Working with government to embrace complexity, relationships, and learning
Our team is based in multiple cities across this place currently known as Australia. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded and this always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
For us, this means we strive to work in respectful, equitable, and ethical ways that help us be in good relation with each other, the places we work in, and the people we work with.
Our Approach
We explore big ideas and offer practical tips for reimagining government. We do this by acting as a learning partner, supporting those we work with to:
think systemically
invest in relationships
engage with complexity
reimagine measurement and evaluation
centre learning and reflection
We believe that to do things differently we need to interrogate our ways of knowing and being.
That is why we use creative activities and design techniques to create opportunities for deep reflection, learning, and unlearning.
What we do
We don’t offer off-the-shelf services. Rather, we work with you to create a learning partnership that is tailored to your specific needs and priorities.
Partners we work with include:
Partner with us
We offer three different types of learning partnerships:
Professional development and knowledge building experiences (Half-day to 6 months)
Our highly immersive and participatory learning journeys create the conditions for people to develop both professionally and personally.
We introduce tools, frameworks and new methods for approaching complex challenges, but also create space for participants to learn with and from each other and develop confidence to solve problems together.
Supporting teams to embrace a learning practice and mindset through their work (9-24 months)
Learning partnerships are longer engagements where we walk alongside teams who are working on a complex challenge, or implementing a complex policy or program.
We support our partners to reflect, learn and improve together, and work to ensure that this learning is informed by a broad range of voices and perspectives.
Exploring and sharing new ideas about what it means to reimagine government (6-24 months)
Action research is about exploring and generating insights around new topics critical to the future of government and democracy. We share our research findings through reports, blogs, webinars and more.
Our research is grounded in action - we learn by engaging diverse voices through listening sessions, sensemaking workshops, and other interactive opportunities.
Featured work
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Our half-day 'orientations' and full-day 'expeditions' provide inspiration and practical insights on topics including collaboration in complexity, adaptive leadership, and systems thinking.
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We partnered with the Australian Public Service Academy to design and deliver a 5-month learning program for Deputy Secretaries around the concept of system stewardship.
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Since 2022, we have been working with the Executive and Senior Leadership teams at MCV to support the implementation of the 'One MCV' digital transformation agenda.
We have been working alongside a coalition of partners from the Latrobe Health Innovation Zone (including Latrobe Valley Health Advocate, Latrobe Health Assembly, and Latrobe Valley Authority) to develop a place-based approach to social determinants of health.
In partnership with Dusseldorp Forum and Hands Up Mallee, we are exploring how storytelling supports systems change work in communities across Australia.
From our partners
"Working with the CPI team has been a great mix of fun and challenge - they are an absolute pleasure to work with. Constructively pushing our collective thinking to find the most aspirational version of what is possible is a wonderful sweet spot in which to work. Sharing the common intent of improving capability and outcomes in an environment of mutual trust and respect is a powerful combination."
"Many consultants, however well-intentioned, come into our community, mine material, and then write a report that's attributed to them alone. Working with CPI felt really different to this. Hands Up Mallee felt integrally involved in the partnership, and the work was explicitly attributed to the community. CPI is one of only a handful of consultants we've worked with who genuinely respect our knowledge on the ground, and avoid "doing to" us."
"Working with CPI was a quantumly different experience to working with other consultants. The time dedicated to discussing how we would work together as partners and the inclusive process throughout resulted in a project which flowed effortlessly, and where we all felt a sense of ownership over and connection to the final product."
"Collaborating with the Centre for Public Impact was very rewarding and allowed us to experience their genuinely collaborative approach firsthand. The CPI team was flexible and adaptive, and struck a wonderful balance between academic rigour, explorative learning, and relevant resources. With a carefully crafted program, our participants were actively engaged and able to shift their thinking away from traditional, linear problem-solving towards a system-wide approach to innovation."
Our thinking
The Centre for Public Impact Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand (CPI ANZ) is a team of designers, evaluators, think-tankers, engineers, and former public servants who, with support from our Board and Research Committee, weave our diverse skill sets together in creative and generative ways.
Get in touch
Are you ready to reimagine government? Get in touch and let’s have a conversation on how we can get started.
Centre for Public Impact Australia and New Zealand Ltd is a charity registered with the ACNC, ABN 646378421. More information on CPI's overall governance structure can be found here.
