TY - JOUR
T1 - The concept of innovation as perceived by public sector frontline staff
T2 - outline of a tripartite empirical model of innovation
AU - Wegener, Charlotte
AU - Tanggaard, Lene
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - This article investigates the innovation concept in two key welfare areas where the demands for innovation are substantial, namely vocational education and elder care. On the basis of ethnographic fieldwork and interviews on the collaboration between an educational institution and elder care services, the article develops a tripartite empirical model of innovation. The model suggests that innovation requires levers (understood as methods and management contexts) as well as craft (understood as professional skills and rootedness), if it is to be integrated into the core services of a specific context. The article also discusses how innovation's value-creating aspects should be understood in a public sector context. The proposed innovation model yields recommendations on issues that should be considered in establishing successful innovation in a public, cross-organizational context.
AB - This article investigates the innovation concept in two key welfare areas where the demands for innovation are substantial, namely vocational education and elder care. On the basis of ethnographic fieldwork and interviews on the collaboration between an educational institution and elder care services, the article develops a tripartite empirical model of innovation. The model suggests that innovation requires levers (understood as methods and management contexts) as well as craft (understood as professional skills and rootedness), if it is to be integrated into the core services of a specific context. The article also discusses how innovation's value-creating aspects should be understood in a public sector context. The proposed innovation model yields recommendations on issues that should be considered in establishing successful innovation in a public, cross-organizational context.
KW - public innovation
KW - vocational education
KW - elder care
KW - boundary crossing
U2 - 10.1080/0158037X.2012.707123
DO - 10.1080/0158037X.2012.707123
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0158-037X
VL - 335
SP - 82
EP - 101
JO - Studies in Continuing Education
JF - Studies in Continuing Education
IS - 1
ER -