A year of navigating choppy economic waters – and fully absorbing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – has led to a crisis in confidence in government responsiveness. The decline in a host of survey scores, from adaptive long-term strategy to contingency plans, show that officials are feeling the pressure.

Across geographies and seniority levels, officials face the same limitations. These barriers include a lack of funding and resources, unnecessary bureaucracy, concerns over ministerial and staff understanding, workforce shortages, and inadequate improvement mechanisms. But within each of these challenges lies the solution.

“The benefits are clear – less pressure on officials, greater efficiency, better understanding of user needs, increased awareness of likely scenarios, and, ultimately, a higher quality experience for citizens.”

Governments can improve their responsiveness and adaptability through actionable, data-based strategies. Taken together, our five priorities have the power to transform traditionally sluggish services into proactive, positive, digitally enabled, citizen-centric, and future-ready solutions. The benefits are clear – less pressure on officials, greater efficiency, better understanding of user needs, increased awareness of likely scenarios, and, ultimately, a higher quality experience for citizens.

Across all priorities, leaders are the key ingredient. Confidence is contagious, and those in leadership positions are best placed to build positive, confident, forward-looking teams.

As governments across the world step into unchartered territory, it is time to embrace uncertainty.