1 What is innovation?

Innovation is, in many ways, a concept that we all perhaps recognise when we see or experience. Yet often we might struggle to clearly define it. Sometimes an innovation might be a product or service that is new or simply different, other times it might be an idea, process or approach that is a change to the way things have been done previously.

To better understand what innovation is in practice, it is worth considering two key definitions.

Hartley and Knell (2021, p. 2) assert that ‘innovation is about new ideas or practices which are implemented’ [original emphasis]. The distinction highlighted by this definition is absolutely vital as it highlights the dual nature of innovation – on the one hand it is about something being new (in this case ideas or practices), and on the other it is about actual implementation.

Developing these ideas further, the International Standards Organisation (ISO) – better known for its work developing quality and assurance standards such as ISO 9001 – defines innovation as ‘the successful exploitation of a new idea to realise value. It can relate to a product, a service, a process, a model, or any combination of these. Some ideas are small; some are big; but innovative ideas will be novel and will make a difference’ (Enterprise Ireland, 2021).

As this latter definition highlights, rather than just being about the implementation of ideas or practices – which is undoubtedly vital – innovation is also about the realisation of value for the organisation and for stakeholders.

The importance of this for public sector innovation in particular are emphasised by Hartley (2005, p. 27) when she highlights that ‘the drivers [for innovation] in the public sector are to achieve widespread improvements in governance and service performance, including efficiencies, in order to increase public value’. In this regard, the distinction between profit-oriented private sector innovation, and service- and outcome-oriented public sector innovation are worth highlighting.

Activity 2 Perspectives on innovation in policing

In this video Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton, of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), shares his insights into some of the key questions of innovation in policing. Key questions include:

• From a policing perspective, what is innovation?
• Why is innovation important for policing?
• What would you see as the most important innovations to emerge in policing in recent years?
• What role do police leaders play in supporting innovation?
• What are the key barriers to innovation in policing?
• What role can communities play in policing innovation?
• How can innovation be enhanced in policing?

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Transcript: Video 1 Bobby Singleton

Bobby Singleton

Yeah, so my name’s Assistant Chief Constable, Bobby Singleton. I am the current head of local policing for the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

 

I think from a policing perspective, the first thing that comes to mind in terms of innovation is just how fundamental it is as a concept, in terms of us delivering on our policing mission for the community, in terms of keeping people safe.

 

It’s really only through effective innovation, responding and adapting to changes in our operating environment, that we can continue to provide the service that the public require and are entitled to receive from their police service. To me, it’s an absolutely fundamental element of policing success.

I think innovation is absolutely fundamental to policing because it represents really important opportunities for us.

 

I think that there’s an implicit recognition that we don’t operate within a vacuum, that the world in which we operate is constantly changing. And the only way that we can remain effective is to make sure that we change the way we innovate.

 

And for me, innovating, as well, is about making sure that we harness the powers of change that exist around us in our operating environment. Because quite often those forces of change, if you like, can present key threats and challenges to police.

 

But they’re equally opportunities if harnessed in the right way. And I think it’s vitally important that we approach change in this way, that we’re looking at it in terms of opportunities and not just threats and challenges.

And, certainly, when you think about some of those powerful forces, in many respects the only way to rise to those threats and challenges is by making sure that we, ourselves, are capable of harnessing the opportunities that exist within them.

 

So take, for example, digital technology, in many respects a huge enabler in terms of crime, in particular. We’ve seen that, in many respects, organized criminals, in particular, can be early adopters of new technologies.

 

The only way that we can compete with that is by making sure that we ourselves stay as close to the crest of the wave of change as we possibly can. I think it was Arie de Geus that said once that the only sustainable competitive advantage is to learn quicker than your opposition. So certainly in that context, I think there’s a challenge to policing to make sure that we do that.

 

I think innovation is also fundamentally about making sure that we get the best from our single biggest resource, and that’s our people.

 

I would say still, today, in policing, the capability and capacity for innovation that exists within our organisations is still largely untapped. And as police leaders, we need to make a conscious effort to make sure that we democratize change and innovation in order to get the best from our biggest resource, our people.

 

I think for me, the family of change that I think has been the most impactful in policing is definitely in the kind of digital and technological arena. And when I think about this, I kind of conceive it as being about the augmentation of policing.

 

So innovations like ANPR, body worn video, the ability to process big data, and to be able to turn that to an investigative purpose, or to enhance police accountability and transparency, I think has been transformational in terms of the delivery of policing services. And I think will continue to be.

And I think all provide really good, powerful examples of how, when policing, engages with the world around it. And six opportunities that exist in technology, how they can make a tangible difference to the quality of service that we provide to the public.

 

Well, I think police leaders have a huge role to play. And, I think in terms, firstly, of the leadership style and approach, I think that’s fundamental. I would say, first of all, that I think the role of police leaders is not necessarily to have all the answers, or to provide all the solutions, or to assume that necessarily innovation has to come from us.

 

Actually, I think the strength in the form of leadership that we’re looking for is a recognition that actually ideas exist at all levels within the organisation that are capable of making a significant difference to the service that we provide. So in that context, I see leadership in terms of innovation and policing being very much about democratizing the opportunities to be engaged in change and innovation within the organisation.

 

A lot of that is actually about flattening the hierarchy that exists within policing. And with the negative aspects of policing culture that result from that where people, perhaps, do look too much above them in terms of solution design and things like that.

 

So I think a key part of leadership is about creating the conditions, and the environment, and the platforms to allow people to participate.

 

And that kind of democratized change and innovation. I also think, crucially, as well, for an organisation that can, at times, be very demand-led, a key role of leadership as well as about creating the space and the time to allow people to benefit, recognizing that does require a significant investment on the part of individuals and the organisation, in order to realize the benefits from them.

Well, I talked about the key role that leadership has to play. And I would say that the wrong kind of leadership, frankly, can be one of the chief barriers. So that kind of traditional leadership approach in terms of command and control, I think, can be an impediment, especially if there’s this idea that the leader is somehow divine and has all the answers. Because that’s just simply not the case.

 

And it, again, leaves us in a situation where we’re failing to properly exploit the talent, the capability that exists within the workforce that we have. So I can see leadership as being one of the chief barriers. I think, related to that, we have organisational structures and hierarchy which tends to reinforce some of that thinking, as well, and can stop at times the transfer of ideas, not only within the organisation.

 

But we also sometimes talk about a silo mentality, either within elements of policing or within policing as a body. Perhaps in the past haven’t been just as outward looking as we could or should have been. And, therefore, have prevented ourselves from being able to identify and exploit some of these opportunities.

Inevitably, as well, budgets do play a part in this. And, certainly, in the context within which we operate in Northern Ireland, certainly our efforts to try and innovate and be creative have been hampered by only having annual budget settlements which have prevented us making the kind of long-term investment that’s sometimes required in order to bring about more significant change and innovation.

 

So I would say those have been the key barriers for us. I think it’s been about leadership, some of the negative elements of organisational culture, and then the budgetary constraints that we faced, as well.

So my top tips would be, primarily, that everybody has a role to play. And the question I would be posing to people, well, if not you, then who? And if not now, then when? So don’t allow the negative aspects, sometimes of place in culture and hierarchy, to prevent you from bringing forward your good ideas.

I mean, in many respects, our officers and staff represent our subject-matter experts. Nobody knows their business better than they do. And it stands to reason then that they will be the people that will have the most insightful observations about how things could be improved.

 

So my message to officers and staff would be to engage in this process. My message to leaders within the organisation is, let’s work to create the conditions that create platforms for people to be able to share those ideas and experience with us so as we can collectively work together in order to deliver a better service for the public.

 

So since the inception of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the concept of policing with the community has been at the absolute core of what we do. And I think within that there’s an implicit recognition that, actually, when it comes to policing and community safety, this is not something that can ever be delivered by the police alone in isolation.

 

And instead, fundamentally, there’s a recognition in the concept of policing with the community that actually the best way and the only way, in fact to provide the standard and the level of police and service that people need and are entitled to expect from us is by working collaboratively with them.

So in terms of innovation, where the role of the community comes into that, I think, for me, it’s about recognizing that innovation and the engagement with communities actually can happen at a multitude of different levels and definitely, in terms of our approach, in particular, to the exploitation of technology.

I mean a big emphasis in that has been about trying to make us as a service more visible, more accessible, and more responsive to the community, in order to enable that coproduction that takes place in terms of delivering community safety.

 

So my hope for the next three to five years is that work will continue.

And that we will continue to provide opportunities for people to engage with policing at a range of different levels, whether that’s from just taking simple, preventative steps themselves in order to protect themselves, their family, and their businesses, right up to and including joint coproduction of services, whether that be through the delivery of restorative justice within communities or wider community safety initiatives, including the likes of neighborhood watch, but elevating that, bringing it into the digital arena, and making it far smarter and more intelligent than it has been in the past.

End transcript: Video 1 Bobby Singleton

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Video 1 Bobby Singleton

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Having watched the clip and listened to ACC Singleton’s perspectives, reflect and make some notes on how you might be able to draw upon his insights to enhance innovation in your organisation.

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