Innovation and Innovativeness for the Public Servant of the Future: What, Why, How, Where, and When

Abstract

This chapter aims at clarifying the concepts of innovation and innovativeness for public servants. It first explains what public sector innovation is and how it differs from private sector innovation (what question). Then, it discusses why public sector employees and public organizations need to innovate (why question). It also highlights how to support innovativeness of public servants, by addressing the innovative skills that can be improved (how question). In particular, are there any specific conditions and drivers for innovation in public service? This chapter also discusses which types of jobs and workplaces require more innovative skills for the public servant of the future (where question) and briefly explores evolving opportunities and challenges in the workforce (when question) to predict what the public servant of the future will look like.