Government Innovation Is All About the Mission
When people hear the word ‘innovation’ today, they often think of high-profile digital startups in Silicon Valley, impressive advances in medicine, or new tools and techniques for remote collaboration and social interaction. Private-sector organizations, with their leadership in these areas, have set a high bar for Government organizations to aspire to. So, what does innovation really mean for the Government? How can it harness the ideas in its workforce to bring innovation to life?
Government offices and programs face unique challenges when it comes to pursuing innovation – high levels of public scrutiny, unique sets of competing stakeholders, and complex regulatory requirements. Innovation in the public sector can really create unprecedented mission value and meaningful changes to citizens.
Pursuing innovation doesn’t always require coming up with the newest technology or developing ideas from scratch. Instead, the Government should look to creatively adapt tools and techniques from other agencies or the private sector to meet unique mission needs in powerful ways. Starting small, generating sequential short-term wins, and ultimately building up the confidence of employees and stakeholders will pave the way to broader change and a culture that supports new ideas.
If you’re leading or supporting a public sector organization, keeping a clear focus on your organization’s mission, focusing carefully on the true needs of your clients and stakeholders, and looking outside your own context to identify new trends and possibilities can allow you to explore more effective ways of doing business. For example, the Department of Homeland Security’s IdeaFactory, which began at the Transportation Security Administration, is used to crowd-source diverse ideas from across the workforce for program improvements, taking advantage of mission knowledge and experience developed by employees on the job to identify potential improvements.
Implementing new ideas effectively is as important developing them. It is critical to take concrete steps to cultivate a consistent Innovation Mindset in your organization: an established attitude towards developing creative solutions and a commitment to taking action to add value, produce and implement new ideas, and achieve results.
Building an Innovation Mindset involves shaping specific cultural expectations, introducing new processes, and applying the right tools to encourage and embrace innovation, encourage individuals to explore and apply creative solutions, and empower employees to put their innovative ideas into action. Doing this is challenging, but the rewards are worth it.
