Innovation has become an important aspect in the public sector as globalisation, technology, climate change and other issues continue to emerge and influence society.
But while innovation has been deemed as a necessity given the current state of society, the public sector is still known for its delay in utilising new technologies to improve its processes compared to private organisations.
This delay in innovation can be attributed to the idea of sticking to what already works and avoiding new risks that organisations may face when trying to innovate. While this can prevent new problems from cropping up, it also frustrates stakeholders who would prefer better services.
So why should the public sector innovate? Deloitte’s Grace Cunningham writes in a blog post that the public sector should innovate or else it would end up facing major risks and bigger challenges as society continues to change.
In her article, Grace Cunningham lists the reasons why innovation is necessary:
Keeping up and staying ahead with the changes
A public sector organisation’s current methods of developing solutions will not be enough once it will face new challenges. For example, it is impossible to solve complex problems such as climate change or homelessness using traditional ways. In order to solve such issues, the responses should go beyond mere incremental improvements.
Following this, innovation in the public sector is required not just to keep up with the pace of change but to stay ahead of it. By staying ahead of the changes, organisations can have new opportunities to grow and develop their operations.
With technology advancing at such a rapid pace, it has become clear that current regulations cannot keep up with it. So how does the public sector handle such a challenge now and in the future? Innovation not only provides opportunities to organisations, but it also provides a way for them to be more responsive to the future.
Meeting public expectations and building trust
The legitimacy of a country’s political and social systems is built on the trust and confidence of the citizens. This trust then contributes to social and economic stability and the success of public policy.
However, trust in public sector organisations can fall due to several factors. The failure to meet citizens’ expectations is one such factor. With the advances in technology, people are now expecting a seamless experience, personalisation and innovation when interacting with public services. This is based on their experiences in dealing with private organisations that have upgraded their processes through new technologies.
Aside from this, the failure to listen and respond to citizens’ concerns can also contribute to the loss of trust in public sector organisations. With people being more proactive in getting the services that they want, citizens expect organisations to meet their expectations by listening, engaging, collaborating and offering solutions to their concerns.
Public policies that are created without consultation from the public or bureaucratic service models will only alienate citizens and widen the trust gap. To prevent doing so, public service organisations must be innovative in order to meet public expectations and build public trust.
Attracting the best innovators in the industry
Innovation does not happen unless there are the right people to do so. However, the public sector can sometimes find itself in a situation when it comes to attracting the best and the most innovative talent.
Innovators would want to work in places where they can have the space to be creative with their ideas. In order to have innovation, public sector organisations should cultivate a work environment where innovators can flourish. Not doing so will cause them to fail in attracting the right people who are motivated to develop original, inventive solutions.
Investing in innovation and creating an innovative culture can help the public service organisation in attracting and retaining the best people despite the competitive labour market.
As society continues to advance due to current issues and changes in technology, governments and public services across the globe are taking notice of the need to innovate. In fact, changes are already being implemented across several organisations in order to help promote a culture of innovation in the public service.
Eliza is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum. She is an experienced writer on topics related to the government and to the public, as well as stories that uplift and improve the community.
