The Persistence of Innovation in Government

The Persistence of Innovation in Government: A Guide for Innovative Public ServantsIBM Center for The Business of GovernmentRecommendation Three: Support communities of practice and other initiatives topromote interorganizational dialogue at the front lines of government organization.Given that so much public sector innovation involves interorganizational collaboration, middlemanagers and frontline staff should look beyond their organizations’ boundaries. Conversationswith counterparts in other public sector organizations might spark an innovation. Findingopportunities for such dialogue increases the likelihood that a spark will be struck. The establishmentwithin governments of communities of practice, often supported by wikis, is one wayof facilitating contact across agency boundaries.Recommendation Four: Support performance management systems because theyencourage innovative problem solving.Two decades of research on public sector innovation have shown the prevalence of problemsolving, rather than crisis response, as a motivator. Performance management systems, especiallyif they produce real-time results, provide essential information on evolving problems.Awareness of these problems stimulates innovation. In addition, having an organization-wideperformance management system encourages, if not obligates, innovators to establish metricsto track how well their innovation is working. This research has also shown that innovationswhose performance is measured, both internally and by external evaluators, are more likely toproduce achievements that receive external recognition.32