Empowering the public sector workforce to achieve public sector innovation

Enabling innovation in public sector organisations means enabling the people who work in these institutions. People management helps to build innovative capacity in a great many ways, by ensuring that the right people with the right skills and talents are working in the right ways to maximise creative energy and see projects through to implementation. Motivating public servants to think and act in ways that lead to innovation requires a careful consideration of the reward structures in public sector organisations and the organisational climate and culture. How risk is handled and the way that experimentation and learning are encouraged can impact the willingness of employees to contribute their ideas and energy to innovation. Effective leadership that is able to inspire and ensure stable and effective working conditions can also contribute.