Innovation Dynamics in Transition Country

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Innovation Dynamics in Transition Country

• Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia

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Transition Context

• Coincidence of 2 movements
• Overall societal changes from a centralized
  authoritarian state (unitary power in political,
  economic, administrative sense)
• Political, economic, administrative and social
  changes
• Pluralization creation of civil society
• Privatization creation of markets and business
  sector
• Decentralization creation of self-governments
• New Public Management
• Privatization service providers
• Client empowerment
• De-institutionalization
• Personalization of Services

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Transition Context

• Public Administration Reform
• (devolution of power from state ? other actors)
• Decentralization (Territorial Units and
  Municipalities)
• Competencies (Slovakia 1. July 2002)
• Finances (Slovakia 1. January 2005)
• Transformation of Social Services System
  (responsibility shift from state ? citizen)
• 1/ How to define a new quality of public sector
  and basic social service
• 2/ How to improve their performance

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Societal Reforms vs. Innovation in Social Services

• Language
• social care ? social aid ? social services
• patient ? client
• Reforms / modernization / changes vs. innovations
• Reform or Innovation fatigue???
• WHAT nature and range of social services
  (institutional care ? taxative enumaration of
  institutions with specific services ? scale of
  alternative services)
• WHO form, role and scope of founders and
  providers (new and alternative providers of
  services, e.g. church, NGO, private institution
• HOW Types of service (social vs. health
  services)
• FROM WHAT () (state ? multisource financing)

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Context - local

• Service Institutions became independent legal
  entities (directors)
• Fiscal pressure (effectiveness and efficiency)
• - Municipalities responsible for social services
• - Decentralization support (from Ministry via
  municipality / territorial unit)
• Civil Organizations pressure humanization of
  services, respect towards clients, quality
  services
• - ASHOKA project (Council for Advice in Social
  Work)
• Slovakia Residential Home for Elderly
• Lithuania Establishment of Day Centers for
  Elderly

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Drivers for Innovation

• Overall changes in society climate for changes
• Need
• Philosophical change humanization of services,
  de-institutionalization
• Problem-driven (fiscal pressure, efficient
  provision of services)
• Study visit to partner organization in Germany
  (inspiration)
• Trainings / meetings by NGO (CASS) facilitative
  trainings with municipality (CDLM)
• Czech initiative For respectful senior age
• Preparation of manual for Quality Standards
• Regular meetings with staff to monitor, evaluate
  and adjust innovation in the context ( WHY
  innovation)
• Preparation of draft law on Social Services at
  Ministry

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Barriers to Innovations

• Transition related
• Collapse of information flow between policy and
  service levels
• collapse of formal network among service
  providing facilities
• Inadequate training opportunities for new type
  of social services
• Lack of professionalism in management issues
  (mistrust and misunderstanding of private sector)
• Traditional
• Need to communicate with staff and other
  stakeholders to explain rationale and process of
  innovations
• Internal politics

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Lessons Learned Perceptions, Definitions
Innovations

• Concept of Innovation perceived in national
  public sector context as system change/reform or
  internal organizational change/reform
• PUBLIN definition works\Concept often applied in
  the context of reforms, modernization and
  problem solving BUT improvement for
  beneficiaries
• Concept is applied across all types of innovation
  (system, process, organizational, technical, etc.)

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Lessons Learned Interaction policy service
levels

• Policy level system changes enabled innovations
  on service level (e.g. independence of facilities
  in decision making on local level, introduction
  of multi-source financing)
• Problems on service levels to be solved seeking
  for innovations
• Role of Entrepreneurs
• Role of NGOs
• Experience with innovations on service level
  taken into policy level decisions (new law on
  Social services)

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Lessons learned Role of Entrepreneurs (front
line managers)

• Beliefs and values of innovators (both internal
  and external influence)
• Inspiration from experience elsewhere (e.g.
  partnerships, trainings, seminars, etc.)
• Committed change agents in the organization
  (besides the director also committed staff
  members)
• Communication, negotiations and supervision of
  all stakeholders (politicians, decision makers,
  policy makers) demonstration of benefits and
  early identification of resistance
• Staff empowerment and motivation (trust,
  responsibilities, communication, feedback,
  training)

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Lessons Learned Role of NGOs

• Initiation
• Interaction and knowledge transfer
• Networking
• vertically - facilitator of communication between
  service and policy levels
• horizontally among service organizations
• Research and pilot testing
• Diffusion of innovation and policy learning
• Additional financial resources