[Originally published on the Australian Government Public Sector Innovation Network under a Creative Commons 3.0 BY AU licence]
We have previously prepared and asked for comments on two draft Innovation Toolkit modules – ideas management systems, mechanisms of challenge and innovation values. Today we would like your thoughts on the draft module we have prepared on innovation roles.
As mentioned, for each of the tools identified in Empowering Change: Fostering Innovation in the Australian Public Service we are developing a ‘module’ to try and provide you with information about how the tools can be used.
Innovation roles are formal or semi-formal positions/functions within an organisation that are recognised as helping the innovation process. They may be an explicit part of job descriptions or may be more informal roles that people voluntarily take on.
Innovation roles can help people in an organisation know who to go to for help with an aspect of the innovation process, whether it be improving their idea or for getting technical advice about its implementation. Roles can demonstrate that the organisation supports innovators by providing them with sources of advice.
The module (PDF) (RTF) looks at innovation roles and how they might assist an organisation in embedding innovation, including an example of what innovation roles can look like.
We would appreciate your comments on the module. We’d also like to hear from other public sector agencies that have formalised innovation roles or who have found innovation roles helpful (or not helpful) in implementing innovation. Is the draft module a fair description of how roles can work?
Let us know what you think in the comments below.