Government workers learn how to design missions for impact

In our latest InnovateUS workshop, Christian Bason, the CEO of the Danish Design Center (DDC), joined over 80 public service professionals to discuss how to forge cross-sector partnerships and engage diverse stakeholders in addressing complex social problems. Bason began the workshop by explaining how his organization tackles multi-faceted policy issues through mission-oriented innovation. Missions look at how technology can be leveraged for the benefit of people, both in business and government.

“Designing missions for impact is a way of saying that, namely, we need to articulate in a concise way where we want to go, and then we of course want to pursue that desired future together,” he said. 

Bason asked workshop attendees if current approaches to addressing innovation and change utilized in their workplace are sufficient to address the societal challenges we face. While 65% of attendees claimed the current approaches were somewhat sufficient, 35% of attendees believed these approaches were not at all sufficient. No attendees answered that current approaches were fully sufficient.

Bason stressed the importance of design when finding impactful solutions. Here, design is defined as involving people in co-creating new approaches to current and future challenges. He continued that, with design, we are able to unleash people’s ability to create a sustainable world and pursue missions across green, digital, and social transition.

When it comes to public innovation it is essential to ask questions, coordinate with residents and community members, and try prototyping as a field for learning. The ideal outcome should also be tangible and achievable. Bason told attendees that while it is worth considering solutions from the government's perspective, it is also important to consider key partners and stakeholders.

“We need to take a longer perspective and we need to expand the way we think about the types of solutions we can create from the government perspective, as well as with other sectors through partnerships,” he said.

Defining mission-oriented innovation

To work across sectors like government, business, academia, and philanthropy, problems must be addressed through missions. Missions are an approach to innovation and societal impact that turns almost everything “upside down,” according to Bason.

Missions must be bold, inspirational and widely relevant to society while also being clearly framed, measurable and time-bound. People need to be committed to making an impact while also advocating for changed system conditions overall. Missions do not offer a singular solution to a complex problem, but rather multiple outcomes, new system components, and leaders with shared principles.

Mission-oriented innovation focuses on both top-down and bottom-up approaches, while also viewing governance as an investment. Problems are reframed and solutions are viewed through a portfolio lens, not individually. While this approach is exciting and promising, Bason notes that working with missions is an emerging field that still lacks good practices.

Succeeding with mission-oriented innovation

For success with these approaches, Bason introduced DDC’s Mission Playbook, which identifies the three elements for launching a mission and operating these projects. 

1. Setting direction: What future do we dream of?
2. Building capacity: What do we need for the transition to succeed?
3. Mobilizing ecosystem: Who should join us on the journey?

Bason went on to detail several successful mission-oriented approaches. For example, in one case study, there was a desire among those in Denmark to create sustainable, attractive, and inclusive urban spaces which respect the limited resources of the planet. The government wanted to make the economy less reliant on harvesting resources, and instead wanted to focus on making materials reusable. In a discussion with over 30 partners across sectors, experts collectively established 10 action items that set a direction for achieving this goal. Other examples of cases presented include the future of mental health for young people in Denmark, and EU Missions to create 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030.

What do we still need?

There is currently a lack of expertise in mission work and a need for design tools to define the right mission and set a common direction, Bason said. Additionally, there must be a balance between short and long-term projects and between low and high-risk ones. 

Governance is an important factor in this conversation, as there needs to be systematic coordination among policy actors. In the Mission for Sustainable Manufacturing, stakeholders wanted to encourage manufacturing companies to use regenerated, used materials. This project currently works with 3,500 firms and 6 partners throughout Denmark, with the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 2030 and supporting a dynamic change in the manufacturing industry in Denmark. 

Projects require a new kind of governance and leadership. Mission managers are an emerging role within this space. These individuals’ primary objective is to focus on achieving long-term vision of change for a wide range of stakeholders. Mission managers sustain the mission, nurture collaborative decision-making and manage a strategic portfolio of interventions and drive learning.

“If we are to address systemic problems, we must also create systemic ways of solving them,” Bason said. 

Following the workshop, attendees engaged in a 30-minute question and answer session with Bason, in which they were able to ask how learnings could apply to their work. 

Participant feedback

In a survey following the workshop, 95% of respondents said would recommend the workshop to a friend or colleague, and 79% said would use what they learned in their day-to-day work. Check out what some of our attendees had to say about the workshop!

“I really like the diversity of the workshop; it was great to hear some of the obstacles that were being addressed coming from another country. I really like the various levels you addressed the stakeholders and partnerships coming from corporate viewpoints compared to nonprofits and government perspective.” -California attendee, Economic/Workforce Development, Mid-Career

“The training was well informed and it provided a sense of beacon of hope.” -New Jersey attendee, Health and Human Service, Advanced Career

To watch the workshop, check out the recording here! Make sure to sign up for our upcoming workshops here!