How Not to Innovate in the Federal Government
It’s January, 2025. Time to harness that New Year, New Administration, New You energy! There’s a lot of enthusiasm around improving how the federal government functions, making it more effective and more efficient. Whether you prioritize the former or the latter, we wish you well. As former federal innovators ourselves, we’d like to share some lessons we learned the hard way.
Here’s what NOT to do:
Start from scratch. As you approach a problem, be curious about what has been tried before, and why that effort failed - one discovery sprint over two weeks will save you two months of failure. Talk to others who have been doing the work–often behind the scenes, sometimes for years–and see if you can use your political juice to help get a good idea over the finish line. You’re more likely to notch some quick wins this way, rather than starting fresh with new pilots.
Take a tech-centric approach. Yes, this is ironic for two people in technology to say, but trust us–not every problem needs AI, or even technology. Maybe policy is the answer, or communicating via a behavioral nudge, like how the city of Anchorage increased debt collections by changing the color and wording of the notification letters. Once the policy has been fixed, technology can help you cement the change.
Hack your way to an answer. While events like hackathons make great PR and certainly have their place in the innovator’s toolkit, this should not be your default starting point. A former White House staffer once told me that after building a sweet new app, his team realized that revising an existing policy would have had a greater impact. When first approaching a problem, ask yourself “What would this look like if this were easy?”
Assume that once you have a solution, you’ve solved the problem. It’s a common refrain in DC that the federal government doesn’t have an innovation problem–it has an innovation adoption problem. Getting a new solution to “stick” requires a full-stack team - users, problem space practitioners, design strategists, product managers, technologists, legal counsel, contracting officers, cybersecurity, union leaders, and small p-political savants –often very different skillsets from the people who identified the solution. Be prepared to identify your implementers and make sure they are well equipped and held accountable.
Only think 10x. The private sector loves talking about 10x thinking–it’s even one of Google’s core innovation principles. And it’s a good skill for government innovators…as long as you also pair it with 1/10th thinking. What is the smallest increment of the change you want to make? Often you can still make a huge difference in people’s lives with a small change…and it’s far more likely to happen within your tenure–and stick after you’ve left. One such example is a new requirement for dyslexia testing in the federal prison system, which ensures that adults in custody receive appropriate assistance. Make it as real as possible, as fast as possible.
Focus on your agency. While the federal government isn’t perfect, it’s doing a lot of things well. As you get to know your fellow federal innovators (may we recommend the Federal Innovators Network), learn about how they have been able to successfully navigate similar challenges. Not only might you want to borrow the solution or even perhaps join it, you’ll be well-served in understanding how they navigated the bureaucracy to implement it.
Fight failure. It’s an inevitable part of the innovation process. Not everything will work the first time. You aren’t doing yourself any favors if you refuse to admit that. Whether you’re doing a design sprint, rigorous policy pilot, or something else, find a way to fail quickly and safely, do a blameless post-mortem, and try again. And if something really isn’t working, don’t keep it on life support to save face. Adding an expiration date is a great way to do this–if something is working, you can choose to extend it. But if not, then it automatically expires after a certain period, and that can just be the end of it.
Ignore incentives. Surveys have consistently shown that most public servants are not in it for the money or for the fame. They legitimately want to make a positive impact in people’s lives and serve their country. What does this mean for innovators? Help people understand the negative impact of the status quo–and why it’s actually more risky to continue–while simultaneously highlighting the positive impact of the proposed solution. And then as you’re able to make changes, invite everyone to celebrate your win. Let’s not forget that when JFK talked to a janitor at the NASA space center in 1962, the janitor told him, “I’m helping put a man on the moon, Mr. President.” Public servants can be your biggest allies if they also believe in your goals.
Government innovation is not for the faint of heart. You will face a lot of delays, setbacks, conflicting policies, skepticism, and even saboteurs. However, you also have the opportunity to improve how millions of Americans interact with their government, use tax dollars wisely, and build trust in public institutions. Buckle up!