To public sector departments that have been accustomed to being autonomous, the prospect of having to share goals and practices with departments across a vast structure like a county council or a regional health authority carries real threat.

There is an assumption that huge change will lead to huge mistakes, and this leads to a reactionary pushback that we only see in the public sector.

So, how is it so much easier to introduce change in the private sector?

Perhaps the difference is that private companies are generally accustomed to having an end goal that the entire company works towards. Individual departments or offices may work towards it using different methods, but the goal remains the same. In the public sector, however, there is a tendency for each department to view itself as an individual company with an end goal, which is finite, and independent of the end goals of other departments. This makes persuading departments in public sector organisations to increase their buying power by joining forces that much more difficult; they often view other departments as rivals, and not particularly an organisation they want to help.

The answer? Thinking smaller, making mistakes, and leading by example.

Bombarding people with multi-function outsourcing contracts will create alarm and resistance. However, suggesting that two departments may like to work together, if they already have a similar need, is much more manageable and less threatening. Joining up multiples of two will in time create ripples of change throughout the organisation, but it won’t be a swamping tidal wave that feels out of control and unrealistic.

The fear that lies behind resistance to change is the fear of making mistakes. For a large council or a health authority, ‘outsiders’ make mistakes by introducing change, so organisations remain secure by sticking rigidly to old patterns. However, previous projects have shown that once one or two outliers in each department have been found, those with specialist knowledge or an interest in digitisation, they can be excellent ambassadors for change as they are trusted within the department.

If a small-scale project can be implemented that demonstrates the benefits of digitisation, for example, and is just left to operate alongside existing linear systems, its benefits will emerge clearly. Rather than being herded into a seminar room and being ‘demonstrated to’, employees will feel at home with the proposed change and will have a clear understanding of the advantages of rolling it out across all areas of the organisation.

The key is to break all change down into smaller parts or take small steps. It may take longer to get there, but they will help your people to get there confidently. You just need to take that first one.

Bob Quin is Senior Marketing Manager at BT Business and Public Sector.