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your focus on innovation, collaboration and change > september 2012 > extra onions > mark napier >

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P u b l i c s e c t o r i n n o v a t i o n b y M a r k N a p i e r

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innovative onions > september 2012 > mark napier > innovation >

Innovation is a term that is increasingly being used in the public and third sectors. Whilst traditionally seen as a hallmark of the private sector, innovation is now seen as vitally important to the public and third sectors too. But why do we need innovation?

The key reasons are: 1. An environment of steep cuts in government spending

2. Rising expectations of the quality of services from users and carers

3. The existence of endemic problems that have not been solved by usual practice.

All of the above means that ‘business as usual’ is increasingly no longer an option for many services. Innovation resolves how to avoid the problem of ‘death by a thousand cuts’ by seeking to take a whole new approach to an issue.

Defining innovation

There are many definitions for what innovation is. At the Centre for Public Innovation (CPI), we believe that the real crux of innovation – which other definitions do not necessarily capture – is performance. The final test of innovation is not newness or change but improvement. Our definition therefore is simply:

“Change that creates a new dimension of performance.”

It is this focus on improvements in performance that characterises true innovation. Anything that does not lead to better performance is merely change for change’s sake, or worse still, the pursuit of novelty.

You need to respond to the growing challenge of making your organisation and your services more innovative and, in so doing, drive down the costs of providing services, whilst increasing the quality and improving client outcomes.

Mark Napier The Centre for Public Innovation www.publicinnovation.org.uk