Creating a Culture of Innovation

Does your agency have a culture that embraces innovation, or resists change? The Partnership for Public Service and the Hay Group set out to understand what characteristics set innovative federal leaders apart, and they highlight the results in a new report: "Leading Innovation in Government."

The analysis found that innovative leaders -- who differ in background, discipline and challenges --refuse to be stopped by obstacles in their path. They also share a combination of characteristics, such as being a team leader, teacher/mentor, collaborator, relationship builder and self-aware learner, the Partnership and Hay Group found.

"For government, innovation poses unique challenges, largely because federal agencies are designed to perform reliably, not to adapt to changing circumstances," the report states. "Even master innovators like Steve Jobs of Apple and Mark Zuckerburg of Facebook would be tested in the complex environment government presents."

The report argues that while most attributes of an innovative leader do not come naturally necessarily, there are things federal agencies can do to bring about those qualities in leaders. This includes training current and emerging leaders to develop those characteristics and selecting the next generation of career senior executives by evaluating them against those attributes. Agencies also can fill managerial positions with candidates who demonstrate innovative qualities and use those characteristics to shape the management styles and behaviors of current executives.

The report is the second part in a two-part series on innovation in government. The first report identified four barriers to innovation that federal leaders must overcome: the absence of a formal process to introduce new ideas; gaps in communication and ever-shifting priorities; lack of funding; and a system that rewards the status quo.