In a world where it feels like every solution needs to be broadcast, sold, or scaled instantly, what if the most important resolutions happen quietly? The ones that don’t seek applause but build quietly in the background, weaving stronger threads of trust, equity, and possibility.
This idea — that the real resolutions won’t be televised — resonates deeply for those of us working in strategy, innovation, digital transformation, or organisational development. It’s about recognising that real change doesn’t always show up in big, shiny headlines. Sometimes it’s in the decisions made in quiet rooms, in the way teams choose to collaborate differently, or in how we rethink power in systems.
I’ve been reflecting on some of the trends this year and what it means for public services.
Thanks to digital technologies, more people are creating content and collaborating online in ways that weren’t possible before.
If we want radical efficiencies, it can’t be about doing the same for less, but about doing things differently and better, as well as measuring what matters.
If we look at where the web is most successful at driving social change, it’s where it mobilises untapped resources — people’s energy and innovation — for mutual benefit. It’s what we could call the gift economy.
So what’s this all about? When you receive gifts for Christmas this year, you don’t pay them the amount it was worth. At the same time, if you stop giving gifts to friends, you may find there’ll be less inclined to give you a present.
Our relationship with our citizens is different — it would be like offering a gift to a random person in the street, they wouldn’t necessarily return the favour.
So we need to find how to create relationships with people to mobilise their intrinsic motivation. Relationships affect how people behave and how they’re motivated. .
That’s why developing approaches that gain a better understanding of these trends can help us find the innovators we want to work with.
Why not use techniques like service design or social network analysis? These could enable you to find people innovating to meet the needs of your customers, and they may even be working in your office.
1. Listen and make sense of stories
You might be able to find who’s been involved in an innovative project before that’s saved time and money but how do you come up with an innovative idea?
When someone asks you for an innovative idea, many of us feel put on the spot. Often, it’s informal conversations that spark off ideas. It’s what’s called the “water cooler” effect”.
Yet we don’t congregate around the water cooler to bounce off ideas, we go there to catch up and share stories about what’s been going on in the office — trying to get our heads around something or solve a difficult problem.
There are various ways that digital technologies are enabling that, not just in the office but also in our local communities with social reporting. It’s because people want to share their stories of what’s going on where they work or live.
So we’ve got stories and we’ve got data on what’s going on in our local areas — but how do we make sense of it all? It’s not just about evidence or consultation was carried out last year, it’s about what data and conversations people have been publishing to the web last night.
Why not use tools that can help you visualise or analyse this information to pick up new trends as well as open your expertise to the public so they can make better decisions on areas that affect them? With these tools, a picture quite literally is worth a thousand words.
2. Get people together to make stuff that matters
So now we’ve listened to people and made sense of their networks and stories, we can start building relationship and mobilising people’s resources, their energy, creativity and goodwill.
Digital technologies make it easier to mobilise these resources. They also bring substantial opportunities for individuals, businesses and other groups to create innovative models to meet these new demands, from 3D printing to help young people learning by making to re-using old technology and turning it into something useful.
These models are being incubated by cohort-based processes from the Civic Foundry to Code for America. Both of these haven’t just created new models that wouldn’t have been possible before, they’ve exploited the power of the web to create approaches that offer a form of public service.
What’s more important is they weren’t created by councils or businesses — they were created by collaborations between public services, housing associations, social enterprises and militant optimists.
So we can create an environment that nurtures the capacity for innovators to develop and take these models to scale.
Who not bring people together to develop prototypes of services that meet specific challenges…not only in just a day but over time in physical spaces to develop a community of people that build a civic “esprit de corps”?
3. Join up the dots to involve everyone
We may have mobilised the innovators to help us tackle problems, but the strength of innovators is often at the edge of what we do, not at the centre, so how do we scale up innovations so that the wider public can benefit, especially those not online?
Why not reach out to local innovators who can use the web to help people help each other offline, so that the opportunities that digital technologies bring meet those that community engagement bring.
4. Transform services by transforming ourselves
The following quote captures the lesson I’ve learnt. “Transformation isn’t just about transforming services, it’s about transforming ourselves, it’s a new way of thinking, it’s a new mindset.”
The challenge for all of us is to harness all those people in public services and the community who are intrinsically motivated to make things better — to make stuff that matters.
Let’s unpack what this means for how we work, lead, and create change.
Let’s be honest. We live in a world where every announcement feels like it needs a hashtag, a sizzle reel, or a campaign behind it. But what about the things that don’t? The quiet decisions. The shifts that ripple through teams, communities, and organisations without a press release?
It’s the stuff that won’t make it into anyone’s Twitter feed (or X feed, whatever it’s called now). And yet, it’s this kind of change that truly shapes the future. The big resolutions get airtime, but the small ones — those are the ones that stick. They’re what rebuild trust, redistribute power, and challenge the status quo, all while staying firmly under the radar.
So, let’s talk about the untelevised resolutions. Why they matter. How they happen. And why they’re the kind of change we should all be working towards.
The quiet power of small changes
It’s easy to chase the big wins. You know, the flashy new strategy, the shiny initiative that gets you a spot on a conference panel. But the real change? That’s happening in the places most people aren’t looking:
- When a team redesigns its workflow to make decisions more democratic.
- When a council hands over power to communities, trusting them to know what’s best.
- When people in the room ask, “Who’s not here?” and actually do something about it.
Take Adur & Worthing Councils, for example. Their Organisational Redesign didn’t make headlines, but it’s quietly transforming how they work. Instead of traditional silos, they’re creating mission-based teams that focus on collaboration and trust. It’s not sexy, but it’s working — and that’s the point.
What quet resolutions teach us
1. Start local, stay local
Change doesn’t need to be massive to matter. Some of the most impactful decisions start small and build over time.
Think of Camden’s We Make Camden initiative. They didn’t just ask residents what they wanted; they gave them control over resources. It wasn’t about a grand launch — it was about making sure change started where it was needed most.
What you can do: Look at one decision you’re making this week. How could you start local? How could you hand over control?
2. The process is the outcome
Sure, outcomes matter. But the way you get there? That’s often more important. If your process excludes people, replicates power imbalances, or feels rushed, the outcome will reflect that.
In Scotland, Participatory Budgeting is flipping the script. It’s not just about where money goes — it’s about involving communities in the process from start to finish. That builds trust and a sense of ownership, which is worth more than any single project.
What you can do: Check your process. Who’s involved? Who isn’t? And how could you bring more people in?
3. Power is meant to be shared
The quietest, most transformative resolutions often come down to one thing: power. Who has it, who needs it, and who’s willing to give it up.
Newham’s People’s Plan is a masterclass in this. Instead of dictating priorities, the council asked residents to set them. They handed over the mic — and, more importantly, the decision-making power.
What you can do: Find one decision in your organisation. How could you share power in that space? Better yet, how could you give it away entirely?
How to start making quiet resolutions
Quiet change isn’t glamorous, but it’s effective. Here’s how you can make it happen in your work:
- Ask the hard questions: Whose voices are missing? What assumptions are you making? Who benefits from the status quo?
- Prototype without perfection: Try something small. Learn from it. Repeat. Big change doesn’t happen all at once.
- Play the long game: Real change takes time. Commit to it, even when it’s messy or inconvenient.
- Pass the mic: Celebrate the people driving change, not the organisation.
Examples
Let’s look at a few examples of quiet resolutions in action:
- The RSA’s Citizen Power Programme brought small, community-led projects to Peterborough, proving that local decisions can have big ripple effects.
- In Medellín, Colombia, a long-term focus on participatory urban design quietly turned some of the city’s most marginalised neighbourhoods into thriving, connected spaces.
- Patagonia’s decision to give away its profits to fight climate change wasn’t a marketing ploy — it was a quiet commitment to long-term responsibility.
A call to action
The best resolutions won’t be televised, but they will make a difference. And that’s what matters.
Here’s your challenge:
- Think of one small change you could make this week — something meaningful but under the radar.
- Look at your processes. Where could they be more inclusive? More collaborative?
- Commit to sharing your learnings. Not for applause, but because others can learn from them too.
Because the real work isn’t about looking good. It’s about doing good — and doing it in a way that lasts.