1. Research to complete Masters of Information Management, Victoria University (A+ grade)
To find out:
Awareness of the ICT strategy by middle managers
Are MM’s collaborating and innovating, if who with?
Interviewed SM’s and surveyed MM with mainly open ended Q’s
Note: Key insights only – does not have statistical reliability given sample size against all of state sector ICT managers (this is noted in the full report)

2. Innovation
BPS - Delivering results and improving outcomes for New Zealanders
“…a public sector that embraces innovation” (John Key)
“…culture of digital innovation” (DIA, 2014 on Result 10)
“…continuous innovation and improvement” (SSC, on Result 9)

3. Technology, innovation and collaboration
“ICT often functions as a catalyst for innovation”, it helps agencies “share information in a way that is integrative and interoperable, with the outcome being a greater emphasis on collaboration”
(Duivenbode & Thanes, 2008; Lee, Olson & Trimi, 2012)
Context of:
Public sector landscape

4. Legislative change…
“Using a whole-of-government approach to providing system-wide orders has been strengthened, and will continue to be a lever. But most collaboration will be expected without being directed”
(State Services Commission, 2013)

5. ICT Strategy
“…accelerating transformative change through the use of information and technology” (Cabinet, 2013 on the ICT Strategy)
Where does innovation predominantly sit? Under Leadership and culture change
Dispersed leadership important for transformative change
“…delivered collaboratively, with delegated decision rights and clear accountabilities that connect at a system level” (ICT Strategy)

6. Leadership
Technical system leadership - transaction focused and looks for system solutions
Transformational – looks to involve people in collaborative work to support long-terms outcomes
Transformational leadership includes the ability to foster dispersed leadership – enabling…supporting decision-making and ideas generation through the ranks…
Leadership requires a willingness to cede power and resources (people, finance information , assets).
Leadership in partnership settings is challenging due to the diversity of culture
However most technology failure due to fragmented approaches that missed key enablers and operate within government silos, ignoring the wider ecosystem.
NZ better at transactional than transformative, e-particiption much lower (UN e-government survey 2014)

7. Middle Managers - characteristics
Implement strategy
Most innovation comes from the middle - connected with top and bottom (then innovation comes front line
Radical innovation from senior management (but larger and more risky – tend to miss key enablers)
Level of awareness of ICT Strategy?
60% have a good level of awareness
“middle management generally wasn’t involved”

8. Are managers engaging collaboratively to support innovations?
74% of middle managers noted involved in an innovation over the last 18 months
Vendors
Public sector agencies
Consultants
Professional organisations
“the biggest barrier is the inability of organisations to line up and support each other – it is very hard to get cross-agency activity”
But – difficulty in describing innovations, even when a definition was provided.
…some “dynamic investment” or “good waste” is required to support innovation (Potts, 2009, p. 42)
Innovation is a collaborative process involving:
Small and large firms
End-users
Government bodies
Regulatory agencies
Universities and research institutes
If it is an expectation, how do we know when it is being achieved?
Collaboration happening infrequently with
Universities
Citizens
NGO’s
CRI’s

9. Support to collaborate?
“Territorialism”, with a narrow view
“Often middle managers don’t know
other people in their sectors as it is the
CIO or CEO that gets out and does the
relationship management”
Reluctance to share resources
Sector networking valued, as is
support provided by the GCIO
“No support” a common response
“Often there is talk of collaboration …but when actual resources need to be put on the line nothing will eventuate”
“Collaboration is just a part of the way I naturally work”

10. Innovation
Barriers?
Workload and budget
Leadership thinking
Internal governance mechanisms and risk aversion
“we have not rewarded risk-taking, entrepreneurial behaviour”
Enablers?
Support of senior manager
“we need business leaders who are more attune to the potential of information use and technologies”

11. “Better With Less” means…
Realising ‘dispersed leadership’
Knowing what innovation & collaboration is
Increased awareness of AoG ICT strategy
Collaboration with wider range of partners
How to enable dynamic efficiency? (Good waste)
How to support dispersed leadership?
Collaborative forums, facilitators and tools (managers like and want more), and policies that support collaboration and systems thinking
Supportive senior managers - managed rather than eliminated risk, governance that supports innovation.
“It would be good to know what other agencies are doing/have done, and who can be contacted to leverage off their learning and IP”
“Visibility into what other groups may be doing under the radar”
“Better central leadership that works on supporting/enabling people and projects, not telling
them what to do”
“Support from my manager to attend seminars, networking and a work programme that gives me “think” time to develop ideas so work not so reactive”
(Middle manager quotes)
Managed rather than eliminated risk – governance that supports innovation
Collaborative forums and tools

12. Cool stuff is happening…
Collaboration and innovation explicit in PD’s
Some time allocated to foster ideas and innovations
Senior managers who both expect and support their staff to succeed
A Ministry where anyone can have an idea and put it through a process of evaluation
“I have been lucky to have visionary managers”

13. Word cloud – based on responses managers gave to the survey Q’s