Council Leaders' Key Action for Innovation: Discussion Starter

Leading
Councillors’
Key Actions for
Innovation:
Research Findings
Accelerating Innovation
in Local Government
Research Project 2013

Defining innovation in local
government
Innovations are changes to services, products,
organisational arrangements or democratic
approaches that are both:
›  New to the council
›  Deliver additional value for resident, service
users &/or local businesses
The innovation continuum goes from small scale
improvements to radical disruptive, game
changing, breakthrough changes
©Accelerating Innovation in Local
Government Research Project 2013

Research objectives
Aims
›  Identify what leading councillors might do
to achieve more successful innovations in
their councils
›  Disseminate and promote this learning to
local councils
›  Further the research evidence on
leadership actions that help to achieve
innovation in public services

Research conducted
Previous research with City University London:
›  Interviews and discussions with leading chief
executives
›  Development & testing of Local Council’s Innovation
Framework
›  Focus groups with frontline employees
2013 research with Local Government Association:
›  Discussions with the Improvement & Innovation Board
and at elected members’ masterclass on innovation
›  Individual interviews with leading councillors

Lead for
Innovation
Ensure Priority
Innovations Are
Delivered

Council Leaders’ Key Actions
for Innovation identified
Create the
Climate for
Innovation

Agree Clear
Long-Term
Ambitions for
Innovation

Research Findings
›  The leading councillors interviewed were
taking many of the actions that
encourage innovation
›  But councils could achieve more
successful innovations, if more leading
councillors adopted a comprehensive,
strategic approach to innovation

Actions to improve innovation:
critical gaps in many councils
›  Agreeing the priority areas for future
innovations
›  Devoting sufficient time and resources to
developing the priority innovations
›  Genuinely involving frontline employees, and
local residents, in developing the priority
innovations
›  Closely tracking progress on developing the
priority innovations
›  Persisting intelligently, despite many barriers,
until the priority innovations are achieved

More details about council
leaders’ actions to
encourage innovation
With quotes from the
leading councillors
interviewed

Create the Climate for
Innovation
•  Encourage creativity
•  Invite external challenges
•  Proactively look for fresh ideas,
internally & externally
•  Take vital, calculated risks
•  Experiment, fail quickly & learn
from failures
•  Celebrate achievements

Creating the climate for
innovation: quotes from
leading councillors

‘We encourage the
officers, if you have got
an idea, we need to
hear about it. We
always look for the
positives. We say, we like
this, we like this, but this
needs changing.’

‘External challenge is good:
challenge from residents and local
businesses. You need to get people
from all backgrounds, saying: ‘why
do you do it like this?’ or ‘why do you
do that at all?’’
‘Make sure that
people are talking
to other councils.
Make sure that cross
fertilisation is going
on.’

‘You need space to think. With all of the
challenges coming at you, the danger is that
you make bad decisions because you have
not taken any time to think creatively about
how you are going to get away from this.’

‘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.’

Agree Clear Long-Term
Ambitions for Innovation
•  Agree clear, long-term strategic
objectives
•  Deeply understand residents’
concerns & the key future
challenges
•  Select the priority areas for major
innovations
•  Ensure proposed major innovations
are well considered & attainable

Agreeing clear long-term
ambitions for Innovation:
quotes from leading
councillors

‘You need a
picture of the
future. Where
the finances of
the country &
local
government are
going.’
‘We have a 20-year plan, as
to what kind of communities
we want. It is alive and
breathing, and it runs through
everything we do.’

‘You could have a
really bright idea, that
in practical
application could be
really successful. But,
given diminishing
resources, is it actually
a priority for you?’

‘There is no point in
attempting to
innovate, if you have
no idea what your
vision is.’

‘Our innovations
need to relate back
to our priorities.’

‘You can’t do
everything at once.
You have to
understand the
capability of your
organisation for
change.’

Lead for Innovation
•  Build a united political & managerial
leadership approach to innovation
•  Convincingly communicate the
need for priority innovations to
residents, employees & partners
•  Listen to others’ ideas, comments &
concerns
•  Work cross council & with key
partners
•  Move forward boldly, with pace &
determination

Leading for innovation:
quotes from leading
councillors

‘Councils are in the best place ever to
have a conversation with their
communities, and say: ‘we have no
money. We are going to try to protect
public services. We are going to try all of
these things, and they are new, we
haven’t done them before. You might not
like some of it, and you might like some of
it, but at least we are trying to do
something, rather than putting up the
white flag and saying we give up.’’

‘You have to take people
with you. And if you can’t
take people in your own
group, or your own council,
then you are not going to
take the public with you.’
‘Be brave and confident
about what you are doing.
If you are timid about
some of these changes
they won’t happen.’

‘You need to be
radical and to get on
and do new things.
That is what is needed
at the moment.’

Ensure Priority Innovations Are
Delivered
•  Devote sufficient time, resources &
expertise to priority innovations
•  Provide space & licence to test
new approaches
•  Involve key stakeholders e.g.
residents, employees, partners,
businesses
•  Monitor progress closely
•  Persist, persist, persist

Ensuring priority innovations
are delivered: quotes from
leading councillors

‘There is no point in
having ideas if you
can’t deliver them,
because you get egg
on your face. We do
what we know we can
deliver. We have big
ideas, but ones that are
actually achievable.’

‘You need to
road test it first,
to learn what
works and what
doesn’t.’
‘The secret is to
recognise quite
quickly when it is
not going well.’

‘Even when it gets
rocky, you have to
have the resolve,
because you firmly
believe what you
are doing is right.’
‘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.’

‘You need a clearly
defined goal, but be
prepared to change
the way you get there.’

Your position
Leading councillors:
›  What actions are you currently taking to
encourage innovation?
›  What more might you do that would help to
achieve more significant innovations in your
council?
›  What are your priorities for action? (What
actions are likely to have the biggest
impact?)
›  How will ensure they happen?

Resources
›  Council Leaders’ Key Actions for Innovation Report
http://tinyurl.com/LGIP2013
›  Local Councils’ Innovation Framework:
http://tinyurl.com/LGIF2014
›  Framework Self-Assessment tool:
http://tinyurl.com/LGISA2014
›  Summary of latest findings:
http://tinyurl.com/LGILF2014
›  Presentations on innovation:
http://www.slideshare.net/joanmunro
Government Research Project

Council Leaders' Key Action for Innovation: Discussion Starter

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