The government’s plans for citizen empowerment set out in Building Britain’s Future have rightly grabbed media attention, but it’s by focusing on public sector innovation that the government could have the greatest effect on our public services.
The mismatch between increasing public spending and falling public sector productivity highlights the fact that the public sector still has a long way to go if it is to become consistently innovative. Whilst there have been some outstanding innovations in the public sector – eg NHS Direct, the Open University to name but two – these are the exception rather than the rule.
And while the ministerial commitment to innovation is welcome, it won’t – on its own – be enough to overhaul the culture in which public servants work that has held innovation back for so long.
A greater willingness to engage the public (and others, such as businesses or academia) in the exchange of ideas is vital, but without a public sector that can respond effectively, failure to exploit this flow of ideas runs the risk of simply leading to further disillusionment and disengagement.
By looking at the best innovators in the private sector, it is clear that the public sector needs to go further in changing the way it manages itself so that it becomes better at innovating in a systemic manner.
A more mature attitude to risk (and indeed, failure) – by both our parliamentarians and our public sector leaders – is necessary, as is a more creative approach to recruiting and rewarding public servants for innovative actions and behaviours. A more empowered and less bureaucratic approach to management is needed if the public sector is to come up with the solutions to today’s problems, let alone tomorrow’s.
These challenges are real and they are substantial; with the current fiscal outlook, holding back on making major changes to the way the public sector works risks it being unable to maintain the current level of service, and will make it impossible to meet the rising demands that societal expectations and trends require.
Gill Hunter
Director, innovation, strategy & change, Avail Consulting
