The Persistence of Innovation in Government

Recommendations

Info

The Persistence of Innovation in Government: A Guide for Innovative Public Servantswww.businessofgovernment.orgTable of ContentsForeword. .......................................................... 4Introduction ........................................................ 6What Have We Learned about Innovation In Government? ....................... 8Elements of Change ................................................ 8Elements of Continuity ............................................. 17Recommendations for Creating a Climate for Innovation ........................ 27Recommendations to Innovators. ...................................... 27Recommendations to Government Executives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Conclusion: Innovation Awards and the Three-Sided Partnership. ................. 33Appendix I: Methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Appendix II: HKS Award Application Questions . ............................. 37References. ........................................................ 38Acknowledgments ................................................... 39About the Author. ................................................... 40Key Contact Information .............................................. 413
The Persistence of Innovation in Government: A Guide for Innovative Public ServantsIBM Center for The Business of GovernmentForewordOn behalf of the IBM Center for The Business of Government,we are pleased to present this report, The Persistence ofInnovation in Government: A Guide for Public Servants, bySandford Borins, Professor of Public Management at theUniversity of Toronto and Research Fellow at the HarvardKennedy School.With this report, Professor Borins continues two decades ofresearch analyzing winners of and applicants to the HarvardUniversity Kennedy School’s Innovations in AmericanGovernment Awards. This report presents a comparison of theapplications received by the program in the 1990s (1990 to1994) with those received in 2010. In 2001, the IBM Centerfor The Business of Government published The Challenge ofInnovating in Government, Professor Borins’ report on his1990s research on innovation.Daniel J. ChenokProfessor Borins has found that innovation is alive and well andpersisting at all levels of government in the United States, withboth shifts and continuities from the 1990s to 2010. One ofthe most significant findings by Professor Borins is the increasingproportion of innovation initiatives involving collaboration. In2010, 65 percent of the innovation applicants reported externalcollaboration as a project component—more than doublethe 28 percent reported in the 1990s. Nearly 60 percent ofthe applicants also reported collaboration within government.Significantly, award semifinalists in 2010 reported an evenhigher incidence of collaboration, with over 80 percent of thesemifinalists reporting external collaboration and collaborationwithin government.Dr. Jane L. SnowdonThe important trend toward external collaboration and collaborationwithin government has also been reflected in the increasednumber of IBM Center reports focusing on “collaborating acrossboundaries.” In 2013, the IBM Center published seven reportson collaboration, including Implementing Cross-AgencyCollaboration: A Guide for Federal Managers, by Jane Fountain;and Collaboration Between Government and OutreachOrganizations: A Case Study of the Department of VeteransAffairs, by Lael Keiser and Susan Miller.4
Page 1: Innovation SeriesThe Persistence of
Page 7 and 8: The Persistence of Innovation in Go
Page 43 and 44: Reports fromFor a full listing of I

The Persistence of Innovation in Government

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?