As the world changes, so must our institutions – particularly government, including government agencies. Without getting into how hard or easy it is for government agencies to change (recognising there’s a diversity of views), any change should, necessarily be for the better. So how should they change? In which ways should they reinvent themselves toRead… Read more »
Most organizations have their unfortunate history of major initiatives thrust on them by well-meaning executives and zealous consultants: total quality, six sigma, employee engagement, knowledge management, and other fads. While all can have their value, the reality of a sudden change in direction – “something completely different” – is a huge leap that often failsRead… Read more »
Where does government innovation come from? In the United States there are examples like DARPA’s collaboration with universities and the private industry, and the CIA’s In-Q-Tel private sector partnership. In Denmark, there is MindLab, a private-public enterprise not existing within one department but expanding throughout multiple organizations which acts as something of an innovation special-op.Read… Read more »
How do you scale government innovation? That’s the question Jay Nath, San Francisco’s Chief Innovation Officer wants to know. Nath sat down with Chris Dorobek on the Dorobek INSIDER program for a 30 minute in depth interview that covered the gamut of government innovation: apps challenges, budget constraints, culture changes and more. “If we aren’tRead… Read more »
As part of the White House’s recently released digital government strategy, a new Presidential Innovation Fellows program has been created. The program brings in 15 innovators from outside government who provide expertise on projects, particularly those that are technology related. Tom Fox, vice president for leadership and innovation at the Partnership for Public Service satRead… Read more »
Patterson made a lot more money from moveable type than Gutenberg. Alfred P. Sloan had a bigger General Motors than Billy Durant. Startups are for young guys. Finishups are for rich guys.
When in 6th grade, on the walk home with friends, we would stop at a local store and buy a soda (for 5¢) – I’d often think how nice it would be to have an ice cold bottle of water instead of the sweet soda. With the popularity of bottled water today, was mine anRead… Read more »
Shrinking budgets especially in the IT world are putting pressure on public organizations to do the same work (if not more work) on aging technology and infrastructure. The government is not the standard setter when it comes to advancing to the latest and greatest technology. The perfect example: I’m using a Pentium 4 single processorRead… Read more »
Innovation is not “out there,” it’s a process. Looking at it historically, technologically, geographically, and developmentally can make innovation familiar and straightforward. Innovation in the United States in the 1700’s, was often British mechanics emigrating to make their fortune, building other people’s inventions they had learned in Britain. The work was often pirated tools forRead… Read more »
Just because you have a bunch of great ideas it does not mean you can sit back in a chair and kick up your feet. Selling ideas is the biggest and most difficult role of the Chief Innovation Officer. It requires knowing the right people, understanding the politics of an organization and understanding what itRead… Read more »