This presentation summarises what local councils might do to achieve more major innovations, more quickly. It is based on the findings from the Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project.

1. Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project

3. Leading
Councillors’
perspectives
Middle
Managers’
perspectives
Learning
from other
sectors
Chief
Executives’
perspectives
Research
Findings
Frontline
Employees’
perspectives
Learning from
other research

4. New
ways of
delivering
Innovation =
New + Relevant
New
organisational
arrangements
New
ways of
saving money
New ways of
improving
democracy

5. Local government examples
Annual
magic
festival
Pay on
mobile
Report
rubbish
on
mobile
Portable
traffic
lights
App for
tourists
Local
forums
New ways
of avoiding
potholes
Dementia
friendly
cafes
Elected
Youth
Council
Community
run libraries
Residents’
personal
computer links
Publish data
for open use
Community
volunteers
mentoring
unemployed
Older
peoples’
mutual
support
‘circles’
Building low
carbon
homes
Social
enterprises
Shared
services
‘Tell Us
Once’
Personal
budgets
Private
sector
partnerships
Contact
centres
Integrating
assessments
Co-operative
Council
Childfriendly city
Community
budgets
Interagency
working
Tele-care
Councilowned
private
company

6. Transformation
Innovation
Trafnoramtion
I
Creativity

7. What are
the councils
achieving
more
significant
innovations
doing?

8. Taking A
Strategic
Approach to
Innovation
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

9. Agree clear,
long term
ambitions &
priorities for
innovation

10. Council Leaders
‘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.’
‘There is no point in
attempting to
innovate if you
have no idea what
your vision is.’
‘You need a picture of
the future. Where are
the finances of the
country & local
government going.’
‘You can’t do
everything at once.
You have to
understand the
capacity of your
organisation for
change.’

11. Earmark the resources required
to achieve innovation priorities

12. Employees’
views
‘Use our
resources
more
flexibly’
‘We need
more time &
resources to
make things
happen’
‘Build in time to
discuss innovation in
team meetings’
‘We need
more
opportunities
to come up
with ideas’
‘People need
time & space
to come
together &
develop their
ideas’
‘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’
‘Carve out
the space
for
creativity’
‘We need
an
innovation
fund’
‘We have
the ideas,
but not the
time to
implement
them’

13. Build a bold, united, leadership
approach to innovation

14. ‘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.’
Council
leaders
‘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.’

15. Convincingly communicate the
reasons for innovations

16. ‘The old senior
managers used
to be all gloss’
Employees
‘The new chief
exec is very
positive, he wants
to change things’
‘Now we feel
that we are in
this together’
‘There is a
corporate
drive to
encourage
innovation’
‘Senior
managers are
open & up
front’
‘The vision is
vague: we need
a clearer
direction’
‘We need more
feedback on
progress, savings
achieved’
‘Senior
managers
need to be
honest, get rid
of spin’
‘We need top
down reminders
of why we are
doing what we
are doing’
‘We would like
to see the chief
executive
more’

17. Create the organisational
climate for innovation
“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

18. Employees
‘We need
more
proactive
managers’
‘Managers
need a new
attitude to risk’
‘Agreeing
targets helps
you to organise
& prioritise’
‘It helps when
managers
encourage you
to think outside
the box’
‘Managers are too
‘Managers here
complacent, need
encourage you
to look outside
to have a go’
more’
‘It helps when
managers
value you, &
recognise your
contribution’
‘Managers need
to trust you more’
‘Managers need
to encourage
experimentation,
even when things
are not perfect’
‘Managers
need to allow
you to take
risks & fail’

19. 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

21. Look for best ideas worldwide

23. 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

24. Involve key
stakeholders

25. Employees
‘Senior managers
need to involve
people more, tap
into their passions’
‘Senior
managers
attending
team meetings
provides
opportunity for
feedback’
‘Senior managers
need to involve us
in planning
innovations from
the start’
‘Senior managers
need to understand
frontline services’
‘We need more
two way
communication’
‘We have good
systems for feeding
back comments &
ideas to the top’
‘Senior
managers should
spend time at
the coalface &
listen to what the
problems are’
‘They want us to
look as if we are
contributing’
‘Managers need
to listen to every
idea & justify why
not using’
‘You can tell
them your ideas
& they will listen’

26. Work across boundaries

27. ‘We need
a more
‘One
Council’’
‘Build more peer
groups, make
connections across
the council’
‘We need to
promote
relationships
between services
to make
innovations
happen’
‘Senior
managers need
to make ‘One
Council’ a
reality’
‘The council needs
to address silo
working’
‘We need more
cross silo
working around
issues’
‘We need more
cross-council
communication’
‘We need to
understand what
other departments
do, so that we can
hook onto them’
‘The council should
get innovators
together, create an
innovation space’
‘Directors need to
stop just defending
their departments’
‘Remove barriers
between
services’

28. Ensure
delivery

29. 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.’

30. ‘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

31. Local Council Innovation Framework
Strategic
approach
to
innovation
Cross
boundary
innovation
Clear
political
vision &
priorities
Leaders &
managers
driving
innovation
Citizen &
Culture
service user
promotes
focus
innovation
Effective
Employees
delivery
skilled &
mechanisms
motivated for
for innovation
innovation

32. For more details contact:
Joan Munro
Director
Accelerating Innovation in Councils
joan.munro@btopenworld.com
Tel: 0779 2952 498
@JoanMICL