Social innovation and the public sector: issues and obstacles, GFP Ottawa 2018

1. Social innovation
and the public
sector: issues
and obstacles
Anthony Arundel
UNU-MERIT, Maastricht University, the
Netherlands &
Tasmanian School of Business and
Economics, University of Tasmania,
Australia

2. Relevant definitions
An innovation is the implementation of a new or significantly changed
product or process. (Gault, 2018).
• Social and eco-innovations are a subset or restricted types of innovations
An eco-innovation is a new or improved product or practice of a unit
that generates lower environmental impacts, compared to the unit’s
previous products or practices, and that has been made available to
potential users or brought into use by the unit (Kemp et al, 2018).
A social innovation is a novel solution to a social problem that is more
effective, efficient, sustainable or just than existing solutions and for
which the value created accrues primarily to society as a whole rather
than private individuals” (my emphasis) (Phills et al, 2008, p. 39).
Social innovations involve new forms of collaboration that restructure
power relations in a way that creates positive social impacts (Ayob et
al, 2016).

3. Collaboration Innovation Co creation Change
New forms
of social
relations
Innovation
New power
relationships
Utilitarian
social value
Societal
impacts
Ayob et al, 2016

4. Social innovations usually consist of a
combination of innovative processes,
services, service delivery methods,
policies and infrastructure that cross
organisational boundaries and
jurisdictions (Voorberg et al, 2015).
They can involve for-profit businesses,
but government, NGOs, NPISHs or
self-organising individuals are likely to
play a central role.
Technologies play a
supporting role –
platforms for self-
organised networks.

5. Disruption
•The primary disruption is often due the social
innovation itself, as when it creates new social and
power relationships.
•Secondary disruption from how the social innovation
is conceived and developed – use of design thinking /
co-creation.
•Tertiary disruption through the use of new
technologies (platforms, use of digitalisation in elderly
home care)

6. Social innovation in the for-profit business sector?

8. Continuous sidewalk:
Stops a major cause of
auto/bike-pedestrian
collisions: car drivers
turning into a
residential road at
speed.
“Low tech” Traffic
engineering solution.
Changes the power
relationships between
citizens as car drivers
and citizens as cyclists
or pedestrians

9. Surveys show that the
majority of public
sector innovations
today are both complex
(52%) and involve ICT
in some way.
This is likely to also
apply to social
innovations.

10. Obstacles (hindering factors) and barriers

11. Australia, 2012: 344 branches of the Federal
government, responses from senior
managers
European Union, 2010: 3,500 public
administration agencies
Australian 2011 State of the Service
survey: 10,000 employees at all job levels
Surveys on obstacles and barriers
Scandinavia, 2009: 2000 public
administration agencies, plus health
and education organisations
More recent (since 2016) surveys in
Scandinavia and Australia

12. 1. Lack of political consensus (barrier)
• Social (and eco) innovations
use resources (financial,
spatial, etc.) and can affect /
require changes in how things
are done (power relations).
• This can attract strong
political opposition that
blocks or substantially hinders
social and eco-innovations.
• “War” on pedestrians and
cyclists.

13. 2. Unsupportive governance (barrier)
Governance in the public sector
can encourage innovation
(networked governance) or
discourage it (traditional
Weberian governance).
Most of the ideas for public
sector innovations are from
managers – not politicians and
high level management.
Source of the idea for the unit’s most important
innovation, percent (Australia, 2012)
• Chart for source of idea from
Australia
11.9
13.3
19.6
55.2
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Other
Highlevelmanagement&
Ministers
Lowerlevel staff
Leadershipgroup(middle&
upper-middlemanagement)

14. 3. Risk averse culture (obstacle)
•Public sector managers innovate in a risk averse
environment by reducing uncertainty and innovating
carefully (Kay and Goldspink, 2012).
•Draw on collaboration, complementary supporting
innovations, and active management strategies to
support innovation (Torugsa and Arundel, 2017).

15. -0.381
0.071
0.21
-0.4
0
0.4
Collaboration to reduce problems from a risk averse
environment for service innovations
Effect of collaboration
on share of services
that are innovative.
Comparison group
consists of agencies
that do not report a
risk averse culture. All 3 of these groups report a risk
averse environment for innovation
Source: Ann Torugsa, AIRC
No collaboration
With
collaboration
Collaboration and in-
house capabilities
Effect of collaboration on share of services
that are innovative

16. 4. Insufficient collaboration
(obstacle)
Collaboration is a defining
characteristics of public sector
innovation, but a failure to
collaborate with all relevant
parties (businesses, user
groups, other government
agencies, etc.) can lead to
unsatisfactory outcomes.
Shift to use of co-creation.
Percent innovative public organisations
and private businesses that collaborate on
innovations
Public
agencies
Service
sector
businesses
Europe
Service innovations 81.6% 19.8%
Process innovations 76.7% 26.3%
Australia
Service innovations 75.9% -
Process innovations 74.3% -
United States
All innovations 96.1% -

17. 5. Failure to engage users in co-creation (obstacle)
Theory stresses the value of
including users in the design
of all public sector service
innovations, including social
innovations.
Results in better outcomes –
innovations that are ‘fit for
purpose’.
Percent government units involving citizens
in the design of service innovations
8%
27%
28%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
Australia, Commonwealth Gov.,
2011-12
Australia, Tasmania, 2013-14
Europe, 2008-10

18. A few conclusions
• Social innovation is driven by collaboration between
governments, citizens and NGOs – disruption through
changing social relationships.
• Technology is a supporting player in social innovation (it
can create opportunities), but it is unlikely to be sufficient.
• Barriers differ from obstacles
• For major social innovations, the greatest barrier is a lack of
political consensus.
• Obstacles can be overcome by in-house capabilities for
innovation in the public sector plus collaboration.
• Increasing interest in ‘co-creation’ and ‘design-thinking’ by
governments to involve users in the design of social
innovations.