Innovation Guerilla Against Bureaucracy

BY ANJA WYDEN GUELPA

Why is innovation so difficult in the public sector? And what can we do to make it happen?

Change is never simple—especially in the public sector. But we need innovation, because the costs of security, health, and education will go up more in upcoming years than additional taxes. Innovation means trying something new, taking risks. That’s hard in a public sector with a zero-risk culture.

What can we do? Many public bodies have invested in digital strategies. That was important, but it’s not enough. We need human strategies. But you know the saying, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” A McKinsey study showed that 75% of all transformation projects fail, according to the top managers. The reason is cultural, not technical. How can we reinvent our public culture?

Purpose

Steve Jobs said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” A study showed that for 85% of master’s students, it is extremely or very important that their purpose is reflected in their company’s values. Once you have your purpose, it’s important to share it with your employees so you can motivate them and attract good talent.

Autonomy

We also need autonomy to be intrinsically motivated. Ideally, employees can choose what they do and when, how, and with whom they do it. That’s an extreme case, but if our employees cannot choose what they’re doing, at least give them the liberty of choosing when, how, and with whom.

Recognition

People want to be recognized, not only as employees but as humans. We know money is not a good incentive. Even worse, it can lead to a lone-wolf mentality. Instead, we need people who can collaborate and build on each other’s strengths. Recognition should be focused on behaviors and the investment people put in rather than just the result.

The role of managers also needs to change. If people are intrinsically motivated, they know what they have to do. Managers have to do real work: coach employees and watch market changes, competitors, the strategy, and the mission. They have to create a safe space where employees can thrive and positively impact the company.

If we want more innovative public services, we have to invest in people much more than in a technical way. If you want to change your organization, experiment with new methods like design thinking and really invest in a human strategy. You will see it will pay off, and it will be much more fun.

Anja Wyden Guelpa

Founder & CEO, civicLab

Geneva, Switzerland

Anja Wyden Guelpa, founder and CEO of civicLab, helps CEOs and companies become more competitive and attractive through their corporate culture. She teaches innovation and design thinking at two universities, is an international public speaker, and served as State Chancellor for the State of Geneva for eight years.

©CIVICLAB

civicChallenge

At civicLab, we launched civicChallenge, which is a contest, an incubator, and a network. There are people in the public sector who want innovation, and we try to empower them. Government employees, whether at the national, regional, state, city, or municipal level, can send us an idea. It doesn’t have to be a realized project; it’s really a change idea.

We then have an international jury of innovation specialists that chooses the 10 most promising projects; those project teams are then invited to a workshop where we train them in design thinking and innovation methods, and they continue to work on their project idea.

Then, the jury chooses four of these 10 projects to receive $30,000. There is a one-year incubation phase with coaching in order to implement their project. All projects, of course, are open-source, so other municipalities, states, or national services can use these projects and everything that has been developed.

The civicChallenge is also a network because culture is about how people live together and communicate. We invest a lot in this so that people can experiment with new ways of working, collaborating, and cooperating, and it’s really a snowball effect.