<strong>The</strong> <strong>Persistence</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Innovation</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Government</strong>: A Guide for Innovative Public Servantswww.bus<strong>in</strong>ess<strong>of</strong>government.orgRecommendations for Creat<strong>in</strong>g aClimate for <strong>Innovation</strong>Consider<strong>in</strong>g the landscape <strong>of</strong> public sector <strong>in</strong>novation <strong>in</strong> the past two decades, both its emerg<strong>in</strong>glandmarks and its unchang<strong>in</strong>g contours, separate sets <strong>of</strong> recommendations are presentedfor <strong>in</strong>novative practitioners and for government executives who can <strong>in</strong>fluence an organization’sclimate for <strong>in</strong>novation. <strong>The</strong> section concludes with a discussion about how <strong>in</strong>novation awardsprograms, academics, and practitioners can build an effective three-sided partnership toenhance <strong>in</strong>novation.Recommendations to InnovatorsRecommendation One: Prepare to collaborate.Interorganizational collaboration is likely to be part <strong>of</strong> any <strong>in</strong>novation <strong>in</strong> the years ahead. <strong>The</strong>2010 HKS Awards semif<strong>in</strong>alists and <strong>in</strong>novators elsewhere have shown that creative problemsolv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the public sector requires <strong>in</strong>terorganizational collaboration far more <strong>of</strong>ten than not,both with<strong>in</strong> the public sector and outside. 8 <strong>The</strong> box Questions to Ask about Collaborationspresents a list <strong>of</strong> items all <strong>in</strong>novators should consider prior to undertak<strong>in</strong>g a collaborativeproject.Recommendation Two: Use the build<strong>in</strong>g blocks.In addition to <strong>in</strong>terorganizational collaboration, consider the other build<strong>in</strong>g blocks for publicsector <strong>in</strong>novation:• Information technology• Process improvement• Citizen empowerment• Use <strong>of</strong> volunteers• Application <strong>of</strong> market <strong>in</strong>centivesWhile none is as significant a trend as <strong>in</strong>terorganizational collaboration, each is used <strong>of</strong>tenenough to be part <strong>of</strong> a problem solver’s toolbox. <strong>The</strong>y are structural features <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>novationdesign that have repeatedly produced significant results. One challenge lies <strong>in</strong> recogniz<strong>in</strong>g howthey may be adapted to a specific problem. A second challenge lies <strong>in</strong> f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g which <strong>of</strong> atleast several hundred possible comb<strong>in</strong>ations <strong>of</strong> these build<strong>in</strong>g blocks is most appropriate foran <strong>in</strong>novator’s needs. Creativity is needed to generate novel comb<strong>in</strong>ations <strong>of</strong> the build<strong>in</strong>gblocks, craft knowledge to determ<strong>in</strong>e which would be most effective.8. Readers <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> learn<strong>in</strong>g more about effective <strong>in</strong>terorganizational collaboration should consult Ansell and Gash’s (2008) metaanalysis<strong>of</strong> the case literature on collaboration between government and civil society, which also suggests success factors.27
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Persistence</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Innovation</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Government</strong>: A Guide for Innovative Public ServantsIBM Center for <strong>The</strong> Bus<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>of</strong> <strong>Government</strong>Questions to Ask about Collaborations<strong>The</strong>re are numerous questions to consider when undertak<strong>in</strong>g such partnerships.• What will be the “glue” to hold the collaboration together?• Does the collaboration have a clear vision that all participat<strong>in</strong>g agencies or organizations can endorse?• Are there senior executives (mayors, governors, agency heads, legislators, foundation executives)who are strongly supportive <strong>of</strong> the collaboration and committed to its survival? At the politicallevel, can it w<strong>in</strong> bipartisan support?• Is an <strong>in</strong>formal agreement sufficient, or is a formal written agreement necessary?• What type <strong>of</strong> ongo<strong>in</strong>g meet<strong>in</strong>gs, committees, or other organizational structures are needed to supportthe collaboration?• Will the collaboration have neutral mediators for dispute resolution?• Are the occupational cultures <strong>in</strong>volved (for example, those <strong>of</strong> police and social workers) supportive<strong>of</strong> collaboration by frontl<strong>in</strong>e staff?• Can <strong>in</strong>centives, both <strong>in</strong>dividual and organizational, be created that support collaboration?• Can the collaboration develop its own performance measures?• How will the collaboration be funded? Are there possibilities for f<strong>in</strong>ancial participation by severallevels <strong>of</strong> government, as well as foundations and the private sector? While there are some highpr<strong>of</strong>ilefoundations deeply <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> public policy (Gates, Johnson, Bloomberg), the competitionfor their funds is <strong>in</strong>tense, so would-be <strong>in</strong>novators might have more success with lower-pr<strong>of</strong>ile foundationswhose scope is regional or local. 9Recommendation Three: Proactive beats reactive.Public sector <strong>in</strong>novations are more frequently proactive responses to <strong>in</strong>ternal problems or newopportunities than reactions to externally visible crises. This is not an <strong>in</strong>vitation to ignore crises,not an easy th<strong>in</strong>g to do <strong>in</strong> any event. It is rather a rem<strong>in</strong>der <strong>of</strong> the proven importance <strong>of</strong>be<strong>in</strong>g proactive. Real-time performance data available with<strong>in</strong> government agencies facilitatesproactive problem solv<strong>in</strong>g; if the data is also publicly available, the agency may also benefitfrom the community’s collective <strong>in</strong>telligence.Not only is it essential for public servants to look for solutions to problems before they becomecrises—they must actively seek out opportunities. <strong>The</strong>se might be presented by new technology,new fund<strong>in</strong>g sources, an unexpected alignment or overlap with other public sector agencies,or a shift <strong>in</strong> public priorities or values. Any one <strong>of</strong> these might suggest and/or support<strong>in</strong>novations. <strong>The</strong> po<strong>in</strong>t is to keep look<strong>in</strong>g and ask<strong>in</strong>g.Recommendation Four: Start with a comprehensive plan, but be will<strong>in</strong>g to change it.Two contrast<strong>in</strong>g approaches to strategiz<strong>in</strong>g an <strong>in</strong>novation are comprehensive plann<strong>in</strong>g andadaptive <strong>in</strong>crementalism. <strong>The</strong> analysis here has found that plann<strong>in</strong>g is used far more <strong>of</strong>tenthan <strong>in</strong>crementalism. In particular, plann<strong>in</strong>g tends to be associated with larger <strong>in</strong>novations andthose <strong>in</strong>volv<strong>in</strong>g considerable <strong>in</strong>terorganizational collaboration, while adaptive <strong>in</strong>crementalismtends to be associated with those <strong>in</strong>itiated by frontl<strong>in</strong>e staff and those <strong>in</strong>volv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>formationtechnology. 109. For example, Boston’s Teacher Residency Program (one <strong>of</strong> the six 2010 HKS f<strong>in</strong>alists), which enabled the Boston Public Schools toestablish its own teacher tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g program, received its <strong>in</strong>itial fund<strong>in</strong>g from Strategic Grant Partners, a Boston foundation established by14 collaborat<strong>in</strong>g family foundations.10. This conclusion is based on a statistical analysis <strong>of</strong> the determ<strong>in</strong>ants <strong>of</strong> the 2010 HKS Awards semif<strong>in</strong>alists’ choice <strong>of</strong> plann<strong>in</strong>g,<strong>in</strong>crementalism, or a mix <strong>of</strong> the two. See Bor<strong>in</strong>s, <strong>The</strong> <strong>Persistence</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Innovation</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Government</strong> (2014), pp. 79–83.28
Change language