Transformative Innovation

Innovation is a necessity in a changing world. But what kind of innovation? Sustaining innovation fixes what’s failing. Disruptive innovation shakes things up. Only transformative innovation can deliver a fundamental shift towards new patterns of viability in tune with our aspirations for the future. Typically, disruptive initiatives make only a short-term impact or are eventually ‘mainstreamed’ to help sustain existing systems. That is particularly true in the public, social, cultural and civic sectors (for which this book is written) where no natural patterns of renewal are in place. This is a stand-alone, practical guide to realizing transformative potential at scale. It offers six elements for policymakers, funders and innovators: • Knowing: how to expand our sense of what constitutes valid knowledge to become more comfortable with complexity • Imagining: how to conceive, develop and design transformative initiatives to carry a group’s longer term aspirations • Being: how to organise for action, manage the process, and sustain the people involved over time • Doing: how to introduce the new in the presence of the old, enrol others and figure out what to do when you don’t know what to do • Enabling: how to construct a policy framework for long-term transition and provide smart financing to match • Supporting: how to develop systems and structures to support a culture of renewal in our public, social and civic systems. It ends with an invitation to join a growing community of transformative innovators around the world – a network of hope in powerful times.

Innovation is a necessity in a changing world. But what kind of innovation? 'Sustaining innovation' props up and temporarily fixes structures and processes that are failing - making them cheaper, faster, safer, more efficient. 'Disruptive innovation' shakes things up. Typically however disruptive initiatives offer only short-term impact or are eventually adapted and 'mainstreamed' to help sustain existing systems. That is particularly true in the public, social, cultural and civic sectors where the natural patterns of renewal that have been developed in market settings (creative destruction, sophisticated financial support etc.) are generally absent. Only 'transformative innovation' can deliver a fundamental shift towards new patterns of viability in tune with our aspirations for the future. This book offers a first stand-alone practical guide to how to realise transformative potential at scale. It offers six elements for policymakers, funders and innovators: Knowing: how to expand our sense of what constitutes valid knowledge to become more comfortable with complexity Imagining: how to conceive, develop and design transformative initiatives to carry a group's longer term aspirations Being: how to organise for action, manage the process, and sustain the people involved over time Doing: how to introduce the new in the presence of the old, enrol others and figure out what to do when you don't know what to do Enabling: how to construct a policy framework for long term transition and provide smart financing to match Supporting: how to develop systems and structures to support a culture of renewal in our public, social and civic systems. It concludes with an invitation to join a growing community of transformative innovators around the world - a network of hope in powerful times.