The Challenges of Innovation in the Public Sector and How to Solve Them

As a futures strategist and anticipatory innovation specialist, I am confronted daily with the challenge of guiding groups in the process of realizing their ambitions and solving the issues keeping them from achieving greater impact. The sector I am the most familiar with and in which I feel the greatest good can be achieved is the public sector.

Evolving and improving is necessary in all sectors and the public sector is no exception. "Innovation" is the term commonly used when discussing this need. We all know the popular cartoon with all the lifted hands as answer to the question: "Who wants to innovate?". The following image in which nobody seems to want to change also rings a bell.

The following section will focus on the challenges all involved face when working on innovation in the public sector. Each challenge will be followed by a short explanation and a list of tips and tricks.

1."Innovation" is understood in different ways:

Innovation is often requested within the public sector. A politician want to launch something unseen till then. A high-level civil servant wants a new way of accomplishing a process to save on time. An expert wants to come up with a more effective way to impact the theme they are working on. A lobby group wants the government to be more impactful in ensuring their welfare. A researcher wants the government to make more and better use of the results of their research. And a company wants a swifter introduction of the developments they have made to modernize the government.

All these stakeholders are requesting innovation but what they mean by this is different.

The Observatory for Public Sector Innovation has developed the public sector innovation facets. This framework is useful when clarifying which "innovation" is desired. It shows 4 types of innovation: Enhancement-oriented innovation, mission-oriented innovation, adaptive innovation and anticipatory innovation. More information: https://oecd-opsi.org/projects/innovation-facets/

Use this to define the innovation that is desired but also to increase awareness of what other possible focus areas could be.

2. The Buy-in to Innovate is Insufficient:

Within the public sector one often needs to convince others to create room for innovation. An internal or external party will enthusiastically sell a promise or idea to a specific service or department. As the information is escalated through the chain of command, information is often simplified. This leads to a higher level of expectation and in some cases a gap between what is feasible.

Make sure to achieve sufficient buy-in before starting through the whole chain of command and also during the initiative. This can be done through a steering committee with working partners and decision makers. Also take into account the area of responsibility and objectives of each member.

3. The Aims of Innovation are Unclear:

So you know what to innovate and all are on board. Just start right?

Wait a second. First make sure what you are aiming for is clear. Which effect do you want to achieve?

Be as specific as you can. Formulate it in a SMART fashion: Specific; Measurable, Acceptable, Realistic and Time related.

Define how you will measure the effect.

Discuss this with all involved to ensure it is feasible.

Define when the effect must be realized.

This seems logical, but the objectives in a public sector setting are often vague so just linking up to a higher level objective might not be relevant.

If needed return to the steering committee to ensure they are in agreement with the scope.

4. Public Funds for Innovation are often Limited:

Should public funds be used to innovate? This is food for much public debate and varying views. Maybe an alternative question is more relevant? Should the public sector adhere to a constant way of working or should this also evolve?

I suspect most will answer affirmative to the second question. Yet the level and speed of change will vary depending on many factors. One of the most relevant is the available means. Means encompass not only financials but are also time and staff related.

With very limited means an official might just want to reuse or copy best practices. A gradual improvement might be interesting for others. Leaders might want to truly reinvent a way of working, hence setting up a new best practice. Ambitious organizations might want to show how missions can be achieved.

You need to ensure you not only know what you are aiming for but also what you have at your disposal to achieve it within but also outside of your organization. Clarify this from the get go. You might be able to broaden the scope later on when new funds are obtained.

5. The Support Mechanisms for Innovation are Lacking

Public sector organizations often struggle with how and where to embed innovation. They try to neatly put it in a department or formalize it in a process.

It might seem counter intuitive but this will never work. Innovation should be intertwined everywhere and must become part of the culture of an organization.

This does not entail that this innovative capacity can not be supported. You can do this in many ways depending on the level of innovation maturity your organization has. A few ideas follow:

• Set up a small set of innovation challenges;
• Inspire innovative thinking through bringing in external innovators;
• Encourage sharing of ideas by colleagues internally;
• Value the learnings and sharing based on innovative projects (also those that are not viewed as a success);
• Ensure time is reserved for working on innovative ideas;
• Place a mix of competencies in each team;
• Open the challenges and conditions to an ecosystem of players;
• Share knowledge and insights in a focussed way around these challenges;

Learn, adapt, improve and share while doing this. And of course when the set of challenges are solved make up a new set.

Please comment if this article is useful to you and if you have any new questions you would like me or others to help with.