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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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English Today the OECD reports The Innovation System of the Public Service of Brazil: An exploration of its past, present and future journey and Innovation skills and leadership in Brazil’s public sector were launched by Marcos Bonturi, Director of Public Governance, at the Brazilian public sector Innovation Week. The Innovation System of the Public Service of Brazil is the second OECD deep-study of a national government’s public sector innovation system. It provides insights into how...
“I want to do something new. It’s going to take time and effort to get right. I don’t know whether it will work, and even if it does, it won’t instantly be better than what we already have. There will probably be unintended consequences and some of our known stakeholders will likely lose out or be displeased. Those who might benefit may not even recognise that we made the difference. If it goes wrong, it’s...
Today the Declaration on Public Sector Innovation has been adhered to by national governments from around the world. This is an important milestone in the growing global practice of public sector innovation. It sends a strong signal that this is something that governments believe is a priority. It demonstrates that there is a budding consensus around some of the concepts and principles of public sector innovation. Access the full OECD Declaration and supporting materials, here....
Have new technologies made you reconsider what you hold dear? Has change or innovation ever come into conflict, or sat uncomfortably, with your core values? Why is it that we as individuals can react negatively to things that are supposed to be beneficial? This post explore why different forms of innovation can spur different reactions from people, and what that might mean for practitioners seeking to introduce novel initiatives. We at OPSI think this is...
If you do not name a thing, how can you talk about it? If you avoid a word, what do you miss out on? In some recent discussions, some members of the OPSI team were talking with people from one jurisdiction about how the word “innovation” did not seem to be that commonplace in their context. It seems that as a word, innovation had gone through a period of heavy (over?) usage and was now...
With these words Dennis Snower, President of the Global Solutions Initiative, helped capture the essence of the 2019 Global Solutions Summit held in Berlin. “The world need not be this way.” A simple statement of fact, but also a powerful challenge. A provocation that things could (and often should) be different. It is also an invitation – that we can each help shape a new state of affairs. The event, on 18 and 19 March,...
Abraham Maslow once wrote, “I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.”[1] This snappy quote captures the insight that our behaviour tends to be shaped by the tools we have at hand, and the tools we have at hand shape how we see the world and what is possible. In this post, I would like to explore our emerging thinking...
Ever since governments have first existed, they have innovated. Often this has been in small ways, with minor changes to how they operate or tinkering with services and practices. Other times it has been in big ways, involving radical departures from the past, and the introduction of completely new ways of approaching the work of the state. (Sometimes this innovation has been for the good, sometimes it has been for the bad, and often it...
In the last post in our innovation facets series, we went through what is involved in adaptive innovation. In this post, we take a look at the anticipatory innovation facet – what it is, what role it plays, how to support it, and the key considerations. This post is us at OPSI “showing our work”, as this is still very much thinking that is evolving. Your feedback will help us in distilling the key messages,...
In the last post in our innovation facets series, we looked at mission-oriented innovation. In this post, we explore the adaptive innovation facet – what it is, what role it plays, how to support it, and the key considerations. This post is us at OPSI “showing our work”, as this is still very much thinking that is evolving. Your feedback will help us in distilling the key messages, to ensure practical guidance for public servants...