Designing for relationships, not just results: what public services can learn from creative incubators
When we launched a space to help residents tackle the climate crisis through grassroots projects, we set ourselves a tight timeline: two weeks to set it up, six weeks to learn. We wanted it to feel different. Open. Collective. Less “service delivery,” more movement-building.
That space was Think & Do Camden — a community-led hub designed to bring people together to create local responses to climate change.
That’s what this blog is about: not just how to help people develop ideas, but how to support the relationships and ways of working that make those ideas last.
Because the best innovation programmes don’t just design for outcomes. They design for the relationships that create and sustain change.
🔄 1. From hacks to journeys: move from one-offs to long-haul support
One-day innovation events can energise people around an issue. I’ve run plenty — like Made in Lambeth or Visual Camp — where people prototype ideas in 24 hours. They’re fun, focused, and fast.
But real change needs time.
That’s where programmes like:
- School for Systems Change,
- U.Lab, and
- Hub Launchpad come in — creating long-term journeys that blend systems thinking, coaching, peer learning and prototyping.
If you’re looking to shift from activity to infrastructure, think like a retreat, not a race.
Try this: Combine short bursts (like jams or festivals) with longer arcs (like fellowships or incubators). Build a rhythm of reflection, testing, and peer support.
🤝 2. From growing ideas to building teams
Some programmes focus on individual projects. Others create space for people to co-create new ones.
For instance:
- Fair by Design supports existing teams tackling the poverty premium.
- Civic Foundry and Alt Camden focus on collaborative project development.
Both models have value — but the support needed is different. One is about business models and scaling. The other is about listening, convening and co-design.
Try this: Decide whether your programme is about backing existing changemakers or helping new teams form. Shape your facilitation and support accordingly.
📍 3. From fixed spaces to blended ecosystems
Some programmes bring people to a central hub. Others use digital tools to self-organise. Many mix both.
Programmes like OpenIDEO and Enrol Yourself create structured self-led learning journeys, often without a fixed base.
Try this: Use pop-up spaces, coworking partnerships, or community venues. Support peer pods or design sprints people can run in their own time and place.
🚀 4. From outputs to relationships
Too many programmes prioritise polished prototypes over deep relationships.
But movements grow when people trust each other, reflect together, and challenge ideas safely. That’s what:
- System Changers (Lankelly Chase),
- Place Makers, and
- Year Here
all centre — focusing on people before projects.
Try this: Start with shared principles. Celebrate progress, not just products. Build in learning circles and slow time.
🔹 Some ways to apply this in your organisation:
If you’re running a programme focused on outputs: look to practices like self-build housing, hackathons or poetry jams to bring energy.
If you’re designing for relationships first: take inspiration from cooperative development, circle practice, or art residencies.
If you’re building a hybrid model: blend team support (like Design Council’s Design for the Public Sector) with field-building (like Upstream Collaborative).
💚 Final reflection: design for the relationship
The most resilient projects I’ve seen weren’t the ones with the slickest business models. They were the ones where people grew together.
They made time to reflect. They shared doubts. They challenged each other. They stayed curious.
If we want to build public services that grow movements — not just solutions — we need to design for the relationships, not just the results.
What would your support programme look like if it prioritised trust, joy and growth over pitch decks and deliverables?
And what might emerge from that soil?
💬 I’d love to hear how you’re designing for relationships in your organisation. Let’s share tools, stories, and ways of working that centre people — not just processes.
