LEADING AND PROMOTING A MINDSET AND CULTURE

CHANGE FOR PRACTICAL INNOVATIONS

PAPER PRESENTATION AT

THE 5TH AFRICA PUBLIC SECTOR HUMAN RESOURCE

MANAGERS NETWORK (APM – HRM-net) CAPACITY BUILDING

CONFERENCE 2018

PRESENTED BY:

PIUS BIGIRIMANA

PERMANENT SECRETARY

MINISTRY OF GENDER, LABOUR AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

AUGUST 2018

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1.0 Introduction:

Chinu Achebe, one of Africa’s finest writers in his essay,

“There was a Country, A Personal History of Biafra”,

(2012); painted the nostalgic picture of an early African elite

force which torpedoed into anarchy, corruption, inconsistent,

lukewarm, selfish and unmoved to the demands of the

citizens. His essay is a great reminder to the retired and

retiring African Public servants who were the epitome of

service, the pride of the citizenry which put service above

self, built respectable institutions, and outdid itself to deliver

services, transformed and developed society. It was a

motivated civil service which earned much less in wages. It

was the dream of all young men and women who yearned to

play a part in the transformation of their society.

Although Technological advancement has sky rocketed,

enlightenment reached all corners of the continent,

connectedness achieved beyond the continent, colonial

masters returned to their Metropoles; The African Public

service has increasingly become a laughing stalk. Service

delivery is a mockery of the past glory due to a pathetic lack

of ethos and focus on the citizens. There is increasing

corruption, nepotism, economic deprivation and

environmental degradation, lack of selflessness, absence of

the Public spirit, and poverty amidst plenty.

This situation requires an urgent rebirth and rediscovery of

the Public Service. This paper is therefore a mountain call

for a drastic shift in the paradigms of the Public Services

across Africa.

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2.0 Leading and Promoting a Mindset Change for

Practical Innovations:

The sordid state of affairs across Africa paints a picture of

gloom and a lost generation which indemnifies Niccolo

Machiavelli (The Prince, 1513) that the past is always

inferior to the present. However, the temptation to give up is

not an option lest we bury our legacies in an abyss. There are

many reasons to believe that change lingers on the horizon if

the mindset of the current generation is refocused and

aligned to the principles upon which the civil service was

built in light of the changes that continue to evolve. In fact,

Charles Darwin’s observation that “it is not the strongest of

the species that survive, nor the most intelligent that survive.

It is the one that is more adaptable to change,” is true.

In order to defeat the state of disgrace that is preserved by

the incumbents who benefit from a collapsing system devoid

of vision, customer focus, duplicates services, is dishonest,

wasteful and not by promoting a mindset and culture change

through innovative approaches. Brian Tracy; a Canadian-

American public speaker and self-development author says

that “It does not matter where you are coming from. All that

matters is where you are going.”

In his book, “Maximum Achievement,” Brian Tracy asserts

that people do not know how to get the most out of

themselves, they do not know how to apply themselves for

maximum performance and happiness, they do not know

their basic operating principles and as a result they waste

many hours, even years functioning below their potential

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(2016:37). He therefore proposed the seven Mental Mastery

Laws as the much needed spark to start the journey of self-

discovery. The Seven Mental Mastery Laws emphasize the

need for feeling positive (abundancy Mentality), Awareness,

Self-Belief, Confidence, Being Magnetic, Communicating

fluidly and above all staying focused on the outcomes.

Beyond Brian Tracy and his Mental Laws, is the urgent need

to innovate in the face of desperate circumstances.

Innovation plays a very significant role in providing unique

products, creating value, fending off competitors and

unwanted effects of change. As Albert Einstein said, “we

cannot solve our problems by using the same kind of

thinking we used when we created them.” In other words,

organizations and people must evolve their thinking and try

new things if they are to survive and grow. We need new

ideas, new knowledge, new methods, new competencies,

new attitudes and a new mindset to translate into a desired

state.

The case for changing Organisational Culture:

According to Miles, et al. (2008) organisational culture is

made up of core values, behavioural norms, artefacts and

behavioural patterns, which govern the way people in an

organisation interact with each other and invest their energy

in their jobs and the organisation at large. How an

organisation manages innovation and what it wants to

innovate, influences the types of innovation created (Davila,

et al., 2009).The most common way that cultures change is

through contact with other cultures. This change through

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contact is known as cultural diffusion. Contact between

cultures can occur in a number of ways including trade,

immigration, or warfare. Cultural interactions are more

common today than at any point in human history. When

cultures come into contact with one another, they share

ideas, religion, language, and technologies that inevitably

change both cultures in meaningful ways.

Technology, or the tools that people use, also has a great

impact on cultural change. An obvious example is how

technology has automated the processing of financial

transactions and Human Resources Management across the

world. Computers and the internet are revolutionizing how

people live today and are relevant contemporary examples of

cultural change through technology.

A change in the environment can effect cultures as well and

force them to adapt. Broadly taken, the Social Political and

Economic Environment is a critical motivation for the

change of Management styles and process of many

Organizations.

Another way that cultures change is through the introduction

of new ideas. When cultures are challenged with a new way

of seeing things, they are forced to change. This is true of

many of the global themes such as emancipation of Women,

Global warming and Governance especially after the fall of

the iron curtain in 1990s.

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The Public service needs to cautiously borrow from the

business approach postulated by W. Chan Kim and Renee

Mauborgne’s Blue Ocean Strategy which envisages breaking

new ground where there is uncontested market space making

competition irrelevant and create new customer value with

reduced costs. Said differently, the beach side is usually full

of crowds and noise which makes it a cumbersome gate-

away. But for those who dare to scale the deeper waters, a

pristine clean blue ocean awaits them. This is one of the

justifications for a change of mindset and culture.

Why Innovate?

Innovation can be defined as the process of improving,

adapting or developing a product, system or service to

deliver better results and create value for people (Partnership

for public service, 2012; Sarrat, 2012; OECD/Eurostat,

2005). The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and

Development (OECD) (2007) defines innovation as the

implementation of new or significantly improved products

(goods or services), or a new organisational method in

business practices, work place organisation or external

relations. Innovation, therefore, refers to two practices of

change in an organisation that is; doing old things in a new

and better way to meet organisational challenges and putting

new ideas into useful practice.

Innovation in government is about creating new ways to

improve performance, solve problems, accomplish goals and

better meet the needs of the citizens. It involves

the application of new ideas to improve performance and

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increase public value – this is the value that an organisation

contributes to society; respond to the expectations of citizens

and adapt to the needs of users; increase service efficiency;

and minimize costs.

Trends that are impacting public service include citizen

awareness and increasing demand for public services.

Citizen awareness has become a powerful force for change

in Uganda’s public sector. Greater understanding of rights

and responsibility, better access to information through

technology, and higher expectations of service levels are all

challenging the status quo.

Another key factor driving the public sector to innovate is

the need for efficiency, with cost savings as a key policy

objective. Given today’s budgetary constraints, employees

and their agencies are being asked to deliver more with

fewer resources. Innovation has thus become a critical factor

in achieving improved performance. Big Organizations

could for instance radically reduce energy costs by tasking

an officer to be a champion of managing wastage of

electricity by switching off unnecessary lights/bulbs often

left on even when the environment is well lit.

The younger population of workers and consumers are

shaping the global outlook for growth. This trend has

implications on the public sector organizations across the

continent. This demographic change is manifested through a

shift in mind set, attitude, knowledge and values. With the

rise of this “i-Generation” which is an individualistic,

informal, interactive, informed and innovative group,

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younger members of society who want to interact with the

public sector through new and different channels must find a

service ready to absorb their expectations are more

immediate.

These trends impact governments and the public sector must

respond by developing plans for inclusive, future-focused

service delivery. Consequently, tomorrow’s public sector

organizations will respond to the trends differently and

similar to Darwin’s living organisms that adapt to change,

create prototypes and evolve to address their needs.

Organisational Culture and Innovation

Inculcating a culture of innovation is a vital requirement to

provide organizations with the necessary ingredients to

innovate. This view is supported by Tushman & O’Reilly

(1997) who viewed culture as one of the most important

factors in the management of innovation. The question to ask

therefore is, Can the Public service create a culture of

innovation to achieve lasting and meaningful change?

Organisational culture, is the unwritten rules and

expectations based on the shared attitudes and values of

individuals within an organisation. Managing innovations is

about creating a culture in which new ideas are generated,

valued and supported and putting in place structures and

processes to allow smooth transitions from the generation of

new ideas to the implementation stage.

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There are several dimensions of organisational culture that

are closely related to the level of innovation output over

time. These include risk-taking, rewards, tools, resources,

information, targets and relationships (Mulgan & Albury,

2003).

Building a Risk-Averse Culture: Innovation and risk go

hand in hand. This is the creation of a corporate culture that

permits making mistakes and allows employees to challenge

the status quo (Adair, 2004). It is important to bear in mind

that innovation is not about failure but more about frequency

of trials. It requires a willingness to experiment and learn

from what works in practice. If employees are constantly

worried that they might lose their jobs, they will never take

the necessary risks to develop an idea.

Reward for Innovating: An associated challenge is finding

ways to reward public servants who undertake well-

structured experimentation even when it does not succeed.

Organizations that foster innovative thinking also encourage

discovery and find ways to reward time spent on the research

required to generate new products and ideas. The best way to

keep employees trying hard and working toward success is

to reward effort. Employees can be rewarded with

recognition for a job well done, flexible working hours, a

freebie or even the chance to develop their idea and head up

the project. In addition, other incentives such as, career

advancement, team selection, special assignments and

learning opportunities can motivate desired behaviours. A

more motivated and engaged workforce would likely be

more interested in improving the outcomes of the services

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they manage and therefore may be more interested in

innovating.

Having Flexible Rules and Regulations: Public sector

organizations are regulated by a complex set of laws, rules

and procedures. The organisational capacity to innovate in

the public sector is likely linked in some respect to the rules,

processes and procedures that an organisation establishes to

manage its business. While these rules are established for

good reasons (protecting public interest, ensuring ethical use

of resources, promoting accountability, establishing common

operating procedures for consistency and efficiency) their

design may have unintended effects that can inhibit

individual and organisational capacity to innovate.

Resources for Innovation: According to Hamel and

Prahalad (1990); Kanter (1988); and Mclaughlin et al. (2008)

resources for innovation include financial, time and human

resources. Kanter (2000) argues that resource allocation

signals expectations, that is the allocation of time and money

to innovation signals that innovation is an important priority.

Therefore, top management should be prepared to allocate

resources to radical opportunities because a lack of

flexibility in resource allocation can be a barrier to radical

innovation (Johansson & Jonsson, 2014).

Relationships: Relationships centre on the level of pride that

members experience in being part of the organisational

culture that values fairness, supportiveness and respect for

individual rights. Organisations that view people as their

greatest asset create an atmosphere where work is fun.

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Cultures that emphasise collaboration and co-operation

among employees tend to have more positive relationships

amongst employees.

Information: Effective information management systems

across the public administration may also support greater

integration where information is shared across different

services and even different levels of government. This may

create new possibilities for innovation in how the public

sector perceives and treats its citizens. Sharing organisational

information across the public sector can support the

identification of useful practices, which may provide

individual organisations with innovative ideas that can be

adapted to their own context. This sharing of information

stimulates creativity in a way that is entirely different from

the outputs of traditional brainstorming sessions.

HOW TO BECOME INNOVATIVE

When people think innovation, they often think of the cost.

But what’s costlier? Being open to the possibility of change?

Or scrambling to catch up when customers abandon ship?

This is why it’s important to develop an innovation mindset.

Here’s how:

i. Conquer Fear by Getting Curious: “Do one

thing every day that scares you.” –Eleanor

Roosevelt; Fear is the great destroyer. It stifles

ideas and keeps us safe.

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ii. Look Back to Envision the Future: “Discovery is

seeing what everybody else has seen, and thinking

what nobody else has thought.” –Albert Szent-

Gyorgi; Innovation is often a combination of two

or more “old” things that become a “new” thing.

Taking pressure off yourself to come up with

something completely new can spur creativity.

iii. Understand, Don’t Presume: “The greatest

obstacle to discovery is not ignorance—it is the

illusion of knowledge.” –Daniel J. Boorstin. To

innovate successfully, a dynamic understanding of

your customers’ needs is the starting point.

iv. Burst Your Bubble. Like it or not, we live in our

bubbles. From our unique perches, it’s often

difficult to get into the minds of others. What’s the

remedy? Go out of your way to live your clients’

lives. Experience what they experience. Step out of

your world and into theirs.

v. Identify Pain Points. We all work to make

people’s lives better, recognize your clients’ pain

points and use them as the foundation for

innovation. Look deeply at what they struggle with

and use their challenges as a potential design

principle.

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vi. Prepare to Get Messy: “Mistakes are the portals

of discovery.” –James Joyce. We pride ourselves

on organization and efficiency. But creativity and

innovation don’t always thrive in a structured

world; they are often born of chaos. If there was a

simple path to innovation, everyone would take it.

Get comfortable with not having all the answers.

vii. Don’t Limit Yourself. Drop preconceptions of

what’s possible. Your presumptions can kill

innovation. But we can’t do that, it’s too

expensive! So-and-so already does that! We don’t

want to be a copycat! All reasonable concerns, but

also roadblocks. Good ideas spark more good

ideas. Don’t douse any of them too early.

viii. Capture New Ideas. So many ideas—good and

bad—skitter across our minds every day. And yet,

how often do we write them down? Be open and

gather them before they disappear.

ix. Look over the Fence If you think a new product

or service out there isn’t relevant to you, think

again. Look closer—there may be something there

that you can use as a catalyst for innovation.

x. Foster an Open Work Environment: “Ideas are

like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to

handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” –

John Steinbeck

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My Experience at leading innovation at the Work place: What does it look like to make innovation a team effort? It

can be as simple as setting aside time to discuss new

products, trends, or a product or service completely unrelated

to your industry that people love. And then look deeper to

understand why they generate interest.

In May 2015, I set aside the last hour of the working week to

be reserved for a health run. The run and sometimes a walk

for the weaker ones is an average of 8.7Km around Kampala.

To date, the Ministry has recorded an unbroken duty of 155

runs! This corporate innovation has led to a very positive

impact on the general wellness of the staff, increasing

motivation, enabling accessibility of the top leadership but

also reduced the executive loneliness top executives suffer

when isolated from their flock. As a result, productivity has

tremendously improved in the Ministry of Gender, Labour

and Social Development.

Finally, developing an innovation mindset is essential to

remaining in peak form. Set aside time within your team (or

across your organization) to discuss innovation. Doing so

will spark new ideas and help you create, rather than react

to, changes in your industry. Listen to your customers.

Embrace an innovation mindset. Your customers will thank

you for it.

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References:

Adair, J. (2007): Leadership for Innovation, (Norfolk: MPG

Books).

Brian, Tracy (2016): Maximum Achievement, New York,

Simon Schuster

Chinua, Achebe (2012): There was a Country, A Personal

History of the Biafra, New York, Penguin Books

Davila, T., Epstein, M. J., & Shelton, R. (2005): Making

innovation work. How to manage it, measure it and profit

from it, New Jersey: Wharton school publishing.

Johansson, C.J.,& Jonsson, E. (2014). Innovation Culture in

Five Dimensions: Identifying Cultural Success Factors and

Barriers for Innovation, Master of Science Thesis in the

Management and Economics of Innovation. Programme,

Chalmers University of Technology, Goteborg, Sweden.

Kanter, R.M. (1988). When a thousand flowers bloom:

Structural, collective, and social conditions for innovation in

organisation. Research in Organisational Behaviour, eds.

Staw, B.M. and Cummings, L.L (10): 169-211.

Mclaughlin, P., Bessant, J.,& Smart, P. (2008). Developing

an organisation culture to facilitate radical innovation.

International Journal of Technology Management, Vol.

44(1): 179-204.

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Mulgan, G.,& Albury, D. (2003). Innovation in the public

sector, Strategy Unity, Cabinet Office, UK.

OECD (2007). http://www.oecd.org/home/0.2987,en 2649

201185 1 1 1 1 1,00.html.

Serrat, O. (2012). innovation in the public sector, Article in

knowledge solutions, Asian Development Bank.

Tushman, M.L.,& Oreilly, C.A. (1997). Winning through

innovation. A practical guide to leading organisational

change and renewal. Boston, MASS: Harvard Business

School Press.