{"id":35501,"date":"2022-11-22T15:38:55","date_gmt":"2022-11-22T14:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oecd-opsi.org\/?post_type=publication&p=35501"},"modified":"2022-12-07T13:40:40","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T12:40:40","slug":"tackling-policy-challenges","status":"publish","type":"publication","link":"https:\/\/oecd-opsi.org\/publications\/tackling-policy-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"Tackling Policy Challenges Through Public Sector Innovation: A strategic portfolio approach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Executive summary<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scale and complexity of the challenges governments are facing today require public institutions to adopt novel ways to think and implement public policies. This means being able to develop innovative responses to tackle long term transformations such as those related to aging societies and automatisation of work while keeping the public sector productive and responsive to urgent needs. In short, governments cannot remain static, they need to continuously adapt their strategies to changing circumstances and environments, systematically and actively explore new possibilities, experiment, and continuously learn as part of a broader governance system.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As public sector innovation continues to be institutionalised, new frameworks are needed to help government make a more strategic and deliberate use of innovation to achieve policy goals. Forty\u2011three\u00a0countries who have adopted the OECD\u2019s Declaration of Public Sector Innovation<\/a> have recognised that innovation is multifaceted (i.e. different challenges requires different innovative responses) and that a systemic portfolio approach to innovation that is tailored to the relevant needs, goals and priorities is needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work to date has examined the drivers and factors influencing innovation in the public sector, but does not help governments make strategic choices about what types of innovation to invest in or assist to build support structures in line with the problem at hand. This report fills this gap by introducing the notion of a portfolio approach to innovation as a management device which involves \u201cinvesting in, fostering and leveraging an appropriately diverse range of innovative activities so as to offset the risks that some innovative responses will not work or will be unsuitable\u201d (OECD Innovation Declaration); and describing ways this can effectively be applied in organisational setting to ensure innovation efforts achieve their intended goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By bringing together the Facets model and a portfolio approach, the report provides new evidence on what innovative approaches and instruments governments can use to respond to emerging challenges in a timely manner. The report argues that there is a rising need for specificity and precision in how different factors are supported at individual, organisational and systems levels. This would also make the strategic response and support of innovation more tailored to government needs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Connecting purpose with solutions: The Public Sector Innovation Facet model<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first chapter of the report provides an introduction to the Innovation Facet model which can be used to explore the purpose and intent of innovation activities along two dimensions (directionality and certainty), and how they work in practice:<\/p>\n\n\n\n