Human Learning Systems: a new trajectory in public service reform?

This chapter explores a novel approach to implementing a complexity-informed management practice in public and non-profit organisations, HLS (Lowe and Plimmer 2019; Lowe et al 2020a; 2020b; 2021; Human Learning Systems Collaborative 2021). We describe the principles of HLS and its genesis into a substantial service reform coalition involving more than 300 organisational members, drawing on evidence from a rich cohort of case studies. We highlight a strengths-based perspective implicit in HLS, which illustrates how reformers have harnessed agency, assets, and capabilities to purposefully embed more human, learning-oriented, and systemic practices in service contexts. The relational work involved in this is central to this examination and offers a lens through which we can understand the struggles, strategies, and investments involved in service reform practice in organisations and systems.