When Ideas Meets Institutions

The pressure for Public sector to innovate is increasing. Especially the municipality as service producers are challenged in order to provide more qualitative and efficient solutions. The research literature on public innovation, both on the local and central level has to a large degree been focussing on the drivers and barriers for innovation (Bason, 2007; DeVries et al., 2016; Aagaard, 2011) thus signalling a dualist perspective on how innovations in the public sector emerges. This, even though several authors point out that similar or even identical factors may serve as a driver in one context and be a barrier in another. The perspective certainly has its instrumental qualities with regard to identifying what takes the innovation process forward and making different types of actors conscious about it. However, it can also emphasise the understanding that innovations are basically desirable and good, and that organisations to a large extent can be designed to become innovative. In this paper, our point of departure is the shortcomings of the above mentioned dualist perspective. We will theoretically explore the meeting between innovative ideas and the institutions of the municipal sector. The ambition is to increase the understanding of what this meeting means for the institutions and for the ideas. Based on theoretical contributions related to institutional logics and change (Thornton, Ocasio and Lounsbury 2012, March and Olsen 1989, Latour and Callon 1981 and Røvik 2007), the paper will develop a framework for a dynamic, institution-based understanding of what happens when innovative ideas meet municipal institutions. This is done through categories of “situations” that catches the impact on institution from the innovative idea and vice versa. The different “situations” contributes to a wider and more nuanced understanding of the dynamics of an innovation process, and also points out the importance of the time aspect when assessing the outcome of innovations. The model builds on a chapter recently published in a Norwegian book (Holmen and Ringholm, 2019) and further develops the model introduced in the chapter. The empirical bases for the paper is several published innovation-studies in Norwegian municipalities where we make use of the theoretical framework to understand the relation between idea and institution. The analysis also show that a situation can develop from one category to another over time, and that both institutions and innovation ideas adjust during the process, hence the reflexivity aspect of innovation is highlighted.. Other findings are the importance of translation competence in innovation processes and of studying such processes over a longer period of time than has so far been common. References Bason, C. (2007): Velfærdsinnovation. Ledelse af nytænkning i den offentlige sektor. København: Børsen Offentlig. De Vries, H., V. Bekkers & L. Tummers (2015): Innovation in the Public Sector: A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda. Public Administration, 94(1): 146-166. DOI: 10.1111/padm.12209. Hoømen, A.K. and T. Ringholm (2019): Hva skjer i møterommet? In Holmen, A.K. and T. Ringholm (eds.): Innovasjon møter kommune. Oslo: Cappelen Damm Akademisk Lounsbury, M. og E. Crumley (2007): New Practice Creation: An Institutional Perspective on Innovation. Organization Studies 28(07): 993–1012 March, J.G, and J.P Olsen (1989): Rediscovering Institutions The Organizational Basis of Politics. New York: The Free Press. Røvik, K. A. (2007). Trender og translasjoner : ideer som former det 21. århundrets organisasjon. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget Thornton, P.H., W. Ocasio, M. Lounsbury (2012): The Institutional Logics Perspective. A New Approach to Culture, Structure and Process. Oxford: Oxford University Press