Article in Swedish: A study of factors that distinguishes those who succeed and the success factors.
Innovation capability in 102 Swedish agencies
Innovation can be defined as something new that is put into effect and creates value. Traditionally, innovation has been equated with new technologies and products, but in recent decades the term has been broadened to encompass everything from new services and business models, new work processes and ways of organising and managing to largescale solutions to complex societal problems. This also means that the values generated by innovation are more than just financial and that the benefits are often only apparent at a much later stage.
In order to shed some light on this, Vinnova (the Swedish innovation agency) has funded this study of Swedish public agencies. It follows up the study undertaken in 2017 (“Innovation and renewal in 112 Swedish public agencies – what sets those that succeed apart, and what are the factors in their success?”, available on the Vinnova and Implement Consulting Group websites). The studies were carried out by consultants from Implement Consulting Group (Roger Lundegård and Jonas Winqvist) and researchers at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sofia Ritzén and Susanne Nilsson). The findings provide fresh insights into the current situation and what distinguishes successful from unsuccessful agencies in their efforts to innovate.
The study covers 102 Swedish public agencies, and the data relating to each agency results from a self-assessment, with each agency being asked to use a 6-point scale to indicate how well various statements applied to them. Vinnova contacted the Director-General (DG) of each agency, who was then asked to designate staff to respond to the questionnaire. Those selected needed to have a good strategic overview of the agency’s overall approach and capacity for innovation work from an overall management perspective.
Research has shown that the following are needed in order to build innovative capacity in a business:
The framework used in this study is based on current research in the field as well as proven experience and includes five different areas, each of which contains different themes that describe them in more detail: