Social innovation has given us the public services we have and it is the process by which we attempt to evolve even better ones. It can happen ‘by chance’, but it makes sense to be more proactive: local leaders have parts to play in leading, supporting and enabling it. But, is there a way for local leaders to judge how well they are doing do and work out ways of doing better?
An answer might be to look at a 5 star grading approach similar to the one Tim Berners-Lee and the Open Data Foundation have produced in respect of open data. Here’s what a 5 star approach to social innovation might look like:
|
Star Grade |
Description |
What this might mean in practice (for example) |
|
* |
One star – sharing an understanding of what social innovation is and that it could come from any source and stating you are open to it |
Having a meeting with people representing local community and voluntary groups, public services, businesses and residents to talk about social innovation; agree a joint interest in working out new ways of serving the area and advertising the fact that you’re looking out for ideas for improving things. |
|
** |
Two stars – as above and using existing policies and initiatives systematically to enable social innovation. Aware of social innovation in other localities. |
Following up on meeting(s) like those above by agreeing a way of sharing information about budgets, assets and objectives and local plans. This could be done, for example, through a ward, or town, partnership. This partnership and its meetings might consider ideas from the locality and occasionally from other areas which could lead to social innovation. |
|
*** |
Three stars – as above and defining a particular approach specifically to fostering social innovation in an area. With some systematic way of keeping in touch with social innovation in other places. |
Using a town partnership or similar to share information and plans; agreeing processes for identifying potential areas for improvement and for trying dealing with ideas; enabling anyone to suggest ideas and areas that they think present opportunities. This might involve having a website and physical location where people can lodge ideas and discuss them locally and some resource (not large) for keeping in touch with and sharing relevant ideas from outside the area. |
|
**** |
Four stars – as above and having a systematic approach to evaluating and learning from social innovation. Having the ability to research areas of relevant social innovation outside the locality. |
Using the processes (above) for identifying and exploring ideas and areas for improvement, piloting innovative ways of working and enabling them to be evaluated and learning derived. This might well involve working with sources of expertise from outside the area including universities, media, thinktanks, businesses and larger voluntary organisations as well as public services. These contacts might also be involved in small pieces of research to identify social innovation in relevant areas conducted elsewhere. |
|
***** |
Five stars – as above and being able to present ideas and pilot activities (in the light of relevant work in other places) on a wider scale, win external funding for them and/or have them adopted more widely in such ways as to support and strengthen your locality’s ability to foster further improvement. |
Working with others – including inside and outside the area – to carry through social innovation successfully from ideas to evaluation as part of a thorough and sustainable approach leading to continual improvement in public services. |
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