‘Small changes that cumulatively make a big difference’: UK government launches One Big Thing initiative focused on innovation
The UK civil service has launched its latest One Big Thing campaign, which this year will be focused on innovation in government.
One Big Thing is an annual initiative for all civil servants to take action around a cross-government change priority.
This year’s focus is on innovation as part of the government’s objective to create “a modern civil service which is skilled, innovative and ambitious”.
Innovation is seen as being key to achieving this objective and at the heart of how government can improve policy, process and service delivery, and ensure the civil service is the most productive and efficient organisation it can be.
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Making innovation real for civil servants
Launching the initiative, Simon Case, the UK cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, said: “Innovation is a word that gets used a lot and, at times, can feel intimidating, but it can actually mean small changes that cumulatively make a really big difference.”
This year’s One Big Thing campaign emphasises this point, highlighting that being an innovator is not limited to certain fields or roles but something all civil servants can learn to do.
A webpage about the 2024 edition of One Big Thing, says that the UK civil service “is already doing pioneering and groundbreaking work to tackle problems”, pointing to examples such as the Department for Work and Pensions using AI to understand customer needs to using different technologies and a Passport Benefit Checking Service that allows NHS pharmacies in England to check who qualifies for free medication.
In addition, it says that some of the country’s biggest challenges, such as levelling up, getting to net zero and capitalising on the benefits of AI, require government to tackle existing issues in new ways.
Innovation masterclass
One Big Thing 2024 aims to help the government achieve this, with civil servants being provided training to demystify innovation and guide them through putting forward their ideas for change and bringing them to life.
All civil servants will be invited to complete an innovation masterclass, which breaks down the innovation process into small steps in a way that all civil servants can practically apply to their work. Conversations will be convened in teams to reflect on their learning and share ideas for more innovative approaches. Teams will also then be able to experiment with delivering the agreed small changes, allowing civil servants to use their own individual and collective knowledge and experience to improve ways of operating.
“Innovation is, and must be, for everyone,” said Jo Shanmugalingham, second permanent secretary at the Department for Transport. “One Big Thing 2024 is about giving all of us the knowledge, tools, time and space to innovate.”
One Big Thing 2024 is running from 14 October this year to 14 February 2025, and reflections on the project will be part of Global Government Forum’s Innovation 2025 conference, co-hosted by the UK government, UK civil service and the Cabinet Office. The event takes place on 25-26 March 2025 in London.
Last year’s One Big Thing, which was launched at Global Government Forum’s Public Service Data Live conference in 2023, focused on data, and delivered over half a million hours of data learning to 212,000 civil servants.
About Richard Johnstone
Richard Johnstone is the executive editor of Global Government Forum, where he helps to produce editorial analysis and insight for the title’s audience of public servants around the world. Before joining GGF, he spent nearly five years at UK-based title Civil Service World, latterly as acting editor, and has worked in public policy journalism throughout his career.
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