Executive Summary

Think about the past 18 to 20 months. Many facets of our lives were (and still are) in flux. The same is true for municipalities, school districts, counties and states. Pandemic-related responses stretched public servants beyond their job descriptions, and they showed up:

☑ Creating life-saving workarounds for the public ☑ Cutting through bureaucratic red tape to streamline benefits ☑ Rethinking how to serve constituents in need ☑ Launching digital tools and services to empower employees and the public in new ways ▶ And more

Countless hours, sweat, tears and grit went into this critical work.

We wanted to know if the transformational changes we all saw and experienced across state and local governments will drive a lasting culture shift. How are leaders and innovators building these advancements into their operations going forward?

We wrote this guide to provide our community with use cases and practical tips for ensuring that the progress they’ve made during the pandemic sticks. Our goal is to outline what worked and how it worked. You’ll hear from colleagues and leaders across state and local governments. The hope is that their stories empower you to advocate for and create conditions where innovation is normalized and prioritized long after any crises. We end the guide by inviting you to create a personal innovation mission statement.

In conversation, innovation and technology intertwine, but technology alone isn’t innovation. True innovation gets to the heart of how governments use tech to improve outcomes, save lives and empower employees to serve at their best.

“Innovation in government is about finding new ways to impact the lives of citizens, and new approaches to activating them as partners to shape the future together. It involves overcoming old structures and modes of thinking and embracing new technologies and ideas.”

– Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

“Our mission is to improve the lives of New Jerseyans by solving public problems differently.”

– New Jersey State Office of Innovation

“... acknowledge the need for government to change its practices: the way it delivers services; the way it communicates, both internally and externally; and perhaps most importantly, the way it addresses and solves challenges in response to public needs.”

– Philadelphia Office of Innovation and Technology