Project results PSI-CO
Integrated analytical framework for innovation through collaboration and co-creation (Work package 1)
In work package 1, we bring together theoretical perspectives on processes of and conditions for public sector innovation through collaboration and co-creation. The written report is a state of the art of the public sector innovation literature and is a starting point for the case studies of work packages 2 and 3.
-Theoretical and analytical framework. Case selection and approach
How do collaborations lead to public sector innovation? Case studies about management of collaborations, individual and organizational conditions (Work packages 2 and 3)
In work package 2 (data collection) and 3 (cross-case analysis), nine case studies were conducted. The cases entail collaborative arrangements involving public actors and to the extent possible also private actors and citizens, in order to learn if and under which conditions these arrangements lead to public sector innovations. In total, 91 interviews were conducted and 110 surveys were completed. This delivers case-related principles about how and under which circumstances collaborative governance arrangements result in innovations and how the governments’ coordination, individual conditions, and organizational conditions foster or inhibit this. With regard to the individual conditions we focused on the skills, attitudes, and positions , and incentives of civil servants empowering and motivating them to participate, engage in transformative learning and develop ownership. As to organizational conditions we focused on the red tape of public organizations (‘hard aspects’) and on organizational culture and leadership as exponent of the ‘soft’ conditions.
Validation of findings through Delphi and international comparison. Policy brief (Work package 4)
The findings of work package 3 were validated in work package 4 by a comparison of the findings of the international LIPSE (Learning from Innovation in Public Sector Environments) project. Furthermore, we returned to the participants of the case studies from work package 3 for a so-called Delphi study. With this study we were able to present our findings to the participants and to let them react on these results.
This resulted in a policy brief with practical recommendations for the network, orgagnizational and individual level to stimulate public sector innovation.
Living Labs (Work package 5)
This report is the final report of work package 5 which is designed to test the validated findings of WP4 in real-life cases in order to assess their functionality and develop more operational guidelines for innovations through coordination and collaboration. This is done with a Living Labs methodology on two ‘test cases’: crisis management and emergency planning on one side and the fight against intimate partners violence on the other.
Quantitative phase: Survey on innovation through collaboration and co-creation in the federal government (Work package 6)
In work package 6, a study is carried out concerning the innovation capacities of the federal government. Through a large-scale questionnaire (N = 628) that was sent to the managers at the three highest management levels of the federal organizations, the factors that ensure that federal organizations innovate through collaboration was examined. To what extent do factors such as organizational culture, the capacity to learn and connect (both within and outside the organization), autonomy and control lead to more innovation? And: with whom do organizations collaborate and this how does this collaboration affect the development of innovation? This report answers these and more questions. An overview of the drivers of innovation through cooperation is presented together with the extent this is present in federal organizations. This results in a number of practical recommendations.
New Ways of Working and collaborative innovation (Work package 7)
In work package 7 a study was conducted concerning "new ways of working" within the federal government. Using data from the same questionnaire as in work package 6 and two qualitative case studies, the extent to which this is present in federal government organizations was studied together with the effect it has on the development of innovations. New ways of working involves factors such as self-managing teams, team autonomy, teleworking and time-independent working. The direct and indirect effects of this on innovation through collaboration are investigated. The quantitative analyzes are further explored with a thorough qualitative study of two organizations in the federal public domain. Why did these organizations ever opt for news way of working, how is it conceived and what effect does it have on the development of innovations? Based on this study, recommendations are made for new ways of working in relation to innovation through collaboration.
Innovation architecture: How to stimulate innovation through collaboration government-wide (Work package 8)
Work package 8 is a comparative study of the innovation architecture within the federal government. It examines the role of government-wide innovation architecture in creating and supporting innovation in the public sector. The term "innovation architecture" refers to the structures, processes and instruments set up by governments to stimulate the initiation, adoption and dissemination of innovations within government. Based on interviews and document analysis, it was investigated how innovation architecture is present in Belgium, the Netherlands, Estonia and Finland. Factors such as funding, partnerships and resources for innovation architecture are examined. The increasingly popular innovation labs are studies as well. Based on a comparison of these countries, recommendations are made for the Belgian federal government.
Integrated findings of the PSI-CO project (Work package 9)
This report integrates the findings of the whole research project. It highlights the key results, and provides integrated policy recommendations.