Innovation in 19.5 Minutes NRPA Congress, New Orleans 2017 Barbara Heller Heller and Heller Consulting, LLC

Innovation What is it? What’s required? Examples

Every organization needs one core competence: innovation. Peter Drucker

What is Innovation? Change based on customer requirements Creativity is about coming up with ideas; innovation is about putting those ideas into practice Competitive advantage Taking a look at the organization through a different set of lenses Continuously improving processes Disrupting practices

Embedding Innovation Establishes an organizational culture that is primed for taking big leaps forward in the quality and kinds of services delivered. Focuses an agency’s attention on the priorities, needs and experience of residents. Creates a culture where employees can experiment, take appropriate, strategic risks, and collaborate effectively within and outside city hall, including with private sector companies and communities. Treats innovation as a day-to-day activity, rather than a standalone practice. Nigel Jacob, Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics

Breakthrough Innovation Guiding Values People first: people over bureaucracy Open Innovation: ideas from everywhere Public Entrepreneurship: pilot, experiment, new ways of thinking Culture of Innovation: empowerment and encouragement

Workforce Capacity and Competency What’s Required Innovation Voice of the Customer Voice of the Employee Leadership System Innovation Process Workforce Capacity and Competency Strategic Alignment

What’s Required: Innovation Roadmap Voice of the customer Needs assessment Engagement Inclusiveness Customer knowledge Voice of the employee Empowerment Ideas from all levels Cross functional teams Leadership system Diffused power Eradicate the status quo Who is in charge? Measurement

Innovation Roadmap Innovation Process Workforce Competency Idea generation Assessment Who is in charge? What is the process? Workforce Competency System alignment Developing talent Technology and data Redistribution of labor resources Strategic Alignment Part of strategic direction Trends process Organizational culture

The best way to get a good idea is to get a lot of good ideas. Linus Pauling

Idea Generation Organizational Conditions Open/diverse Decentralized/participative culture Structural looseness Environmental Impact Increased access to knowledge and information Lateral communication Empowerment Multi-level participation

Innovation in Action Boston’s Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics --civic innovation group that pilots experiments Makerspace: community members design, prototype and manufacture items using tools that would otherwise be  inaccessible --3-D printers, digital fabrication machines, laser cutters, computer-aided design software CIO --Cleveland, Philadelphia, Austin, Chicago, Louisville I-teams: MD National Capital Parks and Planning Commission

Innovation in Action Smart phone apps Technology Remote sensors, 3-D printing, robotics Smart phone apps finding available parking park inspections paying parking tickets street bump seeclickfix self-guided tours Performance Management Systems CitiStat, OpenGov, SOOFA

Innovation in Action Virtual Reality for public engagement opportunities Denmark Mindlab, public sector innovation center Cross departments Burden hunting Philadelphia Citizen Engagement Innovation Summit Online community engagement Open innovation

Innovation in Action Gainesville, FL Department of Doing Minneapolis Park Board: Government Alliance on Race and Equity NYC Parks interactive map showing tree inventory, type of tree, bark health and location Produce park in Louisville, urban orchard Active design principles: Center for Active Design Flywheel’s tablet devices that let riders stream classes at home WeWork interior design

Innovation Ideas Ask new employees for ideas Job swap days Create an idea room “What if” board Idea challenge of the month Design workplace to create random opportunities for employee conversations Reward smart failure Listen to ideas and immediately put in place Training in innovation, idea generation Job swap days Mentorship program for creativity Mindmapping/ brainstorming teams Book club Technology free day once/month Meet in unusual places Innovation Hoshin

Thanks for Attending! For more information, contact Barbara Heller: Barbara@hellerheller.com www.hellerheller.com 224-456-6934