How INNOVATION Can Help You Do MORE with FEWER RESOURCES

Abstract

The current budget crises faced by all levels of government today are as urgent and provocative a call as any for government innovation. Governments have had to quickly develop immediate fixes, but over the medium and long term, innovation will be required for more sustainable solutions. Innovation will be the key to doing more with fewer resources. With most states and local governments expecting large budget shortfalls in 2010, they will need to find new and more efficient ways to deliver better value for taxpayers' money. The guiding principle for any initiative to generate innovations is to understand that ultimately, you will get only as many useful ideas as you have the ability to implement. Successfully addressing today's daunting challenges requires governments to become better at innovating. Government agencies need to realize that just like strategy planning, or budgeting, innovation is a discipline.