I recently visited the Danish MindLab in Copenhagen. A collaboration between the Danish Ministries of Economic and Business Affairs, Taxation and Employment, MindLab is a cross-Ministry innovation lab that facilitates the active involvement of citizens and businesses in developing new public sector solutions. MindLab specialises in facilitating discussions between public servants, citizens and businesses out in community settings. It uses the outcomes to redesign public policy and service delivery in key areas.
There is a physical space – a specifically designed ‘neutral zone for inspiring creativity, innovation and collaboration.’ It houses workshop/ meeting spaces, plus office space for a small permanent professional staff of around 7. These include a number of professional researchers, who work with public servants to develop new ideas and concepts to address problems and improve services. With permanent and seconded or contracted staff, MindLab usually has a staff of about 15. It undertakes 7-10 projects each year for its parent ministries.
Typically a project will involve a number of public servants from the sponsoring ministry or ministries, who may be seconded to the MindLab for a period. To these traditional public administration skills the MindLab adds expertise in qualitative research (including the involvement of anthropologists, sociologists and ethnologers – ie those that have a deep practical insight into human behaviour and culture) and design thinking (through the involvement of designers who specialise in the development of new ideas and concepts). This mix of skills seeks to stimulate creative thinking and solutions to public sector issues. MindLab also hosts a number (currently three) of PhD students who are each researching elements of public sector reform and thus contributing to the development of new knowledge.
MindLab’s approach is based on a process model which consists of seven phases: project focus, learning about the users, analysis, idea and concept development, concept testing, the communication of results and impact measurement. It is a systematic approach that includes developing and testing solutions for presentation to project sponsors. In addition to its role as project manager/facilitator, MindLab also provides an advisory service to projects being undertaken within its sponsoring ministries; undertakes staff training and workshops to disseminate its findings and learnings; and maintains a network of public and private sector and academic contacts with an interest in innovation in public sector administration.
While some Australian public sector agencies are also undertaking a number of the things that MindLab is doing, it seems to me that MindLab has some distinct advantages. It approaches its projects in a systematic manner and brings in a diversity of skills often not utilised by the Australian public sector. Also, by using a cross agency innovation hub, the learnings and experience from its projects are recorded and shared.
It provides a useful example for the Australian public sector. You can get a feel for its work at www.mind-lab.dk. [Use the button on the left hand side of the screen to turn it into English.]
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Hello Patricia and Alex. Thanks for your blog post. It was fascinating to read about your experience at MindLab and also see your discussion (and that of others) regarding public sector innovation in Australia.
My current PhD research explores public and social sector innovation, specifically looking at the application of design methodologies to aid and support innovative public services and inspire policy. This has mostly been UK based. I moved to the UK in 2007 (from Australia) to undertake the research but recently returned to Sydney to live.
MindLab has a wonderful multi-disciplinary team, and I noticed that all of MindLab’s Methods Cards are methodologies used and well known to designers. There is a small and very innovative industry in the UK (mostly based in London) known as service design, and they have been using these methodologies for over a decade doing work in both the private and public sectors. I have ...
... been researching this industry for over 3.5 years, mostly looking at case studies to understand design processes and methods and drawing out evidence of what impact, outcomes and results these methodologies produce. One of the most successful projects co-designed innovative dementia care services with people with dementia and their carers. The project inspired UK government policy and has since gone into implementation, with the government now evaluating the service. I co-authored a paper, with the lead designer on the project. This paper can be downloaded here http://tinyurl.com/398vwmn. The paper mainly focuses on co-design as an approach for innovative health care.
Brenton is right, however, while there is an industry in London, these methodologies are being used right here in Australia at The Australian Centre for Social Innovation. For me, this is a really exciting context to return home to. I hope that the network, TASCI and others continue work and the pursuit of innovation in the public sector. I hope that one day I can also help support this.
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Thanks for your comments Lauren, great to hear about the work you are doing and what else is out there. Hope you enjoy being back in Australia and feel free to keep in touch if you come across anything else you think will be of interest to the public sector innovation work!
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Congratulations Patricia on your blog and on making a connection with Christian and the team at MindLab.
The Australian Centre for Social Innovation was established last year and is already putting these methodologies into practice right here in Australia.
Our radical redesign team have been working directly with citizens, practitioners and experts to create different ways of achieving better social outcomes; in the first instance working to find ways to help families thrive and avoid spiralling into state intervention.
We have seconded a senior manager from the public service as well as ethnographic researchers from academia. We have high level commitment from the public and community sectors, local government, and academia. The 100 or so families we have engaged with on the ground think that this has been a pretty interesting – and different – process too.
Unlike MindLab, we are an independent incorporated association (albeit with government seed funding), ...
... which we feel has allowed us to engage with citizens in a different way to standard government consultation practices.
See http://tacsi.org.au/design/ for more details and please get in touch if you’d like to discuss our approach further.
Regards,
Brenton
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Hi Brenton – thank you for your comment. We’d be happy to discuss the issue further with you and will be in contact soon.
Alex
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Hi Camblogerra – Thanks for your comment. MindLab actively involves citizens and businesses in its work. The public servants and researchers are there to support the innovation process. I’d encourage you to have a look at the case studies on their website, it’s very interesting.
Re the themes of the blog – this blog is primarily about assisting and facilitating innovation in the public sector, rather than specific policies. We will however be looking at a range of issues, including strategy and implementation of innovations.
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Mindlab physical space – … houses … number of professional researchers, who work with public servants to develop new ideas and concepts …
I’m sorry, but while there may be arguable benefits for the SES, I see it as just another tax payer funded podium created for the benefit of echoing ‘professional’ dogma and/or political messages heard every day.
I posit (A) an egalitarian platform is essential to canvas radical innovation; and (B) APS designated ‘professionals’ are the problem i.e. the reason why even incremental innovation is dead.
I want to canvas carbon pricing, land settlement and MFP stimulus policies – this blog seems to me to have strange innovation themes that manage to avoid policy, strategy and implementation i.e. APS relevance.
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