The Governance and Social Affairs Department of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is publishing, for the first time, the recommendations of the inter-ministerial team on innovation in government. This initiative aims to create a significant leap in the effectiveness and efficiency of public services and solutions. This will be achieved by laying out a strategic, holistic, and practical roadmap to concentrate efforts, connect and leverage processes, and by identifying, supporting, and accelerating innovative initiatives while removing systemic barriers to their advancement.
Yesterday, during the cornerstone-laying ceremony for the Government Innovation Space, attended by Accountant General Yali Rothenberg and PMO Deputy Director General for Governance and Social Affairs Liron Hantz, the guiding principles underlying the team’s recommendations were presented. The establishment of this Innovation Space, created by the Accountant General’s Office and the PMO with the support of the inter-ministerial team, serves as a practical implementation of the strategic principles outlined in the report.
Recently, as part of the formulation of these recommendations, the Government of Israel joined the OPSI (Observatory of Public Sector Innovation) of the OECD. The OECD provided procedural and professional guidance to the team, based on international trends and in-depth learning from meetings with government officials in various countries. Israel’s Ambassador to the OECD, Shay Cohen, noted that this is a core issue for the organization in its efforts to assist member states with effective governance and the implementation of innovation. He added that for Israel, cooperation with the OECD in innovation is a top priority.
The inter-ministerial team consists of senior representatives from the Center of Governance (COG) – including the Ministry of Finance, the National Digital Directorate, the Ministry of Justice, and the Civil Service Commission –consulting with various stakeholders inside and outside of government. The team was established in July 2023 with the backing of the directors-general of these government agencies.
Among other things, the professional work establishes the first operational doctrine for institutional-procedural innovation in the government. This includes a comprehensive approach to these efforts that goes beyond just digitization and digital innovation.
Main recommendations:
Portfolio Management: Creating and managing a government-wide, measurable portfolio of efforts based on a shared conceptual framework.
Hybrid Model: A model for managing innovation that supports and encourages grassroots initiatives while providing a strategic professional “umbrella” from a Center of Government (COG) perspective.
Removing Barriers: Focusing on the removal of obstacles to innovation as a central effort to enable progress.
Acceleration and Support: Supporting entrepreneurs and initiatives across the government to realize and leverage capabilities, including within dedicated spaces.
Human Capital Skills: Providing tools and skills for the workforce, emphasizing focused development and implementation “capsules.”
Incentivizing Management: Encouraging government bodies and managers to adopt risk management practices that enable and promote innovation.
PMO Acting Director General Drorit Steinmetz:
“We will continue to act out of a commitment to promoting a more efficient, smart, and effective public service for the benefit of Israel’s citizens. The team’s recommendations strengthen our ability to take previous efforts forward and connect them to bring greater collective benefit.”
PMO Deputy Director General for Governance and Social Affairs Liron Hantz:
“Innovation in government is not a luxury but a necessity. In this first-of-its-kind roadmap, we are creating a professional doctrine based on OECD principles. It aims to instill innovation throughout all government branches, accelerating innovative moves to leverage overall capabilities for the public’s benefit. The ‘Start-Up Nation’ must include the public sector and not remain the domain of the business sector alone.”
Full report link:
https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/generalpage/files251124/he/teamreport120126.pdf