This is the first article of a 5 part series on Innovation Management for State & Local governments. We will explore innovation management best practices best suited to help governments in the United States of America. With the dynamics of an ongoing global pandemic, the numerous issues plaguing governments, as a result, combined with a contentious federal election cycle and innovation management is more important than ever.
How do State & Local governments operate in a post-COVID environment? Our government Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) at Ever Evolving Inc., anticipate this will be one of the biggest questions on many people’s minds after months spent triaging the immediate problems spawned from this global pandemic. But what will the landscape look like when this is all over? One thing is certain, State and Local governments will be looking at increased service demands while operating on less money due to reduced tax revenues.
There will still be traditional items to be addressed, like federal mandates around schooling and programs like E-Verify but there may be the possibility of new issues. Things like election security could become an issue immediately before and after the election. Problems with opioid addiction seem to be on the rise as well as struggles with mental health as a result of distancing and heightened anxiety. Throw in a few debates on whether marijuana should or should not be legalized plus the thousands of other problems affecting your area and you have a set of issues tailor-made for the dumpster fire that is 2020.
Ensuring 2021 is going to better means doing things that are new and improved. Does your government CURRENTLY have a culture supportive of innovation? If the answer isn’t a resounding YES, do you have a plan to get you there? You should be encouraging innovative ideas and suggestions from employees and the public. Not only do you need the ability to capture these thoughts, but all stakeholders must have confidence that actions will be taken from this feedback to improve government processes and operations. As public servants and appointed or elected officials, you are required to attune to the needs of diverse groups of people, with organizations and individuals trying to survive the health and financial impacts of COVID-19, all while balancing the risk of failure (or even success) with overall value to all parties involved.
It doesn’t matter if these issues are external or internal, State and Local governments will be responsible for taking care of the needs and expectations of the general public and other stakeholders throughout their jurisdictions. How will governments tackle the problems and issues in front of them? What incentives will be created to spur industry innovation that will have inherent value to John and Jane Q. Public? Who will modify the departments and develop the skills needed to ensure innovation success? You could develop a program like the one in Jefferson County Colorado built to implement a Culture of Innovation. Per their website, “Successes from the program, to date, include a 20 percent increase in employees’ beliefs that Jeffco is an innovative place to work, 130 staff trained, $1.3 million in annual savings, and 14 innovation projects.” What could YOU do with $1.3 million in annual savings?
To make something like this happen for you, we believe something innovative is needed! The answer can be found in an innovation management system, based on the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) 56000 series of Innovation Management standards. The ISO 56000 series of standards are designed to help organizations structure, guide, and govern the innovative processes, leadership, ideas, and operations needed to guide them to improved success and away from the problems that have besieged them.