O0YQ5

Insights on Innovation
29
Innovation is vital. It pushes us to do better – to be better. But as a sector
we must unite to secure and sustain the conditions needed for innovation.
Sometimes we need to preserve tried-and-tested solutions – but a truly
innovative organisation and sector is prepared to try things that may not
work.
Women’s Aid is innovating by modelling what a needs-led approach to domestic
violence would look like across the system. We believe this will lead to better longterm
outcomes for women and children. We must not be precious about our own
services – although we work to protect them. It is difficult to protect innovation
from the ‘day job’.
Instead, we must be open about what is needed, challenge assumptions, look for
different expertise - and, most importantly, put the service user at the centre. The
crucial aspect of developing this new model is listening to survivors about what
they need, rather than what is easy to provide.
" To avoid
criticism, do
nothing, say
nothing, Be
nothing."
Aristotle
Currently, it is very difficult to build services around an understanding of what the
beneficiary needs rather than the charity. This applies to public sector agencies,
many of whom fund the services charities provide. They too have a tendency
to manage the risk to themselves, rather than meet the needs of service users.
Funders are not prepared for any failure - so we are tempted to spin and minimise
risk.
In order to innovate, we have to be prepared to fail. We need a culture change.
Innovation involves testing different models. Organisations have different
perspectives, histories, values – and therefore propose different models. Funders
may not know which is best before they make funding decisions. Reacting
against what funders see as ‘competition’ stifles innovation by limiting the range
of what can be tested. But without risk, there is no innovation. It is paradoxical;
many funders seek to fund innovation, therefore successful things are not funded
because they are not ‘innovative’. Many services rewrite what they have done for
years to get funding.
To raise money from the public, you need a compelling human-interest story; they
must think they are part of the solution, part of the narrative. That leads to a triedand-tested
solution. A major problem is finding core funding from any source. Yet
without core capacity we cannot innovate.
Charities need funding to innovate the way they are run. Without it, many have
an old-fashioned business model. We can only improve service delivery with an
innovative, lean and effective operating model.
Polly Neate is the Chief Executive of Women’s Aid.