What makes public sector innovations survive? An exploratory study of the influence of feedback, accountability and learning

Abstract

The question whether public sector innovations last, and what determines their chances of survival, remains a gap in the public management literature. This exploratory study focuses on the winners and nominees of public sector innovation awards in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia and the UK. Through a survey covering 220 cases, it examines whether feedback loops, accountability mechanisms and learning processes (FAL) can explain the survival of public sector innovations. The conclusion is that a culture of feedback, accountability and learning seems to be positively linked with the survival of innovations. Points for practitioners It is one thing to innovate, but it is another to make innovations last. A culture of feedback information, learning processes to interpret this feedback information, and a culture of accountability seem to improve the chances of innovations to stand the test of time. Instruments to measure innovation’s performance on its own do not seem to affect innovation’s survival chances.