One Big Thing 2024: UK Civil Service Innovation with Wazoku

Wazoku, a leader in crowdsourcing and idea management, is powering the One Big Thing 2024 initiative to inspire civil servants to make small, impactful changes that spark innovation across departments.

What is One Big Thing 2024? 

One Big Thing 2024 is a government-wide initiative that challenges civil servants to focus on innovation under the theme, “One Big Thing starts with One Small Change.” From October 14, 2024, to February 14, 2025, the program provides tools, skills, and motivation to generate and experiment with new ideas.

By collaborating with Wazoku, the Civil Service taps into a proven innovation management platform. Civil servants gain the resources needed to not only create ideas but also implement and evaluate them for real impact.

How One Big Thing Works 

One Big Thing 2024 drives innovation through three key steps that encourage learning, collaboration, and action:

1. Learning: Civil servants will start by completing the Innovation Masterclass via Civil Service Learning, a structured online course that teaches practical steps for ideation and innovation.
2. Team Conversations: After completing the masterclass, teams will gather to share ideas and agree on a “small change” to implement. Wazoku’s One Big Thing platform will facilitate these conversations and track progress.
3. Experimentation: Teams will then experiment with their chosen change, monitor its impact, and reflect on the outcomes. Wazoku’s platform enables them to submit case studies, sharing both successes and lessons learned across departments.

Why Innovation, and Why Now? 

The Civil Service faces a pivotal moment for innovation. The 2023 People Survey shows that while 75% of civil servants feel supported to try new ideas, only 42.6% believe they have the knowledge and skills to turn ideas into something impactful. With public trust in government innovation waning, it’s time to empower civil servants to drive positive change.

Small Changes, Big Impact

By focusing on small, actionable changes, One Big Thing aims to close this gap. Whether developing an AI chatbot to handle HR queries, like the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, or automating processes to save time, like the UK Hydrographic Office, the initiative proves that anyone, in any role, can innovate.

Wazoku’s Role in Driving Innovation 

Wazoku is central to the success of One Big Thing 2024. Civil servants use Wazoku’s idea management platform to collaborate, track progress, and share innovations across departments. The platform ensures that all ideas—whether successful or not—are captured, shared, and celebrated as learning opportunities.

Facilitators use Wazoku to register team conversations, track their progress, and submit case studies. This creates a comprehensive record of every small change, whether it improves services or provides a valuable lesson for the future.

A Culture of Continuous Improvement 

One Big Thing 2024 fosters a culture of continuous improvement within the Civil Service. By encouraging small, manageable changes, it creates a safe environment where civil servants can experiment, learn, and grow. With support from leadership and platforms like Wazoku, these innovations can be scaled to transform departments.

Looking Ahead 

Now in its second year, One Big Thing continues to build on past successes. Last year’s focus on data upskilled over 200,000 civil servants, and this year promises even greater impact by encouraging civil servants to embrace innovation in their everyday work. Through Wazoku’s innovative platform, civil servants have everything they need to succeed in their innovation journey.

As One Big Thing 2024 launches in October, it marks a bold step forward in creating a more innovative, efficient, and ambitious Civil Service—one that is ready to serve the public and tackle tomorrow’s challenges.

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