Resources
Research papers, presentations and reports
Relational Public Services
This paper makes the case for reframing public services in Ireland as Relational Public Services (RPS) that take a Human Learning Systems Approach (HLS), which describes a way of organising viable services built around relationships and collective learning, as distinct from transactions, targets and standardised processes. The approach centres on developing an understanding of complexity, raising capability for systems thinking and learning to create the conditions for people to thrive at a personal level and within the wider systems of support. This paper explores the importance of relationships, complexity, and how taking a systemic approach to learning can contribute to understanding how policy-making and practice can work better to serve all the humans in the system.
O’Donnell, J., Lowe, T., Eichsteller, G., & O’Neill, A. (2026, March 24). Reframing public services in Ireland as a relational practice. PublicPolicy.ie.
Presentation on Relational Public Services delivered at the Systems Thinking, Systems Practice Conference, University of Hull, March 2026:
O’Donnell, J., (2026). Making Relational Public Services work using systemic thinking, Presentation to Systems Thinking, Systems Practice Conference, SCiO, IFSR, OR Society, University of Hull.
Systemic Leadership
I worked with the Scottish Government to raise capability across the public service to work more systemically and collaboratively together, This paper was developed after running masterclasses and training programmes for senior leaders. It is designed to share some concepts informed by systems thinking to support a systems-informed lens to public-facing work. It puts practitioner-leader at the centre of practice and encourages readers to reflect critically on personal positionality, as well as the lens used to understand and intervene in complex issues.
Virtual Disability Services
Between 2020 and 2023, I conducted research on the emergence of virtual disability services both in Ireland and internationally, as a practice response to the COVID-19 pandemic as part of my PhD research. It set the ground for a greater understanding of the importance of relationships, mattering and belonging between givers and recipients of services. Psychological safety was reconstituted as a deeply relational systemic construct and the Viable Systems Model was used to design a governance system for stewarding future service design.
O’Donnell, J., Desmond, D., & MacLachlan, M. (2024). Learning from innovative staff practices that led to virtual disability services using the lens of Complex Adaptive Systems. Disability & Society, 1-26.
’Donnell, J., Desmond, D., MacLachlan, M. (2022) Shaking up Services: Reframing Service Delivery as a Self-Organising Complex Adaptive System to Sustain Innovation, in Open Access Compendium: Assistive Technology, Accessibility and (e)Inclusion, AAATE-ICHHP 2022
Systemic approaches to pandemic prevention, UNEP
I was engaged by UNEP to support the development of a systemic approach to scoping upstream interventions for pandemic prevention projects across the globe. Together, we produced this scoping guide to be used by countries to work collaboratively across local, national government and international institutional levels.
Williams, B, O’Donnell, J., Madden, K, Crump, L, Blanc, J. (2023) Systemic thinking and practice: A practical Guide to Nature 4 Health's scoping work, Nature4Health, United Nations Environmental Programme. https://nature4health.org/resources-2.
The future of work & Disability
The interface between disability, work and poverty has been a longstanding interest. Here are two reports on research undertaken in this area: one relating to remote working during the pandemic and the other a systemic analysis for a European report on Ireland’s policy response to employment rates.
Disability and labour market integration: Policy trends and support in EU Member States
How to…
Rich Pictures
Drawing Rich Pictures is an effective way to work with groups to explore the interrelationships between different structures and processes within a given situation and at the same time give space for different perspectives to emerge.
You can read about applying rich pictures here.