Comments on: Some thoughts for the Whitehall Innovation Hub http://mindworksblog.com/2008/08/05/some-thoughts-for-the-whitehall-innovation-hub/ Thinking Matters Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:03:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Andrew Cooper http://mindworksblog.com/2008/08/05/some-thoughts-for-the-whitehall-innovation-hub/#comment-79 Andrew Cooper Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:50:44 +0000 http://mindworksonline.wordpress.com/?p=600#comment-79 Thanks Jeremy. I was thinking about this some more as I drove between a couple of meetings this morning. Big Consultancy creates the opposite of Shirky's cognitive surplus: a cognitive deficit. I expect you've looked at the PAC and NAO reports, which say just this. Part of the problem is to do with incentives. Currently there's a massive incentive for consultants to get into government and ensure that the cognitive deficit is maintained. It's not their fault - it's just the way that this government has played it. The big boys would be mad not to exploit the opportunity: they are business people after all, not public servants. Perhaps we should set up a shadow Whitehall innovation hub and tap into all those minds which, as you say, are sitting out there. The Provisional Innovation Hub, maybe? Or the Real Innovation Hub? Both sound good to me. As I said in the post the hub team might be thinking along exactly these lines already. It would be difficult, I suggest, to fault the logic. But it's important to consider what their incentives are as well. Thanks Jeremy. I was thinking about this some more as I drove between a couple of meetings this morning. Big Consultancy creates the opposite of Shirky’s cognitive surplus: a cognitive deficit. I expect you’ve looked at the PAC and NAO reports, which say just this.

Part of the problem is to do with incentives. Currently there’s a massive incentive for consultants to get into government and ensure that the cognitive deficit is maintained. It’s not their fault – it’s just the way that this government has played it. The big boys would be mad not to exploit the opportunity: they are business people after all, not public servants.

Perhaps we should set up a shadow Whitehall innovation hub and tap into all those minds which, as you say, are sitting out there. The Provisional Innovation Hub, maybe? Or the Real Innovation Hub? Both sound good to me.

As I said in the post the hub team might be thinking along exactly these lines already. It would be difficult, I suggest, to fault the logic. But it’s important to consider what their incentives are as well.

]]> By: Jeremy Gould http://mindworksblog.com/2008/08/05/some-thoughts-for-the-whitehall-innovation-hub/#comment-77 Jeremy Gould Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:24:12 +0000 http://mindworksonline.wordpress.com/?p=600#comment-77 I do hope they read this, it all makes perfect sense. One other point, there's an awful lot of goodwill out there (as well as inside the civil service) - such as blog posts like this. People are prepared to help and invest time and thinking to make ideas like this work. I hope the NSG taps into it. I do hope they read this, it all makes perfect sense. One other point, there’s an awful lot of goodwill out there (as well as inside the civil service) – such as blog posts like this. People are prepared to help and invest time and thinking to make ideas like this work. I hope the NSG taps into it.

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