Impact of Innovation Initiatives in a Federal Government Agency: Measuring and Understanding the Influence of Culture and Employee Attitudes

• Published in: The innovation journal Vol. 22; no. 1; p. 1
• Main Authors: Aragon, Richard, Schneider, Julie, Yang, William, Basson, Jacob, Burton, Andrew, Holman, Read, Downing, Gregory J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ottawa The Innovation Journal 01.01.2017
• Subjects: Ability; Accountability; Attitudes; Business incubators; Corporate culture; Data analysis; Data collection; Electronic health records; Employee attitude; Employment; Empowerment; Entrepreneurship; Federal employees; Federal government; Government agencies; Infrastructure; Initiatives; Innovations; Intrapreneurs; Leadership; Medicare; Methods; Organizational change; Personal health; Policy making; Privacy; Problem solving; Public sector; Qualitative research; Quantitative analysis; Residence; Small business; Sociocultural factors; Worker participation; Workforce
• ISSN: 1715-3816; 1715-3816

This report describes an approach undertaken by a large federal government agency to create and apply measures that assess the impact of employee participation in two innovation programs - an ideation testing incubator, known as the Ignite Accelerator, and an Entrepreneur-in-Residence employment initiative. The programs are components of a broader agency leadership initiative focused on policies that promote a culture of open innovation and entrepreneurship aimed at improving workforce problem-solving capabilities and mission results. Data were collected and analyzed over a five-year period of employee experience in the two programs. The evaluations included surveys and structured interviews conducted among the participants of both programs. Longitudinally, the curation of data about the value of these programs to employees in their self-assessed ability to pursue and achieve institutional objectives supported iterative adjustments in program operations. Results were also benchmarked against data from the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, an annual organizational survey designed to elucidate attitudes among federal employees across a variety of topics, including innovation and empowerment. This report provides insights into the qualitative and quantitative parameters capable of being leveraged to maximize the design, measurement, and impact of innovation-related programs and activities. The methods and data described herein represent a medium through which employee-based organizational perceptions about culture can be interrogated and examined. These findings also demonstrate the value of program assessment tools and data in guiding federal program leaders in institutional policymaking and selection of innovation methods to address distinct aspects of their organization's adaptive change towards a culture of innovation.