"Taking Public Sector Innovation Seriously"

The 2008 Manion Lecture was presented by Geoff Mulgan, Director of the Young Foundation.

In his lecture in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 7, 2008, he explained how innovation can be successfully realized by governments and public sector agencies. Drawing upon his international experience and research, he argued that over the last few decades the public sector has merely been exploring the principles towards advancing innovation, while not giving it the same serious attention as it has to offer other aspects of management. Though this trend appears to be changing, his argument is that a revamping of how governments operate will be needed to make innovation real, if we are serious about our role as agents of society's collective intelligence.

With the goal of real public sector innovation in mind, Geoff outlined its key aspects and explained the processes and cultures needed to support it, as well as how to manage the inherent risks and expand upon innovative practices that are already in place.

Read the lecture in full.