Identify and analyse the stakeholders
Identify the stakeholders
The success of innovation processes in the public sector is mainly determined by the people involved and the way they work together.
So at Stage 3 of the preparation phase, the first thing to do is to identify all stakeholders. Once these people have been identified using the Map Out Players method, it is extremely helpful to involve stakeholders in the venture at an early stage and on an ad hoc basis, whether in small or large meetings.
The key entities in our process are as follows:
The core team as a pioneering unit with the task of shaping and supporting the process in a way that enables participation.
The extended team, consisting of employees or technical experts who have an interest in the venture and contribute selectively or in phases. Across the hierarchy, they support individual stages of the process, critically reviewing the project or identifying implementation potential.
Pivotal leaders interested in fresh perspectives on familiar challenges. They promote cross-divisional working methods and therefore the further development of the organization. In addition, they provide strategic support for the core team, implement key decisions, and participate in workshops, too.
External individuals need to be addressed and budgeted for in a different way (observe purchasing procedure when planning) so as to enable them to participate in the venture.
Provocateurs and critics should also be considered. These people can help the core team do a better job if they are involved in the right way. To identify players of this kind, ask yourself: “Who are the people that might have a dissenting opinion or whose needs may not have been addressed?”
Map Out Players
Method
Map Out Players
What is it and what purpose does it serve?
Innovation processes require a group effort. There are people inside and outside the organization who can enable, support, or hinder this effort. One important step in terms of preparation is mapping out the players. Their motivation, legitimacy, capability and competence to get involved are assessed in order to channel their energy as potential in the process.
Added value
This can be used to derive strategies for sound collaboration:
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Who are we going to collaborate with in the innovation process, when will this happen and how?
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Who needs to be informed and in how much detail? If necessary, who needs to make decisions?
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Who can be consulted on crucial points or in the event of critical queries?
In this way, it is possible to identify and specifically address additional individuals for the core team, experts for workshops and partners for investigation in the field.
Map Out Players
Work sheet
Procedure
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Copy scheme or transfer to a large sheet of paper and write in the subject of the venture.
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Within the four fields, use the stimulus questions to collect ideas for possible players. People are needed in all quadrants for the innovation process to succeed. Which people inside and outside the organization are of interest and relevance to the venture? Distinguish by color and write one sticky note per person, including name, organization and department.
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Locate the sticky notes within the template. No person can be assigned to a field without an overlap. For this reason, choose the field that promises the highest potential for the process if the person in question is involved. The higher the level of suitability within the selected field, the further in the center the sticky note is positioned.
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Several people are placed in all fields. At the center, gather those who might be considered for the core team or the extended team. How could these individuals strengthen the team?
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What is the most useful way to involve the individuals that have been identified?
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The outcomes produced are documented. How can people be contacted and recruited for the venture?
Appoint the core team
For the core team, a diverse mix of doers and thinkers from different organizational areas is fundamental. What counts here is not expertise based on pay scale or university degree but the interplay of knowledge, skill and motivation. The Team Profile & Self-Assessment described here is a good way of assessing these three criteria.
When assembling the team, it is vital to consider the following:
T for team player
T-shaped individuals are those who have in-depth knowledge in a particular area of expertise while at the same time being able to contribute openness or experience so as to be able to work across disciplines and silos.
Core team size
Group size has a significant impact on how effectively people collaborate. A group of about five people is optimum if everyone is to participate actively. In larger groups there can be bigger discrepancies in contributions to the discussion: this reduces the capacity for decision-making, thereby slowing down the process as a whole.
Important: If more than five people want to actively participate or the aim is to secure their involvement, it makes sense to form another team to work on different aspects at the same time.
Work to be done by the core team
The core team includes the main process designers. They share responsibility for content, methodology and organization, according to their skills. This group ensures communication and participation, both internally and externally. All individuals are familiar with the origins of the venture and have the ability to grasp informal processes. They empower others to collaborate.
Management of the venture
The project is managed by several people. They all belong to the core team and are in direct contact with the decision-makers. As the steering group, they are the main contact persons and share the responsibility for ensuring that all other stakeholders can contribute to the open-ended and structured innovation process to the best of their abilities.
Important: Equipped with the Development Matrix and the Team Profile, you can set out and win your first allies. Start with the people who are easy to reach or to whom you have straightforward access. Shape your team based on skills so as to be able to handle the tasks that lie ahead effectively and professionally.
Team Profile & Self-Assessment
Method
Team Profile & Self-Assessment
What is it and what purpose does it serve?
The Team Profile can be used to assemble a strong and balanced group that combines all the necessary competencies for effective design work. Here, career stages in a resume and certified skills count for just as much as personal experience and a sense of humor.
Added value
Self-Assessment is used to determine which role is right for each team member. This honest reflection provides a good starting point for restructuring familiar patterns of collaboration and consciously embarking on the journey together.
Team Profile & Self-Assessment
Work sheet
Procedure
Team Profile
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List all eligible people (use Map Out Players). Of these, who should be involved – how, when, and why?
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Assess the core team as projected. Where might there be individual preferences, strengths and weaknesses?
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Minimize any analyzed weaknesses or eliminate them entirely. Is a certain level of technical expertise required? If so, define it. Is this available internally, or should external partners be involved?
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Enable team building. How is it possible to ensure that the people under consideration are interested in working together? What do they need in order to participate?
Note: Discuss the choice of potential team members with colleagues and supervisors. Promote collaboration between departments, hierarchical levels and generations.
Self-Assessment
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Take a pen and mark for each competency what you are ABLE to do particularly well. Connect individual points on the scale to form a shape.
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Use a second pen color for each competency to mark what you are WILLING to contribute to the process. Connect individual points on the scale again to form a shape.
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Look at the intermediate space that is formed and consider the KEEN potential that this denotes. This area visualizes where there is motivation to proactively learn and try out new things.