Join Dr Harry Bregazzi in conversation with Aneta Wierzynska and Jonathan Ng (2024 GO Lab Fellows of Practice) as they share fresh perspectives on embedding innovation within the traditionally rigid and risk averse public sector, outlining how even risk managers can become catalysts for transformative change.
Two statements about innovation in the public sector are well-established: one, innovation is needed; two, innovation is difficult. While there is no shortage of ‘big ideas’ prescribing new models of thinking and working, public sector bureaucracies remain stereotypically rigid and risk-averse, slow to change. What is required to make a big idea actually stick? Why is public sector innovation so difficult, and what can be done about it?
We were delighted to discuss these questions with two of the GO Lab’s 2024 Fellows of Practice, Aneta Wierzynska and Jonathan Ng. They are both lawyers working in organisations that mobilize billions of dollars annually for public programmes. Speaking to them was an opportunity to hear insider perspectives on bureaucracy and innovation, from two people who know well the barriers to change. Their understanding of the problem means they are well-placed to propose solutions.
In their conversation, Aneta and Jonathan suggest how staff within bureaucracies might facilitate the progress of innovative ideas. Their advice is to become a ‘risk-to-innovation thinker’. In short, precisely because compliance and risk management are so often barriers to new ideas, they can be the starting point for lasting change. Identifying allies within ‘controller’ functions – such as legal, finance, or procurement – can enable institutional change in a manner that respects and aligns with regulation. As Jonathan puts it: ‘use the guardians of risk as your first stop for potential sources of innovation’.
Listen to the discussion to find out more.
Innovation from within: Making big ideas stick within bureaucracies (audio only)