01
Organisational context
A large government ministry responsible for services to a national population was operating as a set of separate departments. Each had its own priorities and processes, and coordination between them was slow. Leadership wanted a way to improve collaboration and output without a wholesale restructure.
02
Capability challenge
Silos were the constraint. Communication gaps between departments delayed decisions and duplicated effort, and there was no shared method for working across boundaries on a common problem. The ministry needed people inside each department who could convene cross-functional work and keep it moving.
03
Roles involved
- Innovation Ambassadors drawn from across departments
- Department heads as sponsors
- Cross-functional challenge teams
04
Pathway or intervention designed
Innovation Network designed an ambassador programme built on agile working, design thinking and sprint methods. Ambassadors completed intensive training with workshops and practical exercises, then applied the methods in their own departments with continuing coaching and support.
05
Live challenge addressed
Ambassadors facilitated cross-departmental meetings, ran sprints on service problems that crossed boundaries and used user-centred methods to redesign how departments worked together.
06
Evidence and work products
- Framed cross-departmental challenges
- Sprint outputs and tested prototypes
- Facilitated decision sessions
- Reflections and coaching records from ambassadors
07
Decisions and outcomes
Departments that had worked in isolation began collaborating on shared problems, decisions were reached faster and the ministry reported improved output and service delivery.
08
Capability retained internally
The ambassador network remained in place after the engagement, with ambassadors continuing to run sprints and facilitate cross-departmental work.
09
Next stage
Portfolio governance for the challenges surfaced by ambassadors, and Master Facilitator development for the most active ambassadors.