key leadership actions for innovation: solace research 2016
TRANSCRIPT
Key Leadership Ac/ons for Innova/on: Solace Innova/on Research Findings 2016
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
Aims of the research To: • Discover more about what senior managers in leading councils are doing that is helping to achieve more major cost-‐saving innova/ons
• Promote & discuss the learning through Solace & more widely
• Suggest addi/onal ways councils might accelerate innova/on
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
Should'we'agree'long'term'
objec3ves'or'evolve'innova3ons'
step'by'step?'
Should'we'take'major'risks'or'be'more'cau3ous?'
Should'we'direct'and'drive'
innova3ons'from'the'top'or'empower'
others?'
Should'we'encourage'‘1000'flowers'to'
bloom’'or'priori3se'areas'for'innova3on?'
Should'we'encourage'
everyone'to'‘be'crea3ve’'or'be'more'focused?'
Should'we'spend'a'long'3me'reflec3ng'or'move'forward'
quickly?'
Should'we'look'for'‘disrup3ve'ideas’'or'just'adapt'and'improve?'
Should'we'agree'inspiring,'bold,'
ambi3ous'plans'or'be'‘more'realis3c’?'
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
Research conducted
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
• Selected councils with a reputa/on for innova/on
• Interviewed their senior & middle managers
• Produced in-‐depth individual case studies
• Undertook overall analysis of the leadership ac/ons
• Compared the results with other studies
Councils involved
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
Examples of innova/ons
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
Joint ventures building affordable housing
Health & social care integra/on
Suffolk Public Sector Partnership
KEY LEADERSHIP ACTIONS FOR INNOVATION From this study, previous studies & other relevant research
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
Leaders are clear, united & determined about the outcomes they want to achieve & their
priority areas for innova/on
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
“Leadership must be a collec/ve endeavour. Whatever the challenge is, if we are all really signed up for it, we will make it happen.” Carolyn Wilkins, Chief Execu5ve, Oldham
Council
“At the beginning we set out clear priori/es: what’s important, the things to drive forward with, & those to let go & leave behind. Then
focus, focus, focus.” Simon Baker, Chief Execu5ve, Staffordshire
Moorlands & High Peak t
Are bold & ambi/ous, while understanding residents’ concerns, learning from elsewhere, se^ng realis/c
objec/ves, & taking well considered risks
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
“You need to define what you can change, & what you can’t, & not waste people’s /me in trying to do the
impossible. You need passion & ideas, but you also need to work out whether something is opera/onally viable.”
David McNulty, Chief Execu5ve, Surrey
“We need to judge whether what we are doing is a good idea or a great idea, & be a bit
discerning about not trying to do too much.” Charlie Adan, Chief Execu5ve, Mid Suffolk &
Babergh
Engage with key partners in an open way, evolving innova/ons together
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
“We work in a much more ‘system leader’ type of way now. If you want to get partners into the room, sharing their resources, & sharing their skills, you have to work with them differently. Rather than controlling partnerships, we try &
facilitate our work with others.” Director, Bristol
“Spending /me building rela/onships & trust with people in other organisa/ons is very important. Partnerships are about
people.” Senior Manager, South Tyneside
Create an organisa/onal culture that encourages crea/ve approaches
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
“Culture is crucial. We allow people to be the voca/onal public servants they want to be. We encourage explora/on & curiosity. We try to give people confidence. Nothing is a daa idea. We work
out whether it is doable.” Paul MaHhews, Chief Execu5ve, Monmouthshire
“You keep bringing that organisa/onal narra/ve back to what you are trying to achieve. You are not doing innova/on because it is the next sexy thing, but because that is what you need to do to
create public value, to serve the people of Surrey, especially the most vulnerable.” David McNulty, Chief Execu5ve, Surrey
Develop & empower other innova/ve leaders e.g. middle managers
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
“You need a different type of leader in local government now. It is not about just running services anymore. It is about a really solid understanding of
local government & where it is going, coupled with an ability to see the bigger picture, to iden/fy the change required, & being able to work with poli/cians & staff
to deliver that change.” Senior Manager, South Tyneside
“We have been very focused on developing the skills of our middle managers. We recognise
that the best ideas come from middle managers. They are in a becer posi/on to
understand customers’ needs.” Senior Manager, East Hampshire & Havant
Invest /me, resources & effort into developing their innova/on priori/es
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
“To innovate you have to invest.” Director, East Hampshire & Havant
“We put our money where our mouth is.” Donna Hall, Chief Execu5ve, Wigan
Convincingly communicate the reasons why priority innova/ons are important Talk to key people such as their managers, employees & residents
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
“Innova/on happens through people. We need people with the right mindset & the right
behaviours. We aim to make sure everyone is connected to the purpose.”
Paul MaHhews, Chief Execu5ve, Monmouthshire
“The biggest future transforma/on will be achieved through changing
the way people work.” Donna Hall, Chief Execu5ve, Wigan
Genuinely listen to, & involve, others in developing innova/ons (e.g. managers, employees,
residents, service users, partners & local businesses)
©Futuregov
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
“Part of the mayor’s role is to challenge the city, to try to come up with some of the answers to our issues. There is something fundamental about
providing a plaform for the city’s crea/vity, rather than believing that we have all the answers.”
Max Wide, Strategic Director, Bristol
“We focus on what macers to the people of Oldham. We look at what we can do with our resources to address their priori/es, which are not necessarily about tradi/onal
councils services.” Carolyn Wilkins, Chief Execu5ve, Oldham
Track the progress of priority innova/ons e.g. using project management or ‘more agile’ techniques
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
“We always set clear /melines, keep our foot on the pedal & don’t allow things to dria.”
Simon Baker, Chief Execu5ve, Staffordshire Moorlands & High Peak
“You need an innova/on process that is based on a cycle of
orienta/on, ac/on, reflec/on, reorienta/on, ac/on, reflec/on,
reorienta/on.” Charlie Adan, Chief Execu5ve, Mid
Suffolk & Babergh
Persist for long enough to embed & scale up major innova/ons
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
“We address our challenges with confidence & an absolute determina/on to deliver the Council’s long-‐term vision. Our confidence is due to the commitment & immensely posi/ve a^tudes of our staff, elected
members & partners.” Mar5n Swales, Chief Execu5ve, South Tyneside
“We are taking a collegiate approach, with weekly mee/ngs that drive the
work forward. We are exploring, feeling our way forward, towards a clear goal.”
Senior Manager, Monmouthshire
The nine case studies
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
Great progress • The managers & poli/cians appeared
to be taking a much more comprehensive strategic approach to innova/on than most councils in our previous studies
• The managers were upbeat &
enthusias/c, excited about what they were doing & achieving
• The findings suggest that poli/cians &
senior managers in councils are becoming much more sophis/cated, knowledgeable & confident about genera/ng innova/ons.
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
Ac5ons highlighted in most case study councils
• Be bold, ambi/ous, united & passionate (9)
• Build innova/ve partnerships (9)
• Create an innova/ve organisa/onal culture (8)
• Develop & empower innova/ve leaders (8)
• Understand & involve residents (6)
• Move with pace, take considered risks (6)
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
Ac5ons highlighted in majority of case study councils
• Resource priority innova/on processes (5)
• Engage employees (5) • Be disciplined, focused & determined (5)
• Learn from elsewhere (5) • Use more ‘agile’ processes (5)
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
Ac5ons highlighted in a minority of case study councils
• Commissioning for innova/on
• Maximising digital exper/se
• Fostering cross council networks
• Recrui/ng staff with the right a^tudes for innova/on
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
Some councils might benefit from Iden/fying more clearly: • Services that are running
well – where only minor improvements needed
• Services that are poor – where performance needs to be improved significantly
• Services that are low impact or low priority – which should be stopped
• The cri/cal areas for major innova/ons
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
There’s no universal formula • Some councils are in a becer
posi/on to be trailblazers for innova/on (e.g. because of their history, culture, poli/cal stability, local residents)
• Others councils can learn from them, use their success as evidence to make a case for innova/ons locally
• Leaders need to make judgements about what is possible, depending on their circumstances
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
Judgements leaders need to make • How far ahead to plan given the
uncertain strategic context • How long to reflect for before star/ng
to develop an innova/on • How precise to be about what they
want to achieve • Whether to try to develop something
completely new or to adapt others’ ideas
• Whether their normal performance management system is capable of overseeing the development of innova/ons or they need to use more flexible methods
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
The Local Councils’ Innova/on Framework: Leaders can use the Framework to review their ac/ons
©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local Government Research Project
Ci#zen'&''service'user''
focus'!
Culture'promotes'innova#on''
Effec#ve'delivery'
mechanisms'for'innova#on'
Cross'boundary'innova#ons'
Strategic'approach'to'innova#on'
Leaders'&'managers'lead'for'
innova#on'
Clear'poli#cal'vision'&'priori#es'
!
Employees'skilled'&'
mo#vated'for'innova#on'
For the full version of the latest Framework see: hcps://goo.gl/p647l
0ther resources • The full research report:
hcp://www.solace.org.uk/knowledge/reports_guides/key-‐leadership-‐ac/ons-‐for-‐innova/on-‐final-‐report
• The case studies: hcp://bit.ly/1OvJaEe • Presenta/ons on innova/on:
hcp://www.slideshare.net/joanmunro • NESTA Innova/on Skills Bank:
hcp://www.nesta.org.uk/develop-‐your-‐skills
• Design Council service redesign process: hcp://www.designcouncil.org.uk/news-‐opinion/design-‐process-‐what-‐double-‐diamond
[email protected] @JoanMICL ©Accelera/ng Innova/on in Local
Government Research Project