Public sector innovation through design thinking: Applying a participatory policy design practice to support the formulation of a national digital transformation strategy

Abstract

How can design thinking contribute to transforming the way the public sector formulates digital policies? This paper presents and analyzes an innovative policy design practice that the Greek government followed during the development of its national digital transformation strategy. The studied approach is based on the Value Proposition Design framework and applies an adapted version of the Value Proposition Canvas tool for public policy design. The paper studies and delineates the main procedures of the participatory approach and presents the key elements and tools of the studied policy design practice. In addition, it presents the produced outputs of the policy design activity, along with the key findings that derive from the feedback provided by the participants and the organizers. Through this work, the paper aims to bridge the selected design theories and tools with their practical implementation in digital policy design. The contribution of this paper also includes the introduction of a generalized policy design practice that may be used by government reformers driving the formulation of public policies in central or local governments. The findings also highlight the value of formulating policy design networks of internal and external stakeholders that may support innovative action for the development and implementation of public policies.