May 2019 newsletter  

Developing innovation craft in the public sector

In a new blog series on innovation capacity building, we’re sharing what we’ve learned through our learning programmes, R&D work and collaborating with the community of practice.

In this first piece, our Head of Strategy & Development Jesper Christiansen discusses why we need to go beyond individual methods or approaches to also focus on innovation craft - the behaviours, mindset and culture that enable innovation in the public sector.

Setting up to succeed: Getting teams, projects and environments ready to learn

We recently kicked off our new learning programme in Australia and New Zealand with a four-day session all about getting the cohort, their project and environment prepared and ready to learn.

In this piece, our Programme Manager Nicole Barling-Luke shares why it's essential to tackle all three areas for innovation to succeed, and how we've been helping the teams to do so.

What we've been reading

• Mike Bracken explains how true innovation comes from “teams that do. Teams that are allowed to do” on UCL’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose blog.

• Michelle Garraway from InWithForward calls out to fellow designers: “Dear designers, my worry is that we in the public sector have plucked out what’s easy and supports the current systems and structures, and have left out all of the ‘magic’ that makes design so important and valuable for the public sector”.

• Why is it that some innovations spread so swiftly and others so slowly? This new compendium brings together 13 different innovation approaches that Nesta has worked to analyse, develop, test and spread.

• “It’s not uncommon to see people who are the catalysts for change to hit the wall. Hard. Usually more than once. And often, at great personal toll.” Miki Stricket-Talot from the City of Edmonton gives nine ways for convening a community to support change makers in government.