Strategic issues
Innovation in the public sector always risks being a marginal add-on: small scale in terms of funds, commitment of people and political capital. But serious innovation is closely tied into strategy. It is seen as a way to achieve outcomes more effectively, and to target issues that matter.
Innovation linked into strategy
Strategic considerations should drive a significant share of public innovation funding, specifically through: i) identifying priority issues, cost pressures, public concerns, and the fields where there...
Read moreVisible leadership
It matters greatly if leaders signal that innovation matters. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was an exemplar – saying publicly that he wanted to see experiment, and sometimes...
Read moreAppropriate risk management
Public agencies tend to be fearful of risk. The challenge is to manage risk, not eliminate it. Risk can be managed across a portfolio of projects...
Read moreFormation and training
Formation and training to integrate innovation into personal development, training and culture. Some need to become specialists in spotting, developing and growing ideas. Others, particularly gatekeepers,...
Read moreCircuits of information
Circuits of information from users to front line staff and senior managers. The flow of information from the periphery to the centre is critical for learning,...
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User engagement
User engagement has been helped both by user groups themselves and by professional organisations providing methods for engaging citizens. Users play an important role in providing...
Read moreInnovation needs to be supported by incentives
Innovation needs to be supported by incentives, or at least not blocked by disincentives. These will take different forms in different sectors. Systematic identification of key...
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