Supplement: A Review of the Literature

Supplement: Case Studies

9. A transition to a new era of innovation in the public sector

The Australian Public Service is widely regarded internationally as highly professional, efficient and innovative. Nevertheless, there are continuing and legitimate pressures from within and outside government for improved performance. Most in government and in the public sector would accept that there is scope for further improvement. Continuous innovation offers the best prospects of meeting these expectations.

Aim to be the best

In his John Paterson Oration on 3 September 2009, the Prime Minister articulated his aspirations for the APS. Having complimented the APS on its achievements, the Prime Minister said:

The larger challenges still lie ahead, and that is to move forward with a vision to make the APS the best public service anywhere in the world. I believe that is an entirely reasonable and achievable aspiration for the APS — if we take the right actions now. To achieve that goal, I believe the APS must perform five tasks:

1. Provide high-quality, forward-looking and creative policy advice;

2. Deliver high-quality programs and services that put the citizen first;

3. Maintain a culture of honesty, impartiality and fairness, with a focus on retaining public trust;

4. Provide flexible, agile responses to changing realities and government priorities; and

5. Be effective and efficient in all its operations.

We have a strong APS, but much needs to be done to achieve these objectives.

Enhancing innovation performance is central to the APS improving its current approaches. Among other things this will require further strengthening of an innovation culture, greater focus on learning and disseminating the lessons of innovation, exploiting the opportunities offered by technology developments, and seeking out and being receptive to ideas and innovations from outside government.

9.1 A stronger innovation culture

Seek forgiveness rather than ask permission

The encouragement to increase innovation for better policy, service delivery and cost reduction has been set at the highest levels of government. Survey results which show that there are marked differences of view within the APS between the senior leadership cadre and less senior staff about the extent to which innovation occurs and is encouraged and supported places a significant responsibility on APS leaders to address the underlying issues.[15] These results suggest that more needs to be done to foster an innovation culture, promote innovative activity and change perceptions.

Innovation is more likely in circumstances where innovative initiatives are actively encouraged and supported. This will not happen by chance but requires active facilitation and recognition throughout an organisation with bottom-up, horizontal and top-down processes, recruitment, training and development of high quality staff and active learning from others. This means that innovation must be embedded, recognised and rewarded within organisations, the broader APS and the public sector more generally.

9.2 An open innovation approach

There are various public sector coordination and advisory bodies which promote innovation and which are advocates for adoption of best practice within their areas of responsibility. However, research for this Guide demonstrated that although innovation is widespread throughout the public sector, it is often not recognised, and the lessons and enhanced approaches often not proactively and effectively shared across, and between, organisations.

Look outwards

All organisations could benefit from embedding innovation in the values and behaviours they promote and encouraging their staff to look above and beyond the normal boundaries of their jobs to reflect, to learn from others, to challenge the why, what and how of their responsibilities and to set out to make a positive difference. It is the opportunity to make a difference that is a powerful motivator for many public servants and if given the opportunity and encouragement, most will rise to the challenge.

Similar to the private sector, there is further scope for the APS and the public sector more generally to promote and adopt ‘open’ innovation approaches. This involves the identification, adoption, adaptation or re-engineering of ideas, technologies, processes or services from a wide range of sources within and without the government sector. This can be supported by greater emphasis on networks and communities of practice.

9.3 Placing the citizen at the centre

Stand in their shoes

Government and community desire for more citizen-focussed service delivery provide significant opportunities for innovation. While significant steps are being taken, including in the context of the social inclusion agenda, much remains to be done to provide comprehensive, joined up service delivery. The challenges involved are not trivial but can be solved through collaboration and partnerships across agencies to coordinate efforts across government and with other sectors. Initiatives could range from new and enhanced delivery mechanisms through redefining role responsibilities to redesigned back office processes and enhanced IT platforms.

In the context of the possible dynamic between innovation and social inclusion, it is also necessary that public organisations are mindful as to whom, across society and industry, is gaining most and, more importantly, gaining least from public sector innovation.

New models for service delivery

The recently announced five year research alliance between the CSIRO and Centrelink, committing $25 million to drive a significant program of improving Australian government service delivery, is an instructive example of how combining the strengths of two quite different organisations offers the potential to improve outcomes for Centrelink customers and citizens more broadly.

9.4 New opportunities through technology

The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow.

Bill Gates

Information and communications technological developments, together with globalisation and real time flows of information, citizen demands for more meaningful engagement, calls for greater transparency of decision making processes, and expectations of more citizen focussed delivery of services, all provide challenges and opportunities for significant and more rapid innovation across the public sector.

It is important that opportunities presented by new technological developments and community usage be proactively monitored and adopted or adapted for the purposes of government. For example, new forms of communication such as blogs and wikis had become relatively well established and utilised by the community before guidelines for their use by government were promulgated across the public sector. Blogs are now used at the highest levels of government.

Web 2.0 taskforce

The establishment of a taskforce within the Australian Government Information Management Office on web 2.0 technologies illustrates the potential importance of these technologies in transforming the way in which government engages with the community at large. Importantly, the independent taskforce comprises experts and entrepreneurs from the private and public sectors and academia.

9.5 Aspirations for the future

Just as the public sector of today is very different from the public sector of yesteryear, the public sector of the future will be markedly different from what we have at present. However, if anything, the pace of change is likely to be faster.

A more highly performing public sector is achievable through leadership and innovation that not only drives productivity but also delivers better services to the government and citizens of Australia.

This Guide has been developed in the context of the legislative, regulatory, monitoring and reporting framework that currently applies to the public sector. The Management Advisory Committee’s examination of public sector innovation will explore how innovation can be further facilitated on an ongoing basis and the need for possible reforms. The Prime Minister has also established an Advisory Group to develop a blueprint for reform of the public service.

It can be expected that the outcomes of these processes will strengthen the emphasis being given to enhanced innovation performance in the public sector. A concerted effort across the public sector will help enable better performance and drive new directions that benefit all Australians.

[15]Australian Public Service Commission, State of the Service Report 2007–08, 2008, pp. 271–276.

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