Council middle managers: dinosaurs or key innovation allies?

Accelerating Innovation in Local Government Research Project
©Futuregov
Middle Managers:
Dinosaurs or Key Innovation Allies?

©Accelerating Innovation in Local
Government Research Project

Innovation =
New + Relevant
New
ways of saving
money
New ways
of
delivering
New
organisational
arrangements
New ways of
improving
democracy

• Interviews with chief executives
• Focus groups with frontline employees
• Interviews with leading politicians

Middle managers’ focus
groups in six councils

Middle Managers’
Top Priority Actions for
Senior Managers & Politicians

A clear long term strategic direction
& innovation priorities

“Build innovation
into strategic
objectives”
“Recognise that
sometimes
innovations are
not quick wins”
“Set a clear
strategic direction
– wider than own
directorate and
the council”
“Identify areas
where there may
be opportunities”
“Face
realities”
“What will council
look like in 5 years
time?”
“Identify things to
stop doing”
“Be honest and
clear about desired
outcomes and stick
to them”
“Don’t be
overambitious”
“Prioritise”
“Members are too
geared to the next
election”
“Accept what the
financial situation
means”
“Start the hard
conversations now”
“Put effort
into the right
places”

Leadership for
innovation,
convincing,
personal
communication

“Communicate
with and engage
staff”
“Take concrete
action to
implement
decisions”
“Empower
and trust
staff”
“Go for it – leap
forward when you
know you have got
to do something”
“Passion needs to
be passed on”
“Senior managers
need to be
visible, get out of
their ivory tower”
“We need less
control, more
support”
“We want listening,
straight talking, trust
building; more open,
honest communication”
“Be united”
“Provide clarity
to the vision and
expectations”
“Put members’
ambitions into a
realistic plan ”
“Be brave &
courageous”
“Sell the
corporate
vision”

Managers & staff involved in
discussing innovations

“Take the
hierarchy out
of innovation“
“Take a less top
down
approach”
“There are too
many top down
briefings with
no feedback”
“Make time for
‘walking the floor’,
speaking to staff”
“Involve
everyone in
innovation”
“Managers need to
keep talking to
people – not just
sending out emails”
“Ensure you
understand the
‘mood’ of staff”
“Demonstrate
that you are
listening”
“Create
opportunities for
meaningful
engagement”
“We need more
two-way, personal
communications”
“Consult on ways
of delivering
outcomes to
encourage others’
views”

Sufficient time & resources for
developing innovations

“Make time for
creative
thinking”
“Invest to
save”
“Ensure there are
adequate resources to
deliver the agreed
priority schemes”
“Do less,
but do it
properly”
“Need to allow
time to think,
reflect and
engage”
“Create more
time to think &
time to
implement
priorities”
“Give us enough
resources to get head
above the parapet --
time away from the day
job to look upwards
and outwards”
“Stop trying to
do change on a
shoestring”
“Free up time,
we are the
squeezed
middle”

An organisational culture
that supports innovation

“Acknowledge that
there is lots of
innovation going
on already”
“Make it clear
that people
are allowed to
fail”
“We need to
borrow ideas
from elsewhere”
“Push the
boundaries, give
managers the
flexibility to take
risks”
“Allow the
time to discuss
& think about
innovation”
“Support people
when things don’t
go right”
“Encourage
creative
thinking”
“Be less risk
averse”
“Celebrate and
promote
innovations
across the
council”
“Encourage
more
reflective
practice”
“Make innovation part
of business planning &
PDR processes”

Corporate services actively
helping to deliver innovations

“We need to make
more effective use
of technology”
“We need more
flexibility within and
across budgets”
“We need more
digital innovation
within the council”
“We need less
monitoring/control
– & more support”
“Reduce the
bureaucracy – our
policies and
procedures are a
major barrier to
innovation”
“Corporate services
need to think about
the impacts of their
decisions”
“Key things like IT
hold us back”
“We need to make
better use of social
media”
“Review procedures
and policies so they
support new
approaches rather
than stifle them”
“We are forever
being audited”

Strong cross-service
working on innovations

“We need more joined up
strategies and working
between departments”
Departments have
different priorities and
don’t think about how
they impact others”
“We are removing
silo working –
developing more
shared goals”
“Stop the silo
mentality –
things need to be
more joined up”
“Senior managers are
too focused on their
own services -- they
need to be more
corporate”
“We need more
middle managers
networking
opportunities”
“We are learning
from other services
and sharing good
practice”
“We want more
opportunities to
talk/network/exchange
ideas/support and
share resources”

Persistence until
innovations are achieved

“Be consistent, don’t
keep moving the
goalposts”
“Finish what we
start -- before
moving onto the
next thing”
“Follow through, do
less & complete
projects”
“Complete cycles –
reviewing, evaluating,
learning, improving – make
sure there is space to do
this – find simple ways to
do this”
“Ensure projects
deliver”
“Make time for
reviewing and
learning”
“See things
through more”
“Set outcomes &
stick to it”

Agreement with previous research
All agree about the importance of:
 Clear strategic direction, & clear priority areas for
innovation
Leadership & convincing communication of the
priorities for innovation
 Sufficient managerial capacity & resources to
develop major innovations
 An organisational culture that encourages
innovation, including tolerating risk taking
Effective cross-council working on major
innovations

Areas requiring more attention?

More citizen & service user involvement in
developing innovations?

More looking elsewhere for fresh ideas?

More focus on partnerships & on
commissioning for innovation?

More effective delivery mechanisms?

Middle Managers’ Development Needs?
• Working in a political environment?
• Leading innovation processes?
• Leadership skills?
©Futuregov
©Futuregov

Other reflections
• What’s new and
different?
• Trust: a key issue?
• Middle managers:
‘dinosaurs’ or allies?
• Rhetoric versus
reality?

Conclusion
Middle managers are not ‘dinosaurs’ who fervently
defend the status quo.
Potentially, they are vital allies for innovating senior
managers and politicians.
To engage them, senior managers and politicians,
need to consciously, consistently and
determinately take a comprehensive, strategic
approach to innovation, as set out in the Local
Councils’ Innovation Framework.

Citizen &
Service user
Focus
Culture
promotes
innovation
Effective
delivery
mechanisms
for innovation
Strategic
approach to
innovation
Cross
boundary
innovations
Leaders &
managers
lead for
innovation
Clear
political
vision &
priorities
Employees
skilled &
motivated for
innovation

Resources
The full research report on middle managers & innovation:
http://www.solace.org.uk/press/2014-04-24-accelerating-innovation/
Local Councils’ Innovation Framework:
http://tinyurl.com/LGIF2014
Framework Self-Assessment tool:
http://tinyurl.com/LGISA2014
Summary of latest findings:
http://tinyurl.com/LGILF2014
Presentations on innovation:
http://www.slideshare.net/joanmunro

Contact details
Joan Munro:
joan.munro@btopenworld.com
Tel: 0779 2952 498
@JoanMICL
Susan Biddle:
sjbiddle1@gmail.com
Tel: 0787 9548 877

Council middle managers: dinosaurs or key innovation allies?

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