AUTHOR: Daniel Mackisack
More often than not, whenever we hear the word “innovation”, we think of tech. The two terms have almost become synonyms over the years. And these days whenever we hear the word “tech”, we usually think of software – tools, platforms, apps, etc.
Yet, as we all know, innovation isn’t just written in code. Nor is it exclusively an engineering achievement.
At its core, innovation is about doing things differently. And that starts with people. It starts with practice.
It could also start with politics.
The Citizen Experience
The association is understandable. Developments in the software space are at the front line of the modern ‘user experience’, or more importantly, the citizen experience; the interface between people and politics or government.
Those software developments are also, by their very nature, and the nature of the dominant software ecosystems in which they take place (whether it’s a Microsoft operating system, a Google suite, or an Apple phone), able to spread wider and faster, than non-software developments.
In the last couple of decades, they have taken the form of apps, social media platforms, productivity software and more recently the headline-grabbing developments around crypto, the metaverse and artificial intelligence.
These are the changes in how we do things that people come into contact with and hear about more often. What’s more, because they iterate quicker, there’s also more to report on and more to engage with on a regular basis.
Even with physical tech innovations like smartphones, the focus is often on the software and the apps it can run. Most tech development runs deeper and happens under the surface. Electric vehicles and solar power are other examples that lie at the point of contact. But not for everyone.
The market is not as accessible or pervasive as a smartphone.
So change, progress and innovation have become unfortunately synonymous with software.
The flow-on effect is that tech/software has started leading the way; becoming a mould for citizens and our interactions with each other to fit rather than a tool to help.
This is where the user citizen needs to re-assert leadership.
Best Practice
The best way to figure out what works and what doesn’t in politics and with working together to make decisions is, as with anything else, by trying.
But not wildly and without a plan.
Innovating and putting ideas into practice means making sure you’re properly set up to learn lessons and change accordingly. It also means learning from and building on the experience of others.
Innovation in politics means getting the advice of real people, seeing what works with real people and focussing on the outcomes for real people.
Software can help. Tech can help.
But good software doesn’t just do things differently. It helps people do things differently. It augments human processes and practices like communication, education, deliberation, and decision-making.
It doesn’t force humans to fit into the mould it establishes. It recognises what humans are doing and helps them do it better.
The word ‘disruptive’ is thrown around a lot. And often it is implied to mean any kind of radical shift that changes the way things are done. But not all disruption is positive.
Sometimes, a disruption is coercive. It forces change where none was otherwise required.
There are also instances, particularly in the last couple of decades, where ‘innovation’ detached from human practice has radically altered the way we do things.
It has been claimed that this impact is ideologically, socially and politically neutral. But the way innovation, of any kind, is designed, inevitably affects its impact and affects us.
Effective innovation, particularly in politics, needs to start with people.
Effective Innovation
In politics, change is hard enough without having it backfire.
If we’re going to do things differently in the office, in the campaign, in a deliberative process, or in an election, we better be sure that it’s a good fit.
So before we get started, let’s take stock. Let’s look at what it actually is. What it means. What’s involved. What the benefits and challenges are. Who else has done it and how it’s worked (or not) for them.
Even if it does involve tech or software, let’s start with the human equation and first ask ourselves the important questions about goals, needs, wants and capacities. Let’s plan things out before we make big commitments and investments.
This is why we at the Innovation in Politics Institute created our Briefings: short courses that guide you through the process of political innovation, placing human practice at the centre.
Because innovation begins with people. And in many ways, because politics is all about people, political innovation is innovation of the most important variety.
Every epochal change in history from the first social groups to the invention of writing and the Internet has been wrapped up with changes in politics and the way people relate, work and make decisions together.
But politics is also precarious, and the impact of political work is far-reaching and consequential. Change needs to be carefully considered.
So if we’re going to innovate, and we definitely should, then let’s make sure we do it properly.
