Three Innovation Culture Themes of Government in 2020
How a government handles a pandemic says a lot about it’s character. Jane reflects on recent digital innovation conversations with senior government Ministers from across the globe.
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the Centre for Public Impact (CPI) recently co-organised a virtual digital innovation roundtable featuring senior government Ministers from across the globe. The discussion focused on how countries have innovated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Held under Chatham House rules, it was our privilege to look at innovation cultures across different continents, and a unique opportunity for Ministers to convene, speak frankly and learn from one another.
In response to the two core roundtable questions: “How are governments meeting the challenges of the world we live in?” and “How are governments changing the delivery of their services to fit the needs of their citizens?”, three themes emerged:
1. Citizen-Centered Response
It was clear that embracing innovation was an important, if not the central, part of governments’ responses to the crisis. From the development of track-and-trace apps, to health information, Ministers all credited their innovation culture for enabling a citizen-centered focus in responses.
Due to their innovative use of mobile phones rather than desktops to create solutions, many Southeast Asian countries were cited as leaders in digital responses to the crisis. For example, an online payment system was used to distribute emergency funding to citizens and small businesses. One Minister stated that they were able to rely on networks built for financial services to transfer cash quickly into the hands of citizens in need.
2. Cut Through Red Tape
Across the Pacific, the crisis had broken down previously impenetrable barriers in sharing information across government, and from all levels. Ministers highlighted that before COVID-19, departments strongly guarded their data and information, and could only be overcome through centrally-driven demands. However, the crisis’ need for quick responses decisively broke down these institutional barriers, and helped to create better understanding about the health and economic implications, and how best to respond.
It was apparent that whether Ministers were hailing from the Global North or Global South, they often crossed cultural barriers. They described the intense pressure to deliver a whole range of services; from welfare payments to health information. But suddenly, they had more freedom to try new ideas, and were given both the political support and resources to innovate.
3. Deliver at Pace
Western countries also demonstrated an inspiring example of fast innovation, when they responded to the overwhelming public demand for a simple way to know whether they had contracted the virus or not. At the beginning of the pandemic, this was an especially acute and challenging problem as the number of physical COVID tests were unable to meet the huge demands. A Minister cited that they were able to quickly build an online tool that allowed citizens to assess whether they needed to seek further medical help. In turn, this also protected the already strained medical services.
In the Middle East, countries under lockdown faced the problems of keeping economies running and supplying goods to citizens. One Minister talked about how the development of home delivery apps enabled the rapid delivery of essential goods to citizens. They created fast ways to licence delivery drivers, and stores could provide goods online; innovations that will likely continue post-crisis.
The pandemic is far from over. Many governments are either still in the peak of the outbreak, or handling the economic fallout. The reality may be that we are all now living in a different world, and old ways of delivering government services may be left in the past. It is clear that the need for innovation culture will be paramount, and this roundtable has demonstrated that governments can help each other by sharing best practices.
CPI, along with our friends and colleagues at BCG, will continue to explore these themes over the coming months. We hope to continue this format and iterate improvements.
CPI’s Responding to Coronavirus page provides innovative ideas and insights into how governments are handling the pandemic. Subscribe to our Soundbite to receive weekly newsletters straight to your inbox.
