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 joan.munro@btopenworld.com Tel: 0779 2952 498 @JoanMICL