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Created by the Public Governance Directorate

This website was created by the OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI), part of the OECD Public Governance Directorate (GOV).

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Validation that this is an official OECD website can be found on the Innovative Government page of the corporate OECD website.

Toolkit

Grounded Change

Grounded Change is an approach and social innovation methodology used by the company InWithForward. It means flipping the order in which most social policies & services are made. Rather than start at the top, in boardrooms, they start at the bottom, with user needs. They have named 7 kinds of interactions that they believe are the most important to weave into policy, procurement, service delivery, and community activities. This resource contains the context, reasons, and mechanisms of Grounded…
Toolkit

Policy Methods Toolbox

The Policy Methods Toolbox is a repository of policy development methods that helps policy practitioners identify and select the right approach for their policy initiative. It is organised into four themes: Start Right: a light touch approach to making the best start in policy projects. Behavioural insights: the study of human behaviour, often drawing upon the empirical research in fields including economics, psychology and sociology. Design thinking: also known as human-centred design,…
Toolkit

The Service Design Playbook

This resource describes a comprehensive method for the BC Public Service (BCPS) to design services for British Columbians, although it is also applicable to other governments. The Playbook is intended to help ensure public service designers have the necessary tools and corporate support to make change. It includes an overview of service design, a discussion of when and how to use it, as well as detailed guidance and tools for the various methods used in service design. The methods are organised…
Toolkit

Models of Impact

A Role-Playing and Ideation Game That Simulates The Process Of Launching A Social Enterprise. The game walks players through a series of activities in order to simulate the process of ideating and launching a social enterprise in four steps: Learn, Invent, Program, and Report. It is available via a pay-what-you-want digital download, and includes instructions for gameplay, a glossary of 200+ business models, and a suite of other resources.
Toolkit

MaRS Library

The MaRS Library contains articles, templates, reports, workbooks, reference guides and videos covering a range of topics, including accounting, funding, governance, intellectual property, leadership, legal issues, marketing, product management, selling, social innovation, strategy and talent. It is intended for an entrepreneurial context, but it can be adapted for a public sector organisational context.
Toolkit

Culture Map

A tool that organizations can use to assess, map and transform their cultures. It is intended at a group activity to guide conversations around outcomes, behaviours, and enablers/blockers. The website also contains guidance for its use. It is intended for a private sector context but non-financial "outcomes" can also be considered when using it in the public sector.
Toolkit

Project Cycle Hackers Kit

The Hackers’ Kit supports different types of discussions around project and program design. It's aim is to normalise innovation in a large organization by embedding new practices in key project management business processes. Worked on and tested with over 25 project teams in the United Nations Development Programme, the toolkit is intended for an international development context but could be applied to any large organisation with a desire to innovate. It includes a wall map of the process,…
Toolkit

Designing with People

This web-based resource has been created by the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art to share ways to design inclusively for a range of physical and cognitive abilities. It includes personas representing different abilities, an overview of typical daily activities done by those personas, a selection of design methods, as well as a collection of ethics for designers. The research method selection describes each by input, output, suitability, and characteristics, including…
Toolkit

Gamestorming Toolkit

This website and blog containing a toolkit based on the book GameStorming (not free) and intends to bring a playful or game-like atmosphere to group problem solving activities for the purpose of creating an mindset conducive to innovation and change-making. The site contains games for different purposes, including vision and strategy, planning, problem-solving, and decision-making. The online resources describe each method and technique in terms of: Object of Play, Number of Players, Duration of…
The toolkit provides step-by-step guidance for development practitioners to leverage new sources of data. It is a result of a collaboration of UNDP and UN Global Pulse with support from UN Volunteers, led by UNDP innovation teams in Europe and Central Asia and Arab States. The guide is structured into three sections - (I) Explore the Problem & System, (II) Assemble the Team and (III) Create the Workplan. Each of the sections comprises of a series of tools for completing the steps needed to…