Public sector leaders are quietly mastering the kind of complex, human-centered change most businesses struggle to get right.
Maartje van Krieken is joined by Vijay K. Luthra, a former civil servant and transformation strategist, to talk about why public sector transformation deserves more attention from business leaders facing turbulence. Vijay draws from his experience across government and consulting to challenge assumptions about innovation, revealing how public institutions have become experts at navigating constant disruption and ambiguity. Centered on what he calls the “Fifth Industrial Revolution,” the episode explores how the pace of technological change is creating a future where opportunity is increasingly uneven, especially for workers in vulnerable or transactional roles.
The discussion touches on the psychological and cultural dimensions of large-scale change, and focuses on human-centered change that prioritizes long-term outcomes over short-term savings. Vijay explains how reform efforts, particularly in systems like healthcare, fail when they ignore the needs of both service users and frontline workers. He also offers a look at the emotional toll of poorly managed transformation and the importance of building psychological safety within organizations. From the NHS to digital strategy, Vijay makes a case that the public sector offers valuable lessons in resilience and complexity in leadership that today’s business world can’t afford to overlook.