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Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
Research Findings
Chief Executives’
perspectives
Leading Councillors’ perspectives
Middle Managers’
perspectives
Frontline Employees’ perspectives
Learning from other
sectors
Learning from other research
Innovation = New + Relevant
New ways of
saving money
New ways of
delivering
New organisational arrangements
New ways of improving
democracy
Local government examples
Contact centres
Residents’ personal
computer links
New ways of avoiding
potholes
Tele-care
Council- owned private
company
Report rubbish
on mobile
Inter-agency working
Shared services
Pay on mobile
Community run libraries
Community volunteers mentoring
unemployed
Publish data for open use
Elected Youth
Council Older peoples’ mutual support ‘circles’
‘Tell Us Once’
Portable traffic lights
Social enterprises
Private sector
partnerships
Dementia friendly cafes
App for tourists
Local forums
Child-friendly city
Co-operative Council
Personal budgets Community
budgets
Annual magic festival
Building low carbon homes
Integrating assessments
Trafnoramtion I Creativity
Innovation
Transformation
What are the councils achieving more significant innovations doing?
Politicians set the strategic context for
innovation
Senior & middle managers lead for
innovation
Frontline managers & employees are engaged
in key innovations
Effective innovation delivery mechanisms
Taking A Strategic Approach to Innovation
Agree clear, long term ambitions & priorities for innovation
‘There is no point in attempting to
innovate if you have no idea what
your vision is.’
‘You can’t do everything at once.
You have to understand the
capacity of your organisation for
change.’
‘The first conversation has to be with your
community about ‘what do we want this place to
look like?’ Then you build your innovation
priorities.’
‘You need a picture of the future. Where are
the finances of the country & local
government going.’
Council Leaders
Earmark the resources required to achieve innovation priorities
‘Give staff more time
to be creative’
‘People at the top need to throw their
weight behind good
ideas’
‘If we are overstretched
we can’t innovate’
‘We need an
innovation fund’
‘Carve out the space
for creativity’
‘People need time & space
to come together &
develop their ideas’
‘We have the ideas,
but not the time to
implement them’
‘We need more
opportunities to come up with ideas’
‘Use our resources
more flexibly’
‘We need more time & resources to make things
happen’
‘Build in time to discuss innovation in
team meetings’
Employees’ views
Build a bold, united, leadership approach to innovation
‘You will leap to a ‘eureka’ moment, and you will assume that everyone has understood it with you. You have got to take them through the same process. And that takes time.’
‘I have been leader for 8 years. I understand the importance of building consensus, particularly political consensus in my group. Otherwise I am never going to get anything through.’
Council leaders
Convincingly communicate the reasons for innovations
‘The old senior managers used to be all gloss’
‘Now we feel that we are in this together’
‘The vision is vague: we need
a clearer direction’
‘We need top down reminders of why we are doing what we
are doing’
‘We need more feedback on
progress, savings achieved’
‘We would like to see the chief
executive more’
‘Senior managers are
open & up front’
‘The new chief exec is very
positive, he wants to change things’
‘Senior managers need to be
honest, get rid of spin’
‘There is a corporate
drive to encourage innovation’
Employees
“Innovation is often understood as a mysterious fringe practice by
geeks. What we are about is trying to create an eco-system, and the DNA of innovation, as a
daily part of the way the organisation organises itself to
deliver.” Kersten England City of York
Chief Executive, October 2013
Create the organisational climate for innovation
‘It helps when managers
value you, & recognise your contribution’
‘Agreeing targets helps
you to organise & prioritise’
‘Managers are too complacent, need
to look outside more’
‘It helps when managers
encourage you to think outside
the box’
‘Managers need to allow
you to take risks & fail’
‘We need more
proactive managers’
‘Managers here encourage you to have a go’
‘Managers need a new
attitude to risk’
‘Managers need to encourage
experimentation, even when things are not perfect’
‘Managers need to trust you more’
Employees
Use an innovation process
Investigate issues to fully understand problems & opportunities
Generate & consider many potential creative solutions
Select, prototype, test & develop most promising potential solutions
Execute
Look for best ideas worldwide
Take calculated vital risks
‘It is not about taking risks, it is about whether you think the thing you are doing is right. If you are absolutely convinced that what you are doing is right, then you have to mitigate the risks.’
Council leader
Involve key stakeholders
‘Senior managers need to involve
people more, tap into their passions’
‘You can tell them your ideas & they will listen’
‘Senior managers attending
team meetings provides
opportunity for feedback’
‘We need more two way
communication’
‘Managers need to listen to every idea & justify why
not using’
‘Senior managers need to understand
frontline services’
‘They want us to look as if we are
contributing’
‘Senior managers need to involve us
in planning innovations from
the start’
‘We have good systems for feeding back comments & ideas to the top’
Employees
‘Senior managers should
spend time at the coalface &
listen to what the problems are’
Work across boundaries
‘The council should get innovators
together, create an innovation space’ ‘We need more
cross silo working around
issues’
‘We need to understand what
other departments do, so that we can hook onto them’
‘The council needs to address silo
working’
‘Directors need to stop just defending their departments’
‘Build more peer groups, make
connections across the council’
‘Senior managers need to make ‘One
Council’ a reality’
‘We need to promote
relationships between services
to make innovations
happen’
‘We need a more
‘One Council’’
‘We need more cross-council
communication’ ‘Remove barriers between services’
Ensure delivery
Council leaders ‘Even when it gets rocky you have to
maintain your resolve, because
you strongly believe that what you are doing is
right.’
‘Things always take longer, and are always more complex than you expect.’
‘Innovating is something that doesn’t happen quickly. Our innovation has taken 20 years. There is something to be said for that little valued virtue of constancy.’
‘How does progress occur? To begin with, if you come up
with a radical idea, it is ignored. Then if you go on you are told it is unrealistic. Then, if you go on after that, you’re mad. Then there is a pause and you can’t find
anyone at the top who doesn’t claim to have been
in favour of it in the first place.’
Tony Benn, Guardian 28.10.13
Citizen & service user
focus
Culture promotes innovation
Effective delivery
mechanisms for innovation
Cross boundary innovation
Strategic approach
to innovation
Leaders & managers
driving innovation
Clear political vision & priorities
Employees skilled &
motivated for innovation
Local Council Innovation Framework
For more details contact: Joan Munro Director Accelerating Innovation in Councils [email protected] Tel: 0779 2952 498 @JoanMICL