Outcome, process and support: analysing aspects of innovation in public sector organizations

ABSTRACT

The authors present an analytical model to distinguish between different aspects and modes of innovation. By showing how innovation in the public sector differs from the private sector, this paper is an important stepping-stone to understanding and supporting innovation in the public sector.

KEYWORDS:

• Innovation outcome
• innovation process
• innovation support
• public sector innovation
• social innovation

Acknowledgement

This article was made possible through a grant from VINNOVA (No. 2014-00908): the Swedish National Innovation Agency.

Impact

For public sector innovation support to be effective, organizations must be aware of what types of innovation they want to support and the nature of the innovation processes. This paper provides a model which will help public sector organizations begin to do this.

Notes on contributors

Johanna Nählinder is a Senior Lecturer in the Division of Project Innovation and Entrepreneurship (PIE), Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University, Sweden.

Anna Fogelberg Eriksson is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning at Linköping University, Sweden.