untitled

Change You
Can Believe In
The Leadership of Innovation
Su Maddock
The Whitehall Innovation Hub

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
Introduction
President Obama has shown the power of a
depends not only on more responsive
leader to set the tone for a fresh approach to
services, but on more open and responsive
government.
forms of government; this in turn means an
even greater pressure on central government
The economy has unravelled, but
to look to systemic and service innovation
America is the same nation of people
across the public sector, but particularly in
who work hard, invent ingeniously,
Whitehall itself.
and produce the services the world
needs. That is not a nation which
Over the last ten years, good policies have
has come undone, and it will be true
often failed to deliver because of a lack of
America which in adversity summons
interest in implementation in Whitehall.
the strength and resolve to remake
Tackling poor policy implementation is
itself.
dependent on there being a cadre of public
President Obama, Inaugural Address –
leaders whose ambition is not merely to
January 2009
deliver more of the same, but who are
motivated to transform government in
Similarly, Britain demands more not less
such a way that it becomes more strategic,
innovation. Although it is not always clear
responsive and innovative in its governance
how government can harness innovation
and problem solving.
without stiﬂ ing it, the role of government
is surely to nurture innovation in all sectors.
A growing number of ministers and civil
The challenge confronting government, and
servants acknowledge that merely making
the public sector as a whole, is not only to
operations and systems more efﬁ cient
reform the broken ﬁ nancial system, but to
does not necessarily produce the more
understand that the current crisis demands
imaginative or innovative services we now
that we harness bold new approaches to
require (National School of Government’s
public service delivery and government.
Prime Minister’s Conference 2006) and that
Tackling the recession and other challenges
responsive services demand transformational
02

National School of Government
government, as well as transformed public
This paper outlines the challenges that
services. Public sector reform is no longer
innovation presents to government, why
only a matter of centrally determined targets
the transforming government agenda is a
and micro-management of intervention
foundation for the implementation of any
programmes and public agencies, it must
innovation strategy, and why leadership
devolve control and respond much more
is critical to innovation and transforming
constructively to those who are transforming
government.
services1.
Government ... must step up its efforts
to cut unnecessary targets, strip out
waste and devolve responsibility to
communities, councils and local
service providers.
Gordon Brown – June 2008
Unfortunately, the transformation of
governments is slower than politicians would
like. It is therefore worth unpacking what
leaders have to do to nurture innovation
and the role of government in that process.
There is a wealth of literature on innovation
and on transformational leadership but little
on ‘leading innovation’, in spite of the fact
that leadership is the key to creating the
conditions for innovation.
03
1. For a more detailed exploration of this point see SMF (2004) Reinventing Government Again,
Phillip Collins and Liam Byrne (eds.), Social Market Foundation (London: SMF)

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
04

National School of Government
Contents
What is public service innovation all about?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Institutional practice – the biggest obstacle to innovation diffusion  . . . . . . . . 8
Creating the conditions for public service innovation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Leading innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
The role and characteristics of an innovative leader  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
The inﬂ uence of personal beliefs and preferences  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Leadership through collaboration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Changing behaviours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Transforming Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
The Civic Leadership Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
The Pathological Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Transforming Whitehall  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
In conclusion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Annex – next step for innovative leaders  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Contact us  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back cover
05

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
What is public service
innovation all about?
Innovation in the public domain is less
Social innovators put communities, staff and
about products and more about making
service users at the centre of their work.
new connections and being collaborative;
Public service innovation springs from those
it is focused on strategic problem solving
with empathy for the experience of service
rather than ‘one-size-ﬁ ts–all’ solutions. New
users. For instance, the Eden Project, Kids
technologies have created huge opportunities
Company, Patient Opinion, the Big Issue
for global communication and are
or the Grameen Bank tend to be driven
transforming social relationships irrespective
by enthusiastic champions, galvanised by
of what governments do. However,
their commitment and identiﬁ cation with
technologies cannot of themselves provide
the social problem they seek to address.
the vehicle for new forms of governance, or
While placing the public service users at the
determine the value frameworks that decide
centre of service redesign, it is often a few
how these technology platforms are used
experienced innovators who motivate others
and to what purpose.
and broker relationships in the initial stages
of exemplar projects. Such people are not
The challenges of today demand a form of
afraid of risks and have experience that gives
innovation focused on how people solve
them the conﬁ dence to explore possibilities
problems. Public innovation is driven by
and solutions, rather than following rules or
people who want to make a difference,
a set pattern.
create synergy and make connections. They
tend to have a holistic perspective and are
Jump to an answer – you might as
open and inclusive because they recognise
well jump in the river.
that really difﬁ cult challenges – whether
Russian proverb
they are a recession, climate change or
security threats – involve a journey of inquiry,
Innovators take the course of action most
exploration and working with people.
likely to lead them to the next stage, and
their journey is not predictable. For instance,
the nationwide campaign to cut the use of
06

National School of Government
plastic bags took off because one woman,
institutional routes. Real life is messy and
who witnessed the impact of discarded
complex, particularly when it involves people
plastic on marine life, persuaded others in
working together – and it is this collaboration
a small town to follow her lead. Innovation
that drives through innovation.
rarely ﬂ ows down well known routes but is
Squeezing innovations through established
pulled by those attracted to it; it invariably
processes rarely works, because of the
moves between motivated individuals and
unpredictable way it travels; which in
not between institutions.
retrospect tends to look more like a delta
There are common patterns and key
than a pipeline. Innovation demands
relationships in the innovation journey.
ﬂ exibility and openness, not standard,
Irrespective of sector, champions are critical
one-size-ﬁ ts-all solutions, and the role of
to the early adoption of projects, while
systemic innovation is to open the ﬂ oodgates
later ﬂ ow depends on people seizing and
to new ways of working. Government’s top-
running with ideas. It is noticeable that
down management regime tends to assume
time spent planning without engagement
that their policies can be implemented
and inquiry tends to be wasted because
through a chain of command and will follow
the realities of the development process
a linear ﬂ ow. This may be true for the delivery
deﬁ ne what matters as innovation travels.
of well established, standard services, but it
Constraints such as predetermined paths
is not a model that works for the diffusion
and short tight time frames tend to drain
of more innovative processes. It is widely
the dynamism and energy out of innovative
recognised that most institutions are not
projects - central government sensitivity to
conducive environments for innovation, as
how and where local innovation ﬂ ows is
rigid formats and planning procedures run
just as important as centrally orchestrated
counter to the innovation journey – the
campaigns to encourage it. Yet most policy-
adoption of innovation involves a response
makers tend to assume that they can manage
rather than a plan.
or direct innovation ﬂ ow through traditional
07

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
Institutional practice – the biggest
obstacle to innovation diffusion
The gulf between social innovation
Public and social innovators complain
and public institutional practice has
that government imposes unreasonable
become accepted as the biggest
constraints on them, constantly changes
barrier to innovation ﬂ ow2.
expectations, introduces unnecessary delays
and that ofﬁ cials are extremely risk-adverse.
Ofﬁ cials tend to spend a long time awarding
contracts and a very short time reﬂ ecting on
the delivery process, often because they are
very detached from its development. The
time frame for commissioning is radically out
of sync with the realities of the innovation
journey. This is particularly the case in the
UK where the time allocated for diagnostics,
consultation and development is far too
short, resulting in signiﬁ cant obstacles during
implementation. Social entrepreneurs and
innovators such as Tim Smit, co-founder and
CEO of the Eden Project, are frustrated by
Bridging the chasm to spread innovation
poor cross-government working, and the
lack of capacity within various departments
to appreciate longer term gain or respond to
the new challenging environment, resulting
in poor risk assessment.
08
2. See Mulgan (2007), Maddock (2008) and NESTA (2008).

National School of Government
We never write down our plans
because that traps you into routes
that you don’t need to follow – we
do though have a strong sense of what
we want and where we want to get to.
Tim Smit, the Eden Project
Smit does not mean that the Eden Project’s
operational systems are weak, nor that
they have no grip on the business; what he
is referring to is an almost universal view
among social innovators, that when you
are ‘working in the real’, things happen fast
and you connect with those who can help
the project as they come. That the direction
of travel changes in reality – you have a
strategy and then you work at it. This is often
too unpredictable for policy makers and
commissioners but it is the reality of practice,
and understanding or not understanding
that is the crucial difference between those
‘making a difference’ and those ‘thinking
about it’ rather than doing it.
Innovative people need the freedom
to act, collaborate and network.
NESTA – 2008
09

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
Creating the conditions for
public service innovation
The question of how government should
support innovation is highly contested
depending on the policy-maker’s version
of innovation. The conventional view that
innovation involves incremental change
that can be delivered through the existing
government machinery is becoming less
viable. Those wishing to create a culture
conducive to innovation have to both create
space for creative people, and operationalise
new incentives and practices that are ﬂ exible
and open enough to embrace challenging
individuals. While service improvement
may be achieved in this way, the bigger
Innovation demands a diversity of characteristics
and opinions
challenges, such as climate change, security
threats and the current recession, call for
2008). However, this awareness is not leading
more radical change, much more agile
to a commensurate shift in government
leadership and practices, and a recognition of
practice, which continues to be constrained
the power of networks and people.
by performance management, risk-adverse
Innovation requires that policy-making
cultures and business models that do
not capture spontaneous innovation as it
connects to the ‘how’ as well as the ‘what’,
emerges. This is not to say that the tight
as well as service users and the wider public
performance management is the cause of
sector. Innovative leaders believe in the
all barriers to change. A lack of focus on
‘transforming government’ agenda because
outcomes and strategy within policy-making
they can see that this will provide the crucial
cycles can result in never ending meetings
foundation for more innovative practice.
where everyone can have a view and the
direction of projects changes continually.
There is a growing recognition that the
This adherence to formal processes, with
‘command and control’ management
little regard to their effectiveness, is
model is not ﬂ exible enough to stimulate
immensely frustrating for those focused
or capture innovation (Brennan & Ceeney,
on changing the status quo.
10

National School of Government
The problem is that what starts as
Those working on the Public Service
an innovative approach gets bogged
Agreement on crime and reoffending
down in the treacle, when project
reduction report that:
goes live and involves more people,
We have had to adapt at the centre
who each have their own view and
to deliver outcomes; be less prescriptive
institutional role, then it gets confusing
and more involved with regional
and loses focus and inertia takes over.
partners.
Civil Service Live respondent – April 2008
Renegotiating national /local
relationships is central to the
Transforming government has become
PSAs being successful in their aim
a major task for those in the senior civil
of achieving social outcomes through
service who recognise the challenges facing
departmental collaboration. Recent
them but are uncertain how to go about it.
There are examples of senior civil servants
research by the National School of
who are aware of the need to be much
Government on the PSA process
more customer focused. For instance, the
demonstrates that they are in some
Director General for Pensions recognised
cases stimulating across government
improving the Pensions Service depended
working, while also encountering
on department staff empathising with the
departmentalism and barriers to
pensioner experience, which in turn would
PSA outcome based approach.
motivate them to improve their practice.
Winston Sutherland, National School
of Government 3
Innovation depends upon insight.
It requires inquisitive, outward looking
cultures and individuals who will
spot applications elsewhere that they
can test locally. It requires excellent
knowledge of what is working, who
is doing what, and who have ideas
on what.
Ursula Brennan and Natalie Ceeney – 2008
11
3. See W. Sutherland and I. Ley (2009) Leading Outcome Focused Public Service Agreements, National School of Government report (unpublished).

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
Leading innovation
The economic and social environment is
in their receptiveness to fresh challenges and
changing faster than at any time in recent
therefore to innovation. Chief executives
history. The current turbulent and highly
have very different ways of approaching
unpredictable situation demands agile
change and transformation. If he or she
leaders. It requires not only intelligence and
does not believe in people’s potential,
experience, but some talent for reading
or have any conﬁ dence in new forms of
external pressures and trends, and a high
organisation, then they are more likely to
degree of emotional intelligence. The ability
look to structural solutions and performance
to work with people, and read organisational
management as levers of change. For too
dynamics as well as business plans is an
long in the UK a person’s own view of what
essential skill for any contemporary leader
is appropriate and possible has been ignored,
(Gore 2008). Unfortunately this is a quality
least developed in government and it is
as if managers and the workforce are mere
worth taking the time to understand why.
cogs in the system. Surfacing personal
beliefs is important if successful government
Clearly, organisational regimes have the
transformation is to occur in time to address
capacity to stiﬂ e innovation but each person’s
the challenges it faces.
own preferences and ideas also play a part
12

National School of Government
The role and characteristics
of an innovative leader
Collaboration, connection and
Innovative people tend to be bold, brave
communication could create an environment
and courageous in their work. They carry an
that energises people to tackle the challenges
emotional burden for taking a stand. This can
that society faces today.
feel risky, but it is necessary if organisations
are to change. Working across departments
The role of strategic executive and political
and with external partners usually means
leaders is to forge the frameworks for
working beyond role and paper plans. There
cultures that could create the ‘conditions
are innovative players who do this every
for innovation’4. Their behaviour and the
day in all services, unrewarded for their
incentives they put in place can inspire or
efforts; however, most staff need to be given
stiﬂ e innovation. Those who champion
permission and incentives to follow their
innovation
lead. The question of what incentives will

■  are close enough to the economic, social
vary, but almost all public servants report that
and environmental problems that demand
they want to be recognised and valued.
innovative solutions

■  say why innovation is needed in their
People like me are not rewarded, we
particular agency
want recognition, I’m less interested in

■  analyse and make visible the whole story,
money – I’ve always been interested in
whole system and value-chain
improving processes, managers do not

■  employ and reward diverse teams to
listen. There is no alignment between
explore more creative solutions
performance management and

■  build bridges between executives and
appraisal and innovative work.
politicians
Grade 7

■  scrutinise existing management and
governance systems for their ﬁ tness for
Some managers support innovative staff by
innovation
offering off-line time to develop thinking

■ inspire and motivate staff.
and new practices, by doing so they are in
effect removing disincentives. Integral to
13
4. The title of a 2007 National School of Government conference on public service innovation and a subsequent case study report, Maddock (2008).

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
any transition process is a reappraisal of
There are no blueprints, but there are guiding
reward systems and recruitment processes.
principles. Those leading organisations need
However, merely introducing new incentives
to stay close to the problems, the front line
are unlikely to energise staff when more
and the delivery chain. They need to be
dominant performance regimes that punish
adaptive and agile, open to what initially
risk-taking prevail.
appear ‘whacky’ ideas and able to defend
those taking risks.
Leaders of innovation inspire others and
They
have the imagination to nurture the future,
■   provide ‘cover’ for others exploring new
support creative people and give space to
solutions, by offering protection and time
the non-conformist; they capture innovation
to work off-line
and create the conditions for innovation to
■  bend the rules to capture innovation
travel and take root. Innovators tend to work
■   involve staff, communities and the public
through informal networks and outside of
in service design and delivery
existing frameworks; their champions within
■   connect other partners horizontally in
public bodies also aspire to better ways of
localities and with government
doing things, not just to ‘raise the bar’ but to
■   recognise that new practice is emergent
create a new landscape by the introduction
and involves an acceptance of ambiguity
of systemic innovation. This involves a shift
■  negotiate rather than control
in thinking about what is possible and what
■  are open to criticism and new ideas
is not. Strategic leaders set the parameters in
■   are able to integrate people issues with
which others can work, they stretch or blur
ﬁ nancial, performance and operational
boundaries. Those that are innovative also
management
recognise how cultures and systems impact
■  value diversity in all its guises.
on people, whether citizens, business or
public sector staff.
14

National School of Government
Such a wish list merely provides the attitudes
and capacities needed to create a culture
open to innovators and more collaborative
practice. Those leading innovation can
stimulate the conditions for innovation by

■  telling the story of why innovation is
necessary

■ energising staff engagement

■  framing agendas in terms of whole systems
and problem solving

■  driving a corporate endorsement of
innovation

■ recognising innovations and innovators

■  identifying what type of innovations are
appropriate and search for them

■  being receptive to transforming internal
culture and practice

■  rewarding innovators by creating space
and incentives for innovation

■  adjusting corporate functions and ICT
support for more innovative and stretching
practice

■  driving the transformation agenda by
being anchored in the problems that
people and government face.
15

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
The inﬂ uence of personal
beliefs and preferences
Research into local government has shown
The predominance of systems enthusiasts is
two distinct leadership approaches to change
unsurprising given that public administrations
and transformation: the ‘system enthusiast’
were built on a military ‘planning and
and the ‘adaptive and transforming’ leader
control’ model, appropriate in former eras
(Maddock, 2006; Fox and Broussine, 2001).
but totally unsuited to a rapidly changing
The former was observed to have faith in
world (Walsh 2006). The bias it generates
structural solutions, logical/technical systems
towards structural solutions to poor
and in restructuring and large scale system’s
organisation continues to reinforce the ‘cogs
change, and less conﬁ dence in people. The
in the machine’ attitude to staff. People may
transforming leader is more likely to believe
not make conscious choices at work but
that achieving successful change depends
they do react with their feet, and almost all
much more heavily on the involvement of
innovation relies less on physical hardware
people, staff and partners. While no one
and systems and much more on people’s
falls entirely into such distinct categories,
energy and collaboration.
the common lack of conﬁ dence in people
Those chief executives who have led
across government is evident, and hampers
successful transformations, in companies
the implementation of many public policies.
and local government have done so by
While the balance in local government
motivating staff through a people-centred
between the two types of leader is shifting
leadership approach. There are no leaders
towards more agile and transformational
without followers – it is their followers who
leaders, it remains the case that the ‘system
deﬁ ne them as leaders, not the other way
enthusiasts’ and planners prevail in most
around. This form of ‘centred leadership’
public bodies, and
(Mckinsey Quarterly 2008) is an approach

■ seek efﬁ ciencies and system perfection
that innovative women leaders in particular
at the expense of social outcomes
have been advancing in the public sector for

■ are ‘planners’ rather than ‘doers’
many years (Maddock 1999).

■ a re uncomfortable with uncertainty and risk

■ prefer formalities and protocols to
networking

■ ‘tell’ rather than ‘ask’.
16

National School of Government
Leadership through collaboration
Government should be collaborative.
Kosonen, now Sitra’s6 President, suggests
Collaboration actively engages
that there are four aspects of leadership: the
Americans in the work of their
cognitive, the emotional, the organisational
government. Executive departments
and the political. Kosonen states that leaders
and agencies should use innovative
need to release energy and to create new
tools, methods and systems to
narratives and frameworks (the cognitive
cooperate among themselves, across
aspect), to understand how emotional
all levels of government, and with non
energy ﬂ ows and release it (emotional),
proﬁ t organisations, businesses and
thereby releasing organisational resources
individuals in the private sector.
(organisational), and lastly to provide political
President Obama – January 2009
strategic leadership.
It is not enough for leaders to be decisive
Being clever is not enough. A range of talents
‘heroes’; the changing complexity of the
or aptitudes are required by contemporary
public domain requires a broader set of
public leaders which do not ﬁ t neatly into
experiences and skills, not least the ability
competence boxes, and call for cognitive,
to collaborate much more effectively. We
emotional and personal experience as well as
need a fresh approach to leadership that
formal learning. The ability to collaborate is
acknowledges the task of developing a fairer
becoming more and more signiﬁ cant within
and healthier society within the current
organisations and localities undergoing
turbulent environment. Those companies that
transformation.
successfully weather storms have executives
who have the ability to transform strategy,
operations and cultures by appraising
problems, collaborating and operationalising
strategic thinking. Mikko Kosonen, who
was involved in the Nokia turnaround in the
1990s, suggests that the role of leaders is
to harness energy and motivate people in a
good cause5.
17
5. From personal correspondence between Su Madock and Mikko Kosonen.
6. Finland’s independent innovation fund and broadly equivalent to NESTA in the UK.

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
Collaboration provides the transitional
women, whose talent in building bridges
space for innovation to ﬂ ourish. It
is often only informally acknowledged. The
requires of leaders and teams that
network form of organisation has become
they take an imaginative leap, taking
accepted within the post-production age as
into account other perspectives and
an alternative to the closed, highly structured
allowing something new or different
organisations. However, networking and
to emerge that couldn’t be achieved
collaboration have slightly different reference
if they worked alone.
points – collaboration is between people,
Lucian Hudson, Collaboration and Partnerships,
whereas a network is an organisational form.
FCO and Ministry of Justice (2009)
Networking relationships tend to have a
business focus, and emphasise the ‘win-
Collaboration is a valuable but ‘under the
win’ relationship between agreed goals, not
radar’ skill in government. Within policy-
necessarily challenging existing practice or
making, being competitive and clever still
imply the need for systemic change; whereas
probably determines who is in the ‘fast-
collaboration is more challenging because it
track’ and who is not. In the initial stages
involves ‘lose a little and then win; lose a
of innovation before deﬁ nitions have
little then win’, and mutual adjustment on
been established, collaborators are often
both sides.
18

National School of Government
Changing behaviours
Sir Ian Magee, former head of operational
delivery for the civil service, says that
collaborative working needs three things:
the right governance, the right targets and
behavioural change – and thinks that there
should be more focus on the latter7. The big
question is how do you achieve behavioural
change? Changing behaviour cannot
be decreed; it depends on people being
persuaded to work and behave differently.
The psychological dynamics involved in
change have been shown to depend on the
degree to which managers and leaders have
a persuasive story to tell, and their ability to
Micro-management stiﬂ es transformational
leadership
motivate and incentivise staff.
A recent report on performance management
There is a need for licence to be given to civil
shows how current performance regimes
servants so that they can better respond,
are stiﬂ ing innovation, and suggests that
take low-level risks and support innovation.
government should reward collaborative
While there is an erosion of formalities
working, direct fast streamers into local
across Whitehall, civil servants are still n ot
government as well as across government
rewarded for internal transformation, or for
and that permanent secretaries should
displaying innovative behaviours. Innovation
provide corporate board leaders to
policy does not call for civil servants to
the government’s agenda as a whole
become free-wheeling entrepreneurs, but
(Performance Art, Institute for
for them to become sensitive to innovations
Government, 2008).
across government, as well as the private and
third sectors. The question for policy makers
is how to incentivise forms of collaborative
19
7. Sunningdale Institute Fellow and former Second Permanent Secretary at the Department of Constitutional Affairs, quoted
in Public Magazine 08.01.09, available online at http://www.guardian.co.uk/public/features/story/0,,2295700,00.html

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
public leadership that are more adaptive,
they adopt. Like Kosonen, he suggests that
less controlling and risk-adverse?
transformational leaders must ﬁ nd ways of
releasing energy and actively engaging with
How leaders think inﬂ uences their change
staff rather than relying on paper plans.
strategies and their judgements, as well
as their behaviour. Bernard Crump, CEO
Transforming leaders create an environment
of the NHS Institute of Innovation and
where people motivate themselves and it
Improvement, suggests each manager’s
is autonomy and self determination that
own attitudes, training and beliefs play a
makes the difference. They are moving
large part in how they go about reform,
towards what some would call a ‘we think’
and in particular the sort of change strategy
post-production philosophy and away from
Views of Change8
“Planned” or “Programme“
“Movement”
view of change
view of change
A planned programme of change with goals
Change is about releasing energy and is
and milestones (centrally led)
largely self-directing (top-led bottom up)
‘Motivating’ people
‘Moving’ people
Change is driven by an appeal to the ‘what’s
Focus on what is the right thing to do, even
in it for me’
if there are personal implications for me
Talks about ‘overcoming resistance’
Insists change needs opposition – it is the
friend not enemy of change
Change is done ‘to’ people or ‘with’ them –
leaders and followers
People change themselves and each other –
peer to peer
20
8. NHS Institute of Innovation and Improvement (2008) ‘Views of Change’

National School of Government
a ‘we know best’ approach9. Research from
leaders, whose role they say is to increase
local government paints a similar picture .
organisational capacity by releasing
The most successful leaders are more open
trapped resources, opening closed minds,
and responsive to people and focus on
reconnecting departmental silos and ﬁ nding
organisational energy rather than procedures
new mental models to overcome polarised
and protocols. Transforming leaders
narratives. This model is anchored in the
appreciate and hear the challenging voices on
humanity and vision of leaders as people
the edges of society and their organisations.
connecting to other people and is focused
on generating energy and conﬁ dence in
Doz and Kosonen (2008) provide a
relationships and collaboration.
conceptual framework for transforming
Adapted from Doz & Kosonen: Fast Strategy (2008)10
To strategic sensitivity
& new narratives
Tunnel
vision
Moving from ...
Trapped
Professional
resources
silos
To collaborative leadership
To organisational
(political & executive)
resource fluidity
21
9. See Hartley (2001), Fox and Broussine (2004) and Maddock (2006).
10. Adapted from Y. Doz and M. Kosonen (2008) Fast Strategy: how strategic agility will help you stay ahead of the game.

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
Such a leadership strategy is difﬁ cult, not
part of corporate strategy, business planning
just because it calls for a shift in corporate
and transformation.
thinking, but because it also calls for
It is not only government that is failing to
emotional strength to transform the
manage innovation. Companies espouse
management thinking and practices currently
innovation but most are also failing to
in place. Such a process is only possible
integrate it into their corporate agendas.
when driven by corporate teams who see
Although business executives say that
the need for an integration of innovation
innovation is their top priority, only 27%
into their broader business strategy and
report it was integral to their corporate
other transformation processes. It would be
strategy (McKinsey, 2007). Any effective
a missed opportunity to approach innovation
business strategy involves understanding
policy as if it is just another add-on to
the public, the market and its customers.
government functions – innovation does not
In order to understand future customers’
need a new silo but to become an integral
demands, more and more companies are
adopting open source ways of ﬁ nding out
what matters. Government could learn a lot
from such methods and the philosophy that
being open with people at the beginning of
a process usually results in a fresh framing of
problems and solutions.
There is a long history of paying lip-service
to policy objectives and then not translating
these into real changes within corporate
services. Strategic leadership has the job of
creating coherence between operational
changes and systems and of communicating
22

National School of Government
their purpose to staff. It involves surfacing
difﬁ cult issues and not ignoring the ‘elephant
in the room’ or the ‘moose on the table’.
Innovation policy and government
transformation demand corporate
recognition of those internal processes that
allow the difﬁ culties of implementation to be
ignored. The more innovative departments
will be those that address their own policy
and internal practice challenges and adopt
collaborative approaches to change, and
connect with not just service users but a wide
range of stakeholders.
23

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
Transforming Government
Learning from transforming
using innovative methods (The Barnet Bond).
leaders in the regions
Most local public employers have become
less insular and are actively engaged in
Transformation and innovation are closely
local partnerships. Many have transformed
connected and innovative leaders are usually
the way local services are organised. Some
also transforming leaders. Transforming
regional partnerships such as the London
leaders drive the transitions that need to
Collaborative, Cumbria11 and Yorkshire
be made in order to create an environment
and Humber are evolving new governance
in which innovation can ﬂ ourish. The
frameworks and other forms of systemic
implementation of innovation policy will only
innovation through collaborative and
succeed when relying on more open channels
strategic leadership.
of communication between innovators and
government.
Collaborative leadership is vital to
While there are examples of transforming
delivering on complex cross boundary
issues such as the skills agenda.
leaders in private companies, there is also
Delivering on shared agendas requires
learning to be gleaned from innovative local
good relationships and effective
leadership and especially from those in local
workings beyond boundaries; this
government and the police. Local leadership
is a key role for Leaders and Chief
has improved dramatically since 1997. All
Executives and requires active support
but two London boroughs and most cities
and resource.
around the country are now rated ‘good’ or
Carole Hassan, C hief Executive of Local
‘excellent’ by the Audit Commission. Some
Government Yorkshire and Humber
local authorities are leading rural access to
services (East Riding), providing innovative
The motivation for partnership and
social care (Shropshire), using technologies to
collaboration appears stronger at the local
support communication with citizens (Kent)
level than it is in central government, and
or raising ﬁ nance for local regeneration
while many local authorities remain
24
11. See Calling Cumbria (2009) by the Leadership Centre for Local Government.

National School of Government
in the early stages of transformation,
This is not to say that all local public
some do provide examples of service and
organisations are excellent; they are not.
system transformation, which government
Those in audit agencies and local government
could learn from. The state of relationships
acknowledge that the Comprehensive
between central and local government is
Performance Assessment (CPA) process
changing every day – what is clear is that
helped kick-start local government
there is more of an appetite for dialogue
improvement. However, local authority
between local and central government.
leaders also agree that the continuing
The sub-regional review process is not only
prescriptiveness of government is unhelpful
stimulating local strategic leadership, it is
and they experience constant inspection
also pressing for more systemic innovation
which is time-consuming and a waste of
from government. Locality partnerships are
resources. Poor commissioning and micro-
gaining maturity and have successfully pulled
management by central government is
government back from ‘one-size-ﬁ ts-all’
stiﬂ ing local innovation. The level of spend
approaches. For example, Barnet Council are
on monitoring set alongside the investment
testing a new strategy of ‘communicative
in development is undermining innovation
action’ and are using open-network sites
and sustainability and needs readjusting.
to keep up with what is happening in their
The momentum for more mature horizontal
neighbourhoods12.
partnerships within localities and sub-
regions is increasing. A new form of civic
Local authority leadership must
and regional leadership is emerging which
become about challenging who we
is motivated by a desire not just for more
are not re-jigging what we do. By
efﬁ cient services but for public partnerships
getting along people are having
that are strong enough to address bigger
on-going ‘communicative action’
challenges such as regional decline,
which is essentially a personalized
regional skills deﬁ cits and widening social
local, even face to face activity.
inequalities. There is a growing recognition
Boland and Coleman, 2008
that such partnerships depend on trust,
25
12. L. Boland and E. Coleman (2008) ‘New Development: What Lies Beyond Service Delivery? Leadership
Behaviours for Place Shaping in Local Government’, Public Money & Management, 28, 5, pp 313-318

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
collaboration and an ability to connect to
The Local Strategic Partnerships and Local
communities. Unfortunately, innovative
Area Agreements are reconnecting locality
leaders across the UK all report that the value
leadership with central government –
of collaborative working goes unnoticed by
and while there is still a long way to go,
central government, and that it is this lack
government’s own regional ofﬁ cers are
of reinforcement from government that
playing a transforming role by acting as a
weakens local systemic innovation.
more active and positive bridge between
central government and local public services.
The challenge for local leaders is to ﬁ nd
The question for government departments is
better ways of developing local strategies
how they can develop the mechanisms that
while also satisfying central government
will enable ofﬁ cials to respond to the diversity
of their competence. There is no point in a
of local innovation?
local partnership struggling valiantly with
social regeneration if the national policy
framework, management processes and
time-scales undermine their efforts. There
are growing calls from local, regional and
national agencies and departments for more
listening and negotiation, and less formal
directives.
26

National School of Government
The Civic Leadership Model
Robin Hambleton, Professor of City
the leadership of ‘place’ and growing
Leadership at University of the West of
civic leadership.
England, has observed the transforming role
Cities such as Manchester, Birmingham and
of bold city leadership in many continents
Bristol in England have reinvented themselves,
and says that, when not hampered by
as have many other cities across the world.
centralised performance regimes, civic leaders
After years of decline Malmo in Sweden is
do innovate effectively and can consequently
thriving and has become a sustainable city,
have a dramatic impact on their local
due in no small part to its civic leadership
areas. He offers a ‘place based’ model of
(Hambleton 2008 & 2009). He thinks
leadership that reconnects elected politicians,
that more conﬁ dent local and regional
community and executive leader, who
leadership could create a foundation for a
through partnership and active collaboration
healthy society if given the space to do so,
reframe local and regional priorities and
by creating meaning and reconnecting the
strategies. Part of the growing conﬁ dence of
political, public and managerial agendas, and
local leaders can be seen in their approach to
reframing public agendas.
Hambleton’s Civic Leadership Model
– persisitent cultural, instutional and emotional barriers13
As well as exploring how leaders
Political
leadership
approach transformation, it is
Space for leadership
worth unpacking the obstacles
of systemic innovation
to change across the public
sector and explaining why
transforming government
Managerial
Community
is a slow process.
leadership
leadership
Space for innovation
27
13. Taken from R. Hambleton (2007) ‘New leadership for democratic urban space’, in Hambleton, R.,
and Gross, J. S. (eds) Governing Cities in a Global Era (London and New York: Palgrave)

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
The Pathological Cycle
People do not operate in isolation. While
seeking individualists while believing in
some are more outward facing than others,
perfect solutions, blameless leaders and
a risk-free world
most are subject not just to stereotypes in
■
their own professions and workplaces, but

civil servants at the senior levels are
rewarded for achieving short-term
also to the views of others about them. In
goals set by politicians and have weak
the UK there is a pathological cycle of blame
motivation for innovation and service
which is damaging to public sector reform.
implementation due to accountabilities and
Fanned by the media, each group blames
regulation being higher up their agendas
the others for faulty systems and services;
than transformation, transition or future
this negativity is pronounced where there
visions
is ‘tunnel vision’ emerging within each
■   local public services use government
stakeholder group and very little appreciation
targets as a way of saying they can’t
of the wider system. For instance, too often
respond to local people and local priorities

■  politicians demand quick wins, which
and avoid improving their own way of
creates a dysfunctional environment for
working with local users and communities.
policy development. Some politicians take
the ‘high moral ground’ and demean civil
servants and tend to ignore their own
Public
Media
systemic strategic role of the wider public
system

■  academics and the press tend to avoid
responsibility and act as bystanders –
The
deﬁ ning the narrative about success and
Front Line
Politicians
Pathological Cycle
failure yet avoiding their own role in the
transformational process

■  the public want low taxes and good
services and have been encouraged to
ignore public assets and behave as self-
Managers
SCS
28

National School of Government
No single stakeholder group is either
users and the dynamics of implementation.
blameless or solely to blame. Each is exposed
Customer insight is second nature to those
to different pressures and is trapped in their
in business but understanding service users
part of a wider public system dynamic,
and working partners remains poor in many
fuelled by fear. Managers fear communities,
policy departments. The blame cycle will only
politicians fear the press and civil servants
be reversed when public policy makers need
avoid the messiness of practice. National
to connect not only to front-line staff and
politicians are afraid to say what they
service users, but to the wider system and the
mean and have retreated into ‘technical
transformation process as a whole.
management’ solutions, when political
However, it would be unfair to target only
narrative and strategic leadership would
policy makers, who are constrained and
be more persuasive to the public, who feel
promoted for their ability to conform to set
marginal to the political process.
behaviours and activities. Those who attempt
The belief that rational technical solutions
to improve practices on their own are almost
are a substitute for political and strategic
always ignored, not just by their managers
leadership is only possible because of the
but also by their colleagues (Maddock, 1999).
continuing detachment of policy from
In addition the demand from politicians for
practice. The closer policy makers get to
quick-wins is unhelpful and puts even more
local realities and service users the more
pressure on civil servants to conform and
they become aware of the unpredictable
avoid risk-taking.
nature of real lives and the democratic
process. Although large government service
departments such as HM Revenue and
Customs have improved their practice by
getting much closer to claimants, tax payers
and pensioners, too many civil servants
remain unaware of the experience of service
29

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
Transforming Whitehall
The current Cabinet Secretary, Sir Gus
The current form of accountabilities hampers
O’Donnell, is driving various interventions to
openness and inclusiveness, largely because
support the transformation of government,
it nurtures a climate of conformity totally
including the Capability Reviews, Public
inconducive to innovation. Many of the SCS
Service Agreements, the Cabinet Ofﬁ ce’s
have very different attitudes and thoughts
People Strategy and the Delivery Council.
on both innovation and transforming
Cross government initiatives are extremely
government, and without surfacing these
difﬁ cult to enforce, and there is a need for
differences, or the ‘elephants in the room’,
horizontal partnership but also for vertical
conversations on the topic are likely to be
connections with local and regional players.
unproductive. This tension between the
An ongoing difﬁ culty is the pressure on
diverse views on how to go about internal
Senior Civil Servants (SCS) to deliver short-
transformation isn’t currently being surfaced.
term results and focus on single issues.
The Role of Transforming Leaders
Champions of innovation, close to
politicians but detached from operations
Transforming
leaders
brokering
dialogue
Operational leaders
Innovators on the
comfortable with existing process
margins, lacking
and incremental change
mainstream credibility
30

National School of Government
Operational people are often more
uncomfortable with radical innovators
than they are with transformational leaders
whose role it is to rebalance the system.
Transformational leaders broker conversations
between leaders, innovators and career civil
servants in the knowledge that ‘outliers’
are often marginalised from operational
practices and seen as too radical, theoretical
or abstract. However, given the present
dominance of ‘system enthusiasts’ and
‘policy thinkers’, there is a need to bring in
experienced practical innovators to rebalance
the workforce. Cultivating a new professional
mix is probably as important to transforming
government as introducing a new set of skills
for individuals.
The continuing separation between policy
and practice has resulted in a lurch towards
pragmatism at the expense of reﬂ ection and
sense-making. The tendency to continually
compartmentalise and separate reﬂ ection,
action and sense-making is unhelpful, and
has resulted in a loss of institutional memory
within many departments.
31

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
In conclusion
The role of the public leader is a tough
more likely to ﬂ ourish when innovation
one, but there are numerous role models to
policies and practices are central to the
learn from. Obama started his presidency by
transforming government process. If more
demonstrating strategic leadership. He didn’t
leaders are to become transformational
shy away from saying the economy was in
then public management models need to
crisis, and sought to galvanise the American
move beyond the bureaucratic machine and
public into action by stating it was they who
business efﬁ ciency models. The latter has
would get the country going again, not him.
been useful in making public service more
efﬁ cient but it is not ﬂ exible or responsive
Governments across the world need to
enough to underpin innovation, and thereby
become more innovative in their capacity to
achieve enhanced social outcomes. Service
respond to the huge challenges that face us.
improvement may be gained by improving
Public sector reform is no longer a domestic
existing systems and activities, but these
matter of service transformation but of
alone are not capable of embracing more
innovative government and governance,
innovative approaches. The dominance of
which in turn demands a radical rethink of
performance management as the only driver
how governments relate to the public. There
of change is resulting in a lack of innovation
is a wide recognition that public bodies need
across the public system and is creating an
to move from a ‘welfare’ to a ‘respect’ model
obstacle to those who are transforming
of the citizen, and that this demands a public
organisations. New practices and governance
service business model that incentivizes
models are not evident, even where they
collaborative, rather than competitive,
have successfully emerged, because they
leadership practice.
aren’t captured by the current performance
management framework.
It is a time to break down the rigid
distinctions between policy and practice;
The lack of a new public business model
administrators and politicians; central
and an over-reliance on technical managerial
and local government. Public innovation
solutions has resulted in a lack of conﬁ dence
is about connection, not empires, and is
among even the most transformational of
32

National School of Government
leaders, which hampers the very change
The performance of public sector
that many politicians and innovative local
organizations in democratic societies
leaders want.
is related to their capacity to achieve
results of high public value and to do
There is a politics of transformation
so in ways that advance democratic
and change which needs airing, along
principles. Deﬁ nitions of quality and
with conversations about the role of
performance in the public sector
leaders in policy implementation and
embrace the achievement of public
the transformation of government that
policy results AND democratic results-
would support better policy formation and
not one or the other, and not one at
implementation. A growing number of
the expense of the other. Public policy
public sector leaders, particularly in local
results build credibility. Democratic
government, understand the consequences
results increase legitimacy. Taken
together, they enhance citizens’ trust
of measuring success only in terms of
in government, public institutions and
ﬁ nancial productivity and performance
public servants.
management. There is an urgent need for
Jocelyne Bourgon
a fresh strategy for open government and
the development of a public value business
The question of whether the most committed
model that captures a much wider range of
and innovative will be willing to work in
public policy outcomes.
public services and the government in the
The rebalancing of government will be a
future is hopefully being answered by the
political task. Jocelyne Bourgon, a former
emergence of a new appreciation of the role
Canadian Cabinet Secretary, says that future
and potential of public organisations to bring
governments will need a new approach to
about social change - epitomised by Obama’s
governance that can protect the public. She
efforts to connect political leadership, the
is exploring a conceptual framework that
economy, public service and social change
situates performance management within a
once more.
wider public sector model and acknowledges
emerging new relationships and practices14.
33
14. The Whitehall Innovation Hub is collaborating closely with Jocelyne Bourgon on this work, but in the meantime, see the forthcoming
Bourgon, J. (2009) ‘New Directions in Public Administration: Serving Beyond the Predictable’, Public Policy and Administration Journal.

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
References
Boland, L., and Coleman, E. (2008) ‘New Development: What Lies Beyond Service Delivery? Leadership Behaviours
for Place Shaping in Local Government’, Public Money & Management, 28, 5, pp 313-318
Bourgon, J. (2007) Speech to National School of Government conference. Available at
www.nationalschool.gov.uk/news_events/psrc2007/Downloads/Speech_GUSJOCELYNE.pdf
Bourgon, J. (forthcoming) ‘New Directions in Public Administration: Serving Beyond the Predictable’,
Public Policy and Administration Journal
Brennan, U., and Ceeney, N., (2008) Cultural Change in the Civil Service to Enable Service Transformation
(unpublished)
Brown, G. (2008) ‘Foreword’ in Excellence and Fairness: Achieving World Class Public Services
(London: Stationery Ofﬁ ce)
Crump, B. (2008) Extract from a presentation on change strategies at the NHS innovation conference at Warwick
University
Doz, Y., and Kosonen, M. (2008) Fast Strategy: how strategic agility will help you stay ahead of the game
(London: Pearson)
Fox, P., & Broussine, M. (2001) Room at the Top? A Study of Women Chief Executives in Local Government in
England and Wales (Bristol: University of the West of England)
Halkett, R. (2007) Hidden Innovation (London: NESTA)
Hartley, J. (2006) Innovation and Improvement in local government. Available at www.ipeg.org.uk/presentations/
bp_jean_hartley_pres.pdf
Hambleton, R. (2007) ‘New leadership for democratic urban space’, in Hambleton, R., and Gross, J. S. (eds)
Governing Cities in a Global Era (London and New York: Palgrave)
Hambleton, R. (2009) ‘Civic leadership and public service innovation’, More than good ideas: The power of
innovation in local government, Parker, S. (ed) (London: IDeA and NESTA)
Hudson, L.J. (2009) Collaboration and its Possibilities (forthcoming)
34

National School of Government
Institute for Government (2008) Performance Art: Enabling Better Management of Public Services (London: Institute
For Government)
Leadbeater, C., and Meadway, J. (2008) Attacking the Recession: how innovation can ﬁ ght the downturn (London:
NESTA)
Leadership Centre for Local Government (2009) Calling Cumbria. Available at www.localleadership.gov.uk/docs/
Calling%20Cumbria%20.pdf
Maddock, S. (1999) Challenging Women: gender cultures, innovation and change (London: Sage)
Maddock, S. (2006) Women Leaders in Local Government, British Journal of Public Sector Management
Maddock, S. (2008) Creating the Conditions for Public Innovation (London: National School
of Government)
Mckinsey Quarterly (2008a) Interview with CEO of W.L. Gore and Associates
Mckinsey Quarterly (2008b) Centred Leadership: how talented women thrive
Mulgan, G. (2007) Ready or Not? Taking innovation in the public sector seriously, (London: NESTA)
Obama, B. (2009) US Presidential Inaugural Address.
SMF (2004) Reinventing Government Again, Collins, P., and Byrne, L. (eds.) (London: Social Market Foundation)
SMF (2005) To the Point: A Blueprint for Good Targets (London: Social Market Foundation)
Sutherland, W., and Ley, I. (2009) Leading Outcome Focused Public Service Agreements, National School of
Government report (unpublished)
The Work Foundation (2008) Deliberative Democracy and the role of public managers
(London: The Work Foundation)
Walsh, K. (2006) ‘Leadership in the NHS’, presentation to ESRC Seminar, 22nd October 2006
35

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
Annex – next steps for innovative leaders
Assumptions behind the Leadership of Innovation
The problems of reform lie in the ‘how’ rather than the ‘what’; and at the core is a paradox
between staff and community participation and the government’s command-control, centralised
model. Evidence suggests that innovation calls for more open government and more egalitarian
relationships between policy makers, the public and staff; less managed control and more
engagement and exploration.
The innovation and transforming government agendas are inexorably linked. Service
transformation and innovation will only be sustained and diffused when government also
changes – and that involves systemic and cultural change across Whitehall.
The dislocation of policy making from local public services and local providers is problematic
because it restricts the vision of policy makers. This distinction and separation has led to a lack
of whole-systems perspective across the public sector and lack of appreciation of value and
delivery chains.
The rigid distinction of local and national government is unhelpful, and new civil service recruits
need exposure to the wider world of public service and social innovation in order to bridge the
divide between the policy and practice (theorists and pragmatists).
At the strategic level there is a need to

■ establish social and environmental skills

■  establish economic challenges and aspirations

■  scope the landscape of challenges of present and the future, political agendas, capacities
and resources

■  scrutinise government machinery and its capacity to deliver innovative solutions

■  strategise around the problems to be solved and the milestones for achievement

■  reﬂ ect on whether business models, commissioning and operational processes are keeping
things ticking over or capable of building the partnerships and relationships necessary for a
healthy society.
36

National School of Government
At the operational level there is a need to

■  be clear about the problems departments need to solve in terms of own delivery and practice
– internal change processes to be based on the above assumptions

■  tell the innovation story – don’t underestimate the need for sense-making by leaders

■  identify innovation champions and transformers

■  create the space for innovators and mechanisms for capturing innovation

■  make visible the process of shared problem-solving; encouraging exploration and
experimentation, to encourage a culture that creates the conditions for innovation

■  use open source ways of connecting and communicating

■ promote collaborative leadership

■ press for evidence of emerging trends

■ keep close to the public and to staff.
Key questions and prompts to self
Q   Are you connecting the call for innovation with the problems to be solved ?

It motivates staff if their calls for innovation are anchored in the problems to be solved,
and is not seen as the uptake of any new whacky idea or business process.
Q   Are you valuing staff?

Ask instead of tell, listen instead of assume, shorten the delivery chain and reconnect staff
to what matters. Have you asked staff how they would like to be rewarded for innovation?
Q   Are you rewarding the innovators?

Innovative leaders protect and reward the innovators, and seek them out, given that they
are there on the margins.
Q   Are you creating the space for people to explore and experiment?




37

The Whitehall Innovation Hub
Q   Are you promoting and recruiting the right people?

A critical question for executives is whether they employ and reward the right people.
Civil servants and chief executives are often recruited on the basis of their ability to manage
existing systems when innovation demands that they transform systems. It is not just a
question of individuals but of the diversity of people across a team or departments – too
many task-ﬁ nishers or policy leads can imbalance the team such that bridging the gap
between delivery and policy is too big.
Q   Are you removing disincentives?

Within the public sector it makes no sense to talk of incentivising innovation and not
dismantling the prevailing disincentives that operate at present. These are well rehearsed
and concern stiﬂ ing innovative responses. Transforming the way people are appraised and
promoted is key to removing the practical barriers. Senior managers can remove disincentives
by giving space and encouragement to those with creative ideas.

Poor cross-departmental working can inhibit innovation ﬂ ow and uptake; for instance,
enterprise training for mental health users has support but departments could not decide
whether the Department of Health or Department for Work and Pensions should ﬁ nance.
Without systemic change across government many innovations fail to take root.
Q   Are you investing in innovation?

Appropriate investment is key to creating new markets and funding streams – for instance
the lack of funding for innovative knowledge transfer in higher education is a cause of poor
research dissemination.
Q   Do you know what platforms would support more innovation in your domain? Are there
routes for innovation ﬂ ow?

There is growing evidence that networks and networking are critical to innovation diffusion,
but networks also need more open government and systemic change to support social
enterprise and service transformation15 – moving from ‘Hierarchy to Wirearchy’16.
38
15. See Leadbeater and Meadway (2008) Attacking the Recession – how innovation can ﬁ ght the downturn (London: NESTA)
16. See www.wirearchy.com for further information.

National School of Government
Q Are your commissioners and commissioning framework open enough to attract more
innovative suppliers and people?

Public commissioning processes put off the faint hearted – new commissioning frameworks
are being developed within the third sector which could form the basis of more open
processes which engage rather than procure on the basis of conventional practice.
Q Does your board value innovation?

If you can answer these questions positively in terms of having engaged ‘hearts and minds’
rather than ticking the boxes you will be a long way down the road to answering questions
about your organisation’s competence in relation to innovation.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Natalie Ceeney, Robin Hambleton, Jean Hartley, Carole Hassan, Irene Lucas,
Simon Miller, Naheed Arshad-Mather, Sue Richards, Paul Rogerson and Kim Ryley for inspiration,
thought and conversation.
Also to Ben Robinson, Nicola Mullan, Gary O’Hara and Marian Norris for editing and
organisation, to Helen Kirkby for the design, and ﬁ nally for the illustrations, thanks to
Sam Arthur at Nobrow Ltd, 62 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3QR.
39

Contact us
Dr Su Maddock
Innovation Hub Director
01344 634 683
[email address]
Gary O’Hara
Programme Manager
01344 634 125
[email address]
Ben Robinson
Researcher
01344 634 316
[email address]
nationalschool.gov.uk/innovationhub
The cover paper in this brochure is made from 75% recovered ﬁ bre and the text pages 100% recovered ﬁ bre.
The inks are vegetable oil based and contain resins from plants/trees. The CO2 from the manufacturing
processes involved in producing the document has been offset with the Carbon Neutral Company.
© Crown Copyright 2009 Published April 2009 29048