leading for innovation in local government
TRANSCRIPT
Creativity in local government:
Leadership for innovation
Joan Munro April 2015
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
Innovation = New + Relevant
New ways of saving
money
New ways of
delivering
New organisational arrangements
New ways of improving democracy©Accelerating Innovation in Local
Government Research Project
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
Solar powered litter bin
Turning waste into energy
Council owned private company
Integrating health & social care
Vertical pier
GPS watches for people with
dementia
Examples of local government innovations
Simplified innovation process
Investigate issues to fullyunderstand problems & opportunities
Generate & consider many potential creative solutions
Select, prototype, test & develop most promising potential solutions
Execute
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
How can local government leaders achieve more major innovations, more quickly?
What’s shared?What’s different?What’s missing?
Chief Executives’ Perspectives
Leading Councillors’ Perspectives
Middle Managers’
Perspectives
Frontline Employees’ Perspectives
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
FIVE KEY ACTIONS
UNIVERSALLY AGREED
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
Agreeing a clear
strategic direction & innovation priorities
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
Leading for innovation
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
Particularly convincingly communicating the need
for innovations
Fostering an organisational culture that encourages innovation
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
Devoting sufficient time & resources to priority innovations
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
FutureGov photo
Building effective cross-council working on major innovations
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
Turning rhetoric into reality
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
Many middle managers & frontline employees said
that their leaders needed to put the 5 key actions into practice more effectively
Communicating, face to face
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
Many middle managers & frontline employees said it
was vital that leaders communicate in person
Involving & listening to managers & employees
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
Many middle managers & employees felt that consultations on proposed innovations were
often tokenistic & too late
Ensuring corporate services help to deliver innovations
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
In some councils, middle managers felt that their corporate services block
innovation
Providing technology expertise
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
In some councils, middle managers felt that the
necessary digital expertise was not
available
Using effective,
disciplined, delivery
mechanisms
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
Many chief executives felt programme &
project management helped to ensure
delivery
Persisting until innovations are achieved ©Accelerating Innovation in Local
Government Research Project
Many middle managers & employees felt that their
leaders did not maintain their interest for long enough
Areas needing attention?
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
Involving residents more?
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
Looking more widely for inspiration?
Focusing more on partnerships & on commissioning for innovation?
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
Developing more
innovation expertise?
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
“Ideas are a dime a dozen. What’s more important is the execution: the alignment of the right ideas,
the right team, the right development process, the right leadership, the right level of risk
management, the right target, the right time to market and so on.”
Jones and Samlionis, IDEO
THE LOCAL COUNCILS’ INNOVATION FRAMEWORK
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
Distils the findings from the research
Can be used by leaders individually or in groups to
review what they might do to achieve more major
innovations
Citizen & Service user
Focus
Culture promotes innovation
Effective delivery
mechanisms for innovation
Cross boundary
innovations
Strategic approach to innovation
Leaders & managers lead for
innovation
Clear political vision & priorities
Employees skilled &
motivated for innovation
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
Resources & contact details
Local Councils’ Innovation Framework: http://tinyurl.com/LGIF2014
Local Councils’ Innovation Framework Self-Assessment tool: http://bit.ly/1SSk2qP
Summary of research findings: http://tinyurl.com/LGinnLF814
Presentations on innovation:http://www.slideshare.net/joanmunro
[email protected]: 0779 2952 498@JoanMICL
©Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project