This innovation is not a new digital tool or a new regulation. It is a new public sector learning format. In our context, public events usually celebrate good practices, final results and polished stories. Spodlet za zalet does the opposite: it gives structured public space to unfinished, difficult and uncomfortable experiences, and treats them as valuable professional knowledge. What makes it innovative is the combination of three elements: honest storytelling about failure, a psychologically safe live setting, and a follow-up workshop that turns reflection into shared learning. The format helps public institutions learn from real experience, not only from formal reports. It also addresses a cultural barrier in government: fear of admitting mistakes. By making this discussable, it supports more mature innovation, better leadership and more realistic project design

The innovation is implemented and continues twice a year as a live learning format. After three events, the initiative is moving from testing and trust-building into a more stable practice. We are refining the format, strengthening facilitation and documenting lessons, while also exploring how the approach can spread across more institutions and professional communities in public administration.

The innovation was developed within the Inovativen.si Innovation Community, which brings together around 500 members from public institutions at municipal, regional, and national levels. Speakers contributed real experiences, while participating institutions enabled reflection on sensitive topics. The wider community helped build trust, visibility, and continuity across events.

The main users are public servants, managers, team leaders and innovation practitioners. They benefit from practical lessons that are rarely captured in formal project documents. Speakers benefit from structured reflection and recognition of their learning journey. Participating institutions benefit from a healthier culture of reflection, more realistic planning and stronger capacity to discuss risk, mistakes and adaptation in a constructive way.

The main result so far is the creation of a new and repeated public sector learning space where failure can be discussed openly and usefully. The format has already been held three times, twice a year, with clear development over time: from one case outside government, to the first public administration case, to three public administration cases at one event. This shows growing trust in the format. We measure results through implementation data, number and diversity of speakers, participant feedback and qualitative observation during workshops. Early impact includes stronger reflection, peer learning and greater openness to discussing risk and mistakes in public administration.

The biggest challenge is cultural, not technical. In public administration, many people fear that speaking openly about mistakes could damage their credibility, their institution or their career. This makes speakers hard to find. At the beginning, we reduced this risk by starting with a case from academia and by investing strongly in trust, careful moderation and a safe atmosphere. Another challenge is keeping the tone constructive, so the event does not induce blame, cynicism or complaint. We address this through clear framing: the goal is not confession, but learning. Each event is followed by a workshop that helps turn personal stories into shared lessons.

The key condition for success is psychological safety. Without trust, people will not share real experiences. The second condition is visible and credible facilitation that keeps the space respectful, reflective and useful. The third is leadership support, formal or informal, because public servants need permission to speak honestly about uncertainty and mistakes. A strong community of practice also matters: repeated events help normalise the format over time. Finally, success depends on treating failure as a source of knowledge, not as a source of shame. This value shift is the foundation of the whole initiative.

Our main lesson is simple: good practices often start as messy practices. Many important lessons emerge long before success is visible, but public institutions rarely create space to talk about them. We also learned that trust must be built gradually. People do not speak openly about failure just because they are invited; they do so when the setting feels safe, respectful and purposeful. Another lesson is that stories alone are not enough. Reflection becomes more useful when it is structured and followed by dialogue or a workshop. If governments want more innovation, they must make room not only for success stories, but also for honest learning from what did not go as planned.

Spodlet za zalet is intentionally low-cost and highly transferable. It does not require complex technology or large infrastructure, but it does require care, trust and facilitation. This makes it realistic for replication in other ministries, agencies, municipalities or other public sector learning communities. Its value lies not only in single events, but in changing the language of innovation in government: from polished certainty to reflective practice. In a time when governments are expected to innovate more, faster and with limited resources, creating safe ways to learn from failure is not optional. It is part of innovation capacity itself.