In this lightning talk, João Sigora from Demos Helsinki introduce four key transformative capacities of 21st century public servants: imagination, collaboration, wisdom and humility.
The current Covid-19 pandemic has exposed public governance gaps around the world. Unfortunately, it is only a harbinger of many foreseeable disruptions and risks that loom ahead – the climate crisis comes first and foremost to mind. The environment in which governments operate was never completely predictable and well-defined, but now it is even less so. It is becoming increasingly clear that the prevailing characteristics and prerogatives of current governments were designed for the past era and less complex policy domains.
In order to navigate the challenging landscape of the coming decades, the public sector needs to prioritise the investment in developing the machinery standing at the core of government: public servants. Only by fostering the right set of skills, mindset, and modus operandi among public servants will governments be able to strike a balance between maintaining stability and pushing the change needed to tackle global challenges. Based on its recent work in the field of public governance, Nordic think tank Demos Helsinki has identified 4 key transformative capacities of 21st century public servants: imagination, collaboration, wisdom and humility.