean
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  Module seventeen - prototyping
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  Module eighteen - delivering change
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  Module nineteen - communications and stakeholder management
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  Module twenty - understanding people
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  Module twenty-one - managing change positively
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  Module twenty-two - embedding change
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  Module twenty-three - strategy and change
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  Module twenty-four - recap and summary
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Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.

Get started now!