THE CREATIVE

BUREAUCRACY
& ITS RADICAL
COMMON SENSE

BY CHARLES LANDRY
& MARGIE CAUST
09
First published by Comedia in the UK in 2017
Public offices with a
good atmosphere

Copyright © Charles Landry & Margie Caust

All rights reserved
ISBN: 978-1-908777-08-9
CONTENTS
Comedia The Round, Bournes Green Near Stroud, GL6 7NL, UK
Summary 5
Book design: www.hillsdesign.co.uk
Preface 5
All photographs: Charles Landry
Setting the scene 8
Cover photograph: Belfast City Hall
Exploring bureaucratic change 9

Charles Landry has for 35 years attempted to shift how we think about the potential of A Humane System 13
cities and what their tangible and intangible resources can be starting with the concept of Feeling fulfilled 13
the Creative City in the late 1980's. This focuses on how cities can create the conditions
Highlighting the human perspective 15
to think, plan and act with imagination. Later he explored the sensory landscape of cities
and how the art and science of cities can come together. Harnessing the discretionary effort 16
Contorting creativity 19
Margie Caust is based in Adelaide. She develops strategy and creates projects on city Imagining civic creativity 21
futures and the creative economy. Her main interest is finding value in areas that are
Atmosphere & mood 23
often overlooked. Previously she was a civil servant in the UK and Australia working
across multiple boundaries. She has an MSc in Urban Regeneration from UCL. Fitting into a Shifting Landscape 27

The ‘Lived Experience’: Good & Bad 37

The Critique 37
Printed on FSC certified paper, using fully sustainable, The Inspiration 40
vegetable oil-based inks, power from 100% renewable
Participatory budgeting 43
resources and waterless printing technology.
Competitions trigger ambition 44
 SUMMARY
Preface
Public bureaucracies across the globe face a converging, escalating
crisis. Our societies are increasingly unequal. The population is
ageing and they have fewer resources to respond to the growing
need for care services. Demands for affordable living conditions are
increasing as public space declines. Frenzied finance movements
are rattling domestic economies. Mass migration is engendering
fear and uncertainty. This accounts for some sudden and dangerous
responses to overcome the effects of a turbo-charged capitalism.
Add to this the rise in populism divides the world into ‘patriots’ and
Following the path
in ICE Centre ‘globalists’ and is just a foretaste of what is to come. And overlaying
everything our digitizing world and its disruptive technologies is
Rules & social capital 47 providing both vast opportunities and threats.
Innovating against the grain 48 There is a massive, urgent task ahead for bureaucracies to help
Mobility as a service 49 create a fairer more equal world buttressed by an incentives and
Adelaide 90 day projects 51 regulatory regime to match. They need to be smarter and cities
Living labs & urban laboratories 52 need to be more creative as well, yet a city cannot achieve that if
Woensel West & Trudo 53 part of the system is uncreative.
Challenge as opportunity 53
There is a bigger context too, which is the demand by many to
The Bureaucratic Dynamic 55 shift from representative democracy to participative citizenship
and democracy. The rise of civic movements is a reflection of this
Self-realization & Work 61
and they are demanding more say in how decisions are made.
Reinventing a bureaucracy: The Adelaide pilot study 65 All bureaucracies need to respond. Here the idea of the city as
Re-enchanting the Bureaucracy 69 a commons or ‘urban communing’ jointly managed is gaining
Becoming a better bureaucracy 69 traction. It is a third way between public and private. This is
creating stresses for some public institutions whilst others delight
Softening the system 69
in it. It seeks to harness the energies of people and communities
Warming the mood 71
who wish to take more control over their lives and to improve
Engaging the inner self 72
facilities and services for all.
Relaxing across boundaries 73
Connecting the potential 74 We are in the midst of redesigning the world and all its systems
Unlocking a fresh ideas climate 75 for 21st century conditions. Its principles should be to bend the
market to bigger picture purposes. This needs a bureaucracy
Resetting the culture 77
that can draw on all its ethical, creative and intellectual resources
Being a better bureaucracy 78
and reclaim a distinctive leadership role, but framed in a 21st
Bringing it all together 79
century context.

5
The Creative Bureaucracy

Increasingly it is accepted that complex problems or deeper We describe the features of a better bureaucracy and how it
trends, areas we expect bureaucracies to lead on, will demand new might be built and measured. We consider how individuals with
ways of thinking and problem solving and especially the ability agency can shift an organizational culture and, over time, even
to partner and to connect across public, private and community the bureaucratic system.
divides.
The ideas explored in the Creative Bureaucracy are drawn from
Decades of Decades of reform and challenge have enfeebled some parts of many years working with and alongside people in the public sector.
reform have bureaucracies. Much of this change was to do with installing IT It draws too on numerous projects across the world to enhance
enfeebled systems, automating processes that reduced human interaction the creative capacities of cities. It has benefitted from hundreds
and chopping departments around. The effect has been to fill of conversations and interviews with bureaucrats and two longer
bureaucracies,
officials with uncertainty and doubt about their legitimate role term structured case studies in Bilbao and Adelaide.
yet they have and authority relative to elected government. The pendulum has
a reservoir The need for creativity is rising in all spheres of life. Public sector … almost
swung too far. Bureaucrats need to reclaim territory. To make this
leaders agree it is a critical attribute for future leaders and staff universally
of hidden happen is less about technical innovations and more a shift in
at every level.1 Yet their instincts favour risk management, risk bureaucrats
potential culture and social innovation.
aversion and compliance. The culture is hard to shift.
want to
We argue that: It is clear from our work that bureaucrats almost universally contribute
• There is a reservoir of hidden potential and talent locked up want to contribute more imaginatively. Most feel underutilised with more
in public bureaucracies. People can do much more if given the and stymied into expressing themselves narrowly. Yet things are
imagination
chance. This can unleash their discretionary effort. The desire to beginning to break out. Some are being inspired by new ways of
do more than you need to. But hard wired, rigid approaches within working. Innovative initiatives and experimental bureaucratic
and across administrative systems, organizations, and individuals cultures are on the rise across the globe, even if mostly on the
constrain what is possible. edges. Some changes are being forced by citizens who want to
shift the atmosphere of their cities and are prepared to defy rules
• The inability to tap the creative agility of the bureaucracy
to do so. In other cases, it is business who is leading the charge.
to solve problems is wasteful. Digitization with its interactive
opportunities can refresh our thinking to solve problems in new So what is preventing the bureaucracy from embracing the
ways. And collaborating differently with communities can both potential of bureaucrats? Where are there signs of breaking out?
reinvigorate democratic processes and the work experience. And can individuals influence the potential of bureaucracies and
its systems?
• There is a direct link between the creativity of the bureaucracy
and the success of a city. It’s impossible to have an economically In the Creative Bureaucracy we explore these ideas primarily
and socially successful city that is agile, attractive and sustainable through the lens of the ‘lived experience’ of bureaucrats. Here
without an inventive and engaged bureaucracy. we find examples of heroic courage but also of misery. Our time
needs the energy of inventive bureaucrats prepared to tackle the
Our overall aim is to shift things from a ‘no, because’ culture to
big and small issues we face.
a ‘yes, if’ culture — one that captures possibilities and potential.
This short book is targeted at those working in and outside Creative bureaucrats can, as individuals, shape cities. But a critical
bureaucracies. It seeks to inspire those inside the system and to mass can reshape the bureaucratic system itself. Organizations
shift perceptions of those outside who may have succumbed to can then embody the values and qualities expressed by the best
knee jerk prejudices and clichés about who bureaucrats are, how individuals. This can humanise organizations and bring forth new
they work and the potential of the public sector. Indeed, behind energies and talents from employees. We explore the pressures
many great projects there is a creative bureaucrat, finding ways to on individuals, organizations and systems to move forward from
shape the rules they operate with in positive directions. the era of restrictive managerialism that often ignores the bigger
6 7
The Creative Bureaucracy

social change trends happening outside the organization. A result, ideally, would be to
trigger a movement of bureaucrats who demand more from their work environments.

Bureaucracies shape and influence cities, particularly their ‘atmosphere’, the intangible
but nevertheless real experience that can encourage or discourage entrepreneurs and
citizens. We draw on examples from different bureaucracies to build in engagement,
innovation and to project a generosity of spirit. This civic creativity can help communities
bridge divides and find ‘the common’ in our quest to build better places to live.

Setting the scene

‘Creativity’ and ‘bureaucracy’ are two words apparently in tension. The creative bureaucracy
thesis seeks to marry these two seemingly incompatible concepts. Creativity focuses on
resourcefulness, imagination, responsiveness, adaptability and flexibility. Say the word
‘bureaucracy’ to yourself. What does it conjure up? Mindless rules, lazy complacency,
incomprehensible forms, red tape, inefficient, convoluted, overpaid, wasting resources — a
string of negative connotations with few redeeming qualities. This is not the full story. The
very things bureaucracy is criticised for are also insurances against the abuse of power.
Here we mostly use the word ‘bureaucracy’ rather than administration advisedly for two Spandau: City Hall and its citizen’s office. Today
reasons. the architecture would be more transparent

They are both to startle and to provoke so that readers might think afresh. We want
There is, we believe, a bureaucratic model fit for the challenges of the 21st century. It will
to recapture the common good as a positive virtue and those working in public service
not be the same as what went before. It will use the best of digital potentials, but will not
are often its good defenders. So whilst we criticize many workings of most current
let technologies dehumanize developments. Its ‘modus operandi’ will be to stimulate and
bureaucracies and their need to tap into the commitment and energy of citizens, younger
enliven itself and its environment by drawing on the potential of its people and through a
start-ups or established businesses, especially those that value the public good, we are
more co-creative, equal exchange with its communities of interest.
seeking to describe a new one fit for the ethos, the conditions, and needs of now and
tomorrow. Exploring bureaucratic change
The standardised rules, hierarchies and procedures of a bureaucracy were designed to be We are not the first to explore the dilemmas of bureaucracy, but our focus on the lived
positive, or at least efficient and fair. Bureaucracies were developed to solve the problems experience of the bureaucrat and the bureaucracy’s internal life is different and novel.
of their time and so reflect the culture of their age. These cultures were more deferential, There is a vast literature on the attempts to address the systemic problems of bureaucratic
more top down and hierarchical, more expert driven, less emotionally intelligent. At their effectiveness or innovations in governance both in public and private organizations. This
best they sought systematic procedures to bring transparency, fairness and equity to literature has grown exponentially. There are many organizations, too, trying to revisit
decision making. They were once seen as benign and modern, if somewhat technocratic. the bureaucratic model coming from varied directions. Yet we have discovered none that
Yet as they evolved, weaknesses appeared. Problem solving seemed mechanical and looks at the issues from the perspective of the individual bureaucrat and their human
planning ahead seemed achievable in a ‘predict and provide’ fashion. Today by contrast potential. Nor is there a focus on emotional intelligence, which acknowledges equality
we need a form of elastic planning that is strategically principled and tactically across roles, and clearly a shared culture, and a joint mission. It is this that triggers the
flexible. discretionary effort.
In a world of wicked, interconnected problems and a complex risk nexus the older approach Think tanks, university programmes and researchers, government hybrids or supranational
is at best sub-optimal and at worst dysfunctional. Today you can only strive for better organizations focusing on public sector innovation have reached broadly similar
rather than perfect outcomes. Nudging at a problem or adapting to new circumstances conclusions about good performance, effectiveness and creativity. It includes leaderships
and dynamics become important but so does the occasional radical re-assessment.2 that empower, strategic focus and the human centred use of IT systems.

8 9
 A new range of think tanks is emerging like Kennisland in
Amsterdam9, which starts with the users of public services to
assess whether they connect with real needs and what citizens
could do themselves. On the government side they have set up
customized learning platforms to help solve the problems of
public organizations and individual professionals such as with
the Slimmernetwerk (Smarter Network). Attached to this is the
Doetank (Do-tank) whose aim is learning by doing in helping
public servants innovate themselves. Another network is the
Kafka Brigade10 an international research group ‘on red tape and
dysfunctional bureaucracy’. It addresses what to do when citizens
and public servants become tangled in a web of too complex
procedures. Kafka Brigades bring together all parties from front
line workers, managers and policymakers around particular cases,
such as revising domestic abuse procedures, rethinking support
for 18-24 year olds seeking work or how to overcome the barriers
for green growth.
Berlin: Play on German
word Müll (garbage). NESTA11 in London, now a charitable body was set up by a … the older
Garbage collectors are
multi-talented
government endowment and seeks to be: ‘an innovation bureaucratic
foundation… we back new ideas to tackle the big challenges of our model needs
Below we give a snapshot of this increasingly rich landscape
time’. Such as how to use digital tools to improve the quality and
that readers can follow up. They include global organizations rethinking
legitimacy of decision-making or helping create the 'Second Half
like OECD and its Observatory of Public Sector Innovation, which
Fund' that supports the growth of innovations that mobilise the
focuses on establishing rules and processes that foster innovation
time and talents of older people to help others alongside public
as well as breaking discipline boundaries3; semi-governmental
services, such as becoming volunteer teachers in schools.
organizations like MindLab, in Copenhagen4 a cross-governmental
... increasingly innovation unit that involves citizens and businesses in creating All these entities have similar aims, namely collaborative
attention is new solutions for society. It is also a physical space or neutral problem solving, engaging citizens in new ways or breaking
being paid to zone that seeks to inspire innovation and collaboration. down older organizational paradigms. Collectively their methods
and approaches stress openness and a willingness to re-assess
bureaucratic There is Change@SA5 in Adelaide, which seeks to create a culture
assumptions, a focus on social innovation as a catalyst of change,
innovation of collaboration, continual improvement and inventiveness within
fostering an experimentation culture centred perhaps on living
a vibrant public service; semi-independent city hall based labs
labs, rethinking issues like procurement, embracing measured risks
like Lab para la Cuidad in Mexico City,6 which seeks to connect
and unleashing the capacities of individuals who bring forth a form
citizens and the city in novel ways by using the megalopolis as
of ‘bureaucratic creativity’ capable of transforming organizations
a proving ground; there is the Urban Lab in Paris7 with its focus
and systems. Crucially they highlight the need for real life
on experimenting with climate change solutions; universities
experiments that, if they work well, become common practice.
such as the Ash Center for Democratic Governance & Innovation
at Harvard8 whose project on municipal innovation supports the
replication and adaptation of good practices working closely with
local officials.

10 11
 A HUMANE SYSTEM
Feeling fulfilled
There are urgent concerns about work environments. People are
more unhappy than happy at work. This is a long-term trend and
for many this leads people to be disengaged and to under-perform.
The so-called ‘creativity gap’ identified by Adobe in its global survey
of 5000 people ‘State of Create’ (2016)12, highlights how peoples’
potential is under-explored. Only 31% believe they are living up to
their creative potential.

Engaged employees and managers are more creative, passionate

and productive. They bring life and energy to an organization as a
free gift and resource.

Private sector organizations don’t engage their employees well,

in spite of evidence that it increases financial performance, but
public sector and government organizations may be worse. This
failure to engage employees has many consequences: for them
as individuals, for the problem solving and emotional climate of
bureaucracies; and for the cities and regions in which they are
located. With change accelerating across all domains of society,
public institutions are falling further behind.

We have seen and experienced many wonderful examples of

the effectiveness of the public sector. But the intense, visceral
frustration and emotional pain experienced by some of the
best minds in public service cannot be over-stated. Too many
people feel reduced at work, they cannot give of their best
and so energies are used elsewhere in their private worlds or in
distractions.

This is why we are interested in the ‘creative bureaucracy’ and

whether it can mirror peoples’ internal sense of who they are
and match the aspirations they have for their life. Charles as an
outsider has observed the bureaucracy at work and Margie as an
Berlin: insider has lived the bureaucratic experience. For nearly three
Radialsystem – A decades both have been working with or within public institutions
Space for Arts &
Ideas in former in cities and regions across the world as well as with their leaders,
pumping station. their administrations, local community groups and business
A creative
bureaucrat Jutta
Weitz helped
make it happen 13
The Creative Bureaucracy

and creative sectors as they attempt to adapt and respond to the massive changes and Taipei as part of our Creative City Index work revealed similar results. On average
confronting them. people work at only 65% capacity. They tell us they could do 35% more if their operating
environment were different. Good managers, leaders and committed staff overwork
Regardless of the country or city, the administrative logic and character of government
themselves, operating at 120% capacity and often at the edge of burnout in order to
systems or organizational purpose is shared: silos; a lack of integrated and holistic thinking;
make ‘the system’ work.
an inability to cross boundaries; reluctance to see the benefits of interdisciplinary working
and unwillingness to truly partner or to connect imaginatively with outside worlds - in The second cost is the inability to tap the creative agility of the bureaucracy to solve
spite of these things having been highlighted for 25 years. problems. Dramatic pressures are demanding change. The context is ever-increasing
demands, ever-reducing budgets and short-term thinking governed by electoral cycles.
Across the world there has been a whittling away of policy imagination and big thinking.
Yet digitization with its new platforms and technologies are opportunities to think about
Often the most interesting work is outsourced to ‘think tanks’, consultants or to ‘innovation
problems in new ways. These interactive opportunities can refresh democracy, but most
teams’. People in the system feel stymied and curtailed. It engenders a negative mood.
bureaucracies do not yet know how to use them.
A blame culture then breeds fearfulness. It is when organizations together from their
differing important perspectives work on joint problems, that often the best solutions You can’t be a creative city without a creative bureaucracy
emerge.
The third cost is to the city, region or nation as prospects leech away, motivation is
People say 'the inertia is immense' and 'it’s the rigidity, I can’t bear it', and the 'inflexibility, drained and the talented move elsewhere. Bureaucracies unable to mobilise and harness
that does not allow you respond effectively'. 'All I know is that some of the best people their own collective imagination and potential are unlikely to make the most of their city’s
are leaving', and 'we find it hard to hold on to the young and enthusiastic, they start with assets. An engaged bureaucracy can lift the local environment. A disengaged one can
energy and then feel drained as they bump into barriers'. 'It is difficult to appoint the depress opportunities as they affect the atmosphere of a city, shaping the way it feels.
best or get the worst to leave'. 'The lack of organizational emotion cannot inspire staff.
The link between the creativity of the bureaucracy and the success of the city is direct and
The atmosphere needs to be ‘warm’ to develop an R&D culture'. 'The environment of risk
strong. Cities cannot be comprehensibly successful, alert, agile, attractive and sustainable
aversion does not understand the difference between risk and uncertainty'. 'I wanted a
without an imaginative and engaged bureaucracy.
‘yes’, but it is so much easier to say ‘no’.
Carol Ryff summarizes15 well the qualities we need to make us feel fulfilled. She outlines
There are costs, we have concluded, of not having a more creative bureaucracy. The first
six measures that provide people with the sense of psychological stability, ease about
cost is wasted human potential. There is a reservoir of hidden potential and talent locked
themselves and being human. How well do most bureaucracies do in achieving this? They
up in public bureaucracies.
are: how people are making use of their personal talents and potential (personal growth);
Frightening statistics tell a story about disengagement and under achievement at work. the depth of connection they have in ties with significant others (positive relationships);
Gallup, for instance, for over 15 years in the US, has measured employee engagement whether they view themselves to be living in accord with their own personal convictions,
in public and private workplaces covering several million respondents. The research in essence being themselves (autonomy); how well they are managing their life situations
concludes that only around 32% of the US workforce are engaged and inspired by what (environmental mastery); the extent to which people feel their lives have meaning,
they do. Nearly 70% are emotionally disconnected. 50% of these are ‘disengaged’ ‘just purpose, and direction (purpose in life); and the knowledge and acceptance they have of
kind of present, but not inspired by their work or their managers’. Nearly 20% are ‘actively themselves, including awareness of personal limitations (self-acceptance).
disengaged’ as they ‘have bosses from hell that make them miserable, and so roam the
halls spreading discontent’.13 Even worse, the worldwide survey has found that only 13%
Highlighting the human perspective
of the global workforce is actively engaged.14 There were strong country differences with ‘The Creative Bureaucracy’ understands that people are at the heart of the system. It puts
the USA and Canada scoring most highly with 29% engaged, 54% disengaged and 18% the human perspective and the lived experience of working within or with a bureaucracy
actively disengaged. For Western Europe the figures were 14% engaged, 66% disengaged centre-stage. A bureaucracy, crucially, is not only a structure and an ‘organigram’
and 20% actively disengaged. The worst figures were for East Asia with 6%, 68% and with functional relationships and roles. It is a group of people with lives, emotions,
26% respectively. aspirations, energy, passion and values. To adapt Shakespeare’s famous quote: ‘What is
the bureaucracy, but the people in it?’
Our own longer-term structured interview series of several hundred diverse national,
regional and city government officials in over 25 cities from Bilbao, to Adelaide, Helsinki
14 15
 The Creative Bureaucracy

Most of those we have spoken to tell us that they work in the one, by contrast, engages people so that they extend their
bureaucracy because they want to make a difference in the world. potential and build their energy. This unleashes the discretionary
In big and small ways they see their work as meaningful. It’s just effort the unrealised resource that can make organizations more
that the context is frustrating. or less successful.

Bureaucrats often have strong principles, great intentions Every individual has a vast storehouse of “discretionary” effort
and good ideas. Most want to do good. We are not naïve to the that they either give or withhold on a daily basis. Discretionary
complexities of working lives in organizations. There are ‘pen effort is the difference between how people are capable of
pushers’ as in commercial organizations. Add to this brew the performing and how well they actually perform. It’s both in the
human frailties of power play, factionalism, individualism, egotism, power of employees and a factor of systems that can encourage
micro-politics, jealousy or blatant resistance. But is the individual or prevent people making contributions. Studies, including our
at fault or dysfunctional organizations or systems? Humane own in various cities, show that when people do not feel aligned
systems bring out peoples’ better selves. to the organizational mission and/or culture, the organization can
lose between 30% to 50% of their potential contribution. Instead
Who is this bureaucrat? They are not automatons. It is the
of performing more strongly, having ideas, solving problems,
head of a department, the assistant fire officer, the teacher, the
making the work environment better, helping others out, they are
youth worker, the district nurse, or planning manager, someone
potentially frustrated, bored, stressed or close themselves in.
who protects the environment, the parking attendant, the cultural
programme manager, the business development officer, the CEO. What is required to entice individuals to give this extra effort? It Discretionary
We are interested in the contribution bureaucrats can make at all is a mix of things both general and specific: a positive, respectful effort is the
levels – senior leaders, middle management and those with more atmosphere; an ethos that sharing and helping out is good and unrealised
routine tasks. it will be reciprocated; creating excitement about a project, a
resource
target or a goal; people need to feel they have agency; stressing
Bureaucracies We ask: Is there an inner logic to all organizations across cultures
how everyone counts and that their contribution matters and
are beginning to and time that constrains and reduces people? Or can we think
has an impact; ensuring they are identified with the outcome
transform… Their afresh?
and praised; providing an incentive, a reward or a personal gain;
energy is ready Bureaucracies are beginning to transform. We are optimistic perhaps personalizing a challenge and helping you do give of your
to be tapped about the positive changes on the horizon. We know of best. In addition it involves creating a culture where slacking and
bureaucrats across the world, attempting to rethink possibilities. task avoiding feels wrong. An emotionally strong organization will
It is easy to emphasise negative working experiences and many seek to understand the motivations of those and try to get them
feel frustrated. Yet many, if not most, long to be engaged in real to switch so they might contribute to the team. Slackers deflate
ways. Their energy is ready to be tapped. People mostly were an organization.
initially drawn to working in the bureaucracy because of shared
This goes beyond simplistic notions around management
values. Working in a bureaucracy that allows people to express
systems. Fundamental is an attitude of leadership that sees the
these values triggers their desire to contribute. The challenge
organization as a joint endeavour where everyone is essential
is to create the conditions in which they can. Crucially, many in
and where everyone can learn and everyone teach. This requires
their private lives are part of interesting civic organizations or
systems that allow rather than curtail and that create a dynamic
platforms and know there are other ways of working.
which leverages strengths. Most studies say this involves
Harnessing the discretionary effort widespread leadership rather than management. Systems are
managed; people are led. Everyone can play a leadership role.
Bureaucracies created solely in pursuit of efficiency are
Here leadership is defined as a relationship, rather than a position,
extraordinarily wasteful of human effort and talent. A creative

16 17
The Creative Bureaucracy

so it is behaviour based. Self-awareness and empathy are key

components in the relationship’s success.

The emotional organization

The best work often happens in a spirit of play but most
organizations expect people to be serious. It’s inevitable that work
elicits our full range of emotions. But employees are expected to
operate almost without emotion, as if ‘the system’ were a lifeless
being. Emotions are our source of energy.

Startling under-explored facts about people feeling alienated,

even distressed, are largely missing in global discussions of
innovation especially related to the public sector, our focus
here. Working within a ‘system’ can feel qualitatively different to
working in, say, a start-up. A system can feel pervasive. You can
see it in the worn down, drained faces of people who have been
‘in the system’ too long. They are going through the motions. But
others refuse to surrender. They rebel. They count victories in
small advances.

Contrast that with Clemens Muecke, head of economic development Taipei: This design object reminds us
in Neukölln, a relatively poor but changing district in Berlin. 41 of the difficulty of shifting a system
years working for the authority, he looks fresh as he feels he has
agency in helping to make things happen — less concerned about
as he is trusted. In general the balance needs to shift to give individuals more say just as
being the overall boss and more about getting results. He helped
they ideally have in their personal lives. People need to feel and act out the full person
negotiate the success of the emblematic Klunkerkranich Club sited
they can be at work.16
on a carpark roof of a shopping centre. Its atmosphere changes
throughout the day, mothers and kids earlier on in the day and Contorting creativity
increasingly a techno club as the evening nears. The roof garden The ability for
‘Behind every great project is a creative bureaucrat’ and ‘they are mostly invisible
is cared for by 20 volunteers and no flowers are damaged as the people to have a and unacknowledged’ so exclaimed Jochen Sandig founder of Radialsystem in Berlin,
rave crowd comes in. Locals enter for free. It balances well the sense of agency responding to a creative bureaucracy workshop. This is a large space for the arts and
locals and the nomads. To make this happen needed a connector
is crucial ideas located in a former pumping station with a waterside terrace. He was referring to
between founders Robin, Dorle and Julian and the various wings
Jutta Weitz, responsible for allocating industrial sites in the city in a period of transition
of the authority. This was Clemens and his example focuses on
and who promoted Zwischennutzung (transitional uses). Jochen claimed she really made
agency.
things happen. She negotiated him and his team through the bureaucratic complexities of
The emotionally intelligent organization understands the differing licenses and navigated them through the minefield of rules, how to phrase an application,
motivations of people and helps foster their ability and their sense how to describe a budget, and when to push and when to hold back.
of agency. This is the capacity of people to act independently and
The quiet and unassuming Jair Lin as the number two in urban planning in Taipei,
to make their own free choices. Too much structure by contrast
understood the subtle ecology of how creative milieux work. He knew how to ‘bend’
shapes, confines or limits this possibility. There is always a
the market and create rules to both encourage young start-ups as well as rescue the
balancing act between agency and structure as the latter embeds
traditional Dihua St. area in Dadaocheng. His Urban Regeneration Office (URO) was open
the organization’s ethos and goals. Clemens has been able to act
to experiments. It connected with progressive developers and sought to control the
18 19
The Creative Bureaucracy

development of key small sites such as to contain the speculative The ability to redefine a project so it fits a funding stream. The
dynamism present in the city. One strategy was to transfer some fine sense to know when to push and when to hold back or when
property rights in exchange for keeping the original buildings. to leave things obscure. In short, knowing how to get your way
whilst working within limitations.
The Athens Vice-Mayor for Civil Society Amalia Zepou, formerly
a documentary filmmaker, created the platform “synAthina” to This is not the creativity of the artist, the clever entrepreneur
trigger a new energetic relationship between citizens and the or social enterprise. These often, can boldly go with the flow
public domain. This was more than voluntarism, but a co-creative of an idea, can come across as fresh and alert, can invent, can
process of active citizenship and an open minded administration. It feel they can be themselves, can be named or acknowledged.
developed into an idea that won one of the five Mayors’ Challenge For bureaucrats a kind of thwarted creativity bursts out at times
awards from Bloomberg Philanthropies in 2014. SynAthina is now with the energy of the contortionist, and the creativity of helping
part of a social innovation unit, a systematic mechanism between others achieve their aims. A more open bureaucratic system
the municipality, local organizations and citizens. The aim is to would allow officials to be imaginative as a matter of course.
facilitate citizens’ creativity to modernise local governance to
improve citizens’ lives and strengthen the democratic process. An
Imagining civic creativity
example is 'atenistas' a group of imaginative people with no legal In the 1990s ‘The Creative City’ highlighted the urgency of civic
entity. In 2010, they had the idea of covering abandoned historical creativity and to quote we said: ‘Civic creativity’ is defined as
buildings in Athens with paper banners on which they wrote the imaginative problem-solving applied to public good objectives. Creativity
buildings’ history. In 2013, the synAthina network managed to find The aim is to generate a continual flow of innovative solutions focused on
a sponsor to print the text on small discreet plexiglass banners for to problems which have an impact on the public realm. ‘Civic public interest
15 buildings in the city centre. creativity’ is the capacity for public officials, businesses, large
aims is a
and small, or civil society organizations together to effectively
This was in theory not allowed and the 'defining moment' was central task for
and instrumentally apply their imaginative faculties… this agenda
how both the municipality legal service and the technical services
seeks to be a means and guiding principle to make this happen’.17 our age
Many people changed the regulation and facilitated permissions for placing
are waiting banners. They adopted the idea as a municipal service and then The creative bureaucrat is the (often) invisible guide behind
in the wings expanded it to more buildings. Instead of the usual negative civic creativity. Their efforts, in combination, result in this new
response, city officials are now more open to new practices. That value driven organizational form and they are adaptive, responsive,
to contribute
is culture change. flexible, collaborative and outward looking. They encourage
more
others to be both solid in executing tasks that inevitably can be
The people mentioned above are exceptional. But many more are
routine, yet also imaginative and inventive. They connect people
waiting in the wings. Qualities of inventiveness are less embedded,
at a humane level at work and create the conditions needed
legitimized or encouraged in public entities. Yet these energies spill
for openness and creativity to emerge. If they are sufficiently
over and burst out. Imagination sometimes has to be expressed
influential, they transform their organizations which embody their
in convoluted ways to make an impact. In essence bureaucratic
values. The organization then makes better places or cities by the
creativity is about finding solutions by overcoming obstacles to
ways it works internally and with outsiders. Indeed the physical
intractable problems or discovering fresh opportunities.
look, feel and atmosphere of cities can exude this ethos and spirit.
The scope and form of bureaucratic ingenuity is shaped by its
This ‘creative bureaucracy’ is not just a fixed entity unto itself.
context. We see it more as resourcefulness and do not give it
It is in a dynamic relationship with its people and with the city,
the name — creativity. Yet it is the creativity of wriggling around
the citizens and the world in which it sits. It allows for honesty, a
departmental obstacles. The creativity of knowing where and
lack of defensiveness, a listening ethos and trialling and testing
when to pitch an idea. The creativity of claiming a leftover budget.
approach that sharpens programmes and projects.

20 21
 and getting them to talk and work together to achieve mutually
satisfactory results.

This can be difficult. The aims of one often frustrate and

hinder those of the other. They may have opposing objectives
or organizational cultures. One might want to maximize their
personal returns, and be concerned only with their project in
isolation, rarely looking at how it fits into the wider urban picture;
the other might focus on public realm benefits; and the third may
want to maintain a sense of locality and authenticity that comes
from leaving things as they are.

Consider, for instance, the great places you love and you will see a
fine and gratifying blend of the non-commercial and commercial,
the locally authentic and globally oriented or inspirational and the
ordinary.

The balance between these aspects will have been hard fought.
There will be a backstory of wrangling and argument where one
sought to dominate the other. Somewhere in all of this will have
been some creative bureaucrats capable of drawing together,
contorting possibilities, and somehow getting things right in the
context of difficult odds.

Adelaide: The Atmosphere and mood

interesting
Commonwealth Law A successful blend of ‘civic’ and ‘creativity’ creates an atmosphere
NESTA18 describes this as an ’innovative adhocracy’. This is essentially a knowledge- Courts was easier
intensive organization that operates more organically internally and with great flexibility. to build as the that inspires people to trust their own creative impulses. The
federal government mood of a city is much more shaped by the actions, big and small,
Most bureaucrats walk a fine line. Arbitrary creativity can appear risky or be simply controlled the land
and planning of public entities than we think. A substantial literature exists on
fluffy. The context is all important. An organization has a purpose and values and is
what makes a city feel like a place you’d like to live or work in or
usually governed by legislation and policy. This governs its ethics and the conduct of
why some cities are magnets and why others leak talent.
people who work there and how they and the organization relates to the outside world.
Public sector creativity focused on public goods is special — it is a form of civic creativity. Civic Citizens or businesses, of course, help create the atmosphere, but
generosity imagine all the ways that government employees influence the mood
The creativity of the public sector will differ from that of an independent start-up, a
is a powerful of the city. If there is ‘civic generosity’, it has a powerful impact. Too
corporate or NGO. The concept of ‘civic creativity’ is important and again brings together
little is written about this. The officer at immigration can avoid your
two words that do not seem to connect. ‘Civic’ sounds worthy, staid and somewhat resource and
eyes, look bored and even intimidating. Or they can smile, welcome
uninspiring. ‘Creative’ still has a vibrant, energetic ring to it. In combination the idea can the pay-back is you to their country and invite you to enjoy your stay.
exude potential. astonishing
The design of the streets can signal a place that prefers cars and
Dissolving, resolving and harnessing the ambiguity and tension between these two
moving fast. Or enlightened city planners and elected councillors
opposites lies at the heart of ‘civic creativity’. Imaginative problem solving or creating
can have collaborated to make the city a place for pedestrians,
opportunities can enhance the public good and provide better services. It involves using
with green spaces, easy for children and the disabled to navigate,
the diverse energies, skills and values of the public, private and community sectors
well-lit and inviting.

22 23
The Creative Bureaucracy

Your local council office can treat you like a number as you Historically, community responsibility and its problems were
grab a ticket and wait to be served, or it can help you feel like a ‘outsourced’ to the public administration, which was a service
valued citizen. Your local hospital can make you stand and queue production engine. That era had its mood. It felt more top down.
and wait your turn, increasing your sense of vulnerability and You could hear refrains, such as: ‘why does the city not clean the
powerlessness, or they can invite you to be comfortable and come streets’, ‘why does it not solve the problem of noisy young people’
to you, interested and concerned about your situation. or ‘why are the trains not arriving on time’.

Police officers can aim to intimidate or they can aim to calm and Yet change is inevitable. The challenge of the era is to find ways to … Our major
reassure. Bureaucrats can take an attitude of ‘you’ve got the mobilise human potential. When the aim is to redefine the city and resource
wrong number it’s not my problem’ or they can express interest its component parts, including its bureaucracies, as a ‘community is human
and even take action. of brains’, a different paradigm and value set emerges. When
potential and
the city is no longer a set of mostly physical infrastructures, the
Every day we have multiple interactions with public entities, aim becomes to harness the collective goodwill and community this needs to
even if we do so through the results of their policies and intelligence. This can be brought out or held back and here the be mobilized
programmes. And there have been positive changes. Speaking more open bureaucracy helps the former.
to the tax office in most European countries is now no longer a
frightening chore, even though you may have to go through a Here the city and citizens communicate with each other
robotic process to reach a human being. differently, without stressing ‘who’s in charge’. They are the
radical civics in action as Amalia Zepou in Athens shows.21 We are
Most importantly bureaucracies across the States, some parts only at the beginning as these challenges to traditional notions of
of Europe and to the East have begun to loosen up. This has democracy or public sector organization unfold. The combination
allowed new voices to be heard. Cities now feel more like a of principle and technology has made working transparently with
The shared endeavour. The atmosphere is changing. Rights and more shared control possible. The communications revolution has
atmosphere a responsibilities are shifting. Bureaucracies and citizens are broken the monopoly of the public sector. This may be a blessing.
bureaucracy creating the mood together with the latter taking more control
or creating new platforms or horizontal connections, independent So power is shifting with more ways for people to connect
creates shapes with the like-minded. Some bureaucracies are embracing the
of government.
how a city potential, one thinks here of Amsterdam, Athens or Torino,
feels This reclaiming of power can be seen, most firmly, in rising acting more as platforms to connect opportunity. In this context
political protest movements or tactical urbanism.19 Projects the creative bureaucrat is able to enable and respond, to sense
such as ‘parking day’, ‘restaurant day’, ‘better block’ or ‘guerrilla the atmosphere, but not control. They are driven to explore and
gardening’ or ‘cleaning day’ stem from the same ethos. Citizens experiment – while being ready to adjust to changing conditions.
can unite even if they never meet physically.
Added together these small examples and big and the attitudes
The open data movement is another expression. This has underlying them reflect what we call a humane system.
unleashed a plethora of app driven solutions to help make cities
work better. City Mapper creates a refined picture of how citizens They expect to translate this sense of ‘agency’ across all aspects
can move around the city. Garbage bins can communicate when of their lives.
they are full. Helsinki Region Infoshare20 is an example of an
enabling mechanism where people can play with data in a way
that fosters entrepreneurship. Here for the first time in history the
young are better equipped, as digital natives, than the old ‘digital
settlers’, to deal with the substantial cultural implications of this
power shift.
24 25
 FITTING INTO A SHIFTING
LANDSCAPE
The context for the bureaucracy is shifting and that landscape requires
the new operating system. In a digitalised world individuals command
systems and technology and use them to shape their own lives.
Command and control systems no longer work. As public
bureaucracies change so too will the outside world’s view of what
they can offer to society if they are able to operate at their best. It
has been too easy to scapegoat the bureaucracy. But we are living
unprecedented times and how we navigate them will depend on
how agile, inventive, and respected bureaucracies manage to
become. Bureaucracies need to feel confident in their legitimacy,
but in a 21st century form.

Converging & unpredictable megatrends

Profound shifts, changes, disruptive technologies and political re-

alignments are reshaping expectations or potential, such as where
and how we live, and how we want the world to work. Megatrends
such as urbanisation, living together in harmony, populism, climate
change, globalisation and technology are complex, interconnected
and converging. And in addition we, as Roy Amara22 notes, ‘tend
to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and
underestimate the effect in the long run’.

There are no ‘off the shelf’ solutions. Wicked problems are

proliferating; these are problems we must address even though
we do not know the precise answer or roadmaps. This calls for
foresight and the ability to relax into uncertainty or ambiguity as
we invent the future. Stark and threatening choices face humanity
and although we know what a richer, sustainable life could be, our
collective intelligence seems incapable of making it happen.

Governments, across all levels, especially through their convening

power and in collaboration with others, are called upon to provide
the guidance, roadmaps and programmes that will anticipate
and avert looming catastrophes, grow the quality of life, reduce
Miami: A graffiti inequalities and stimulate economies. Here government refers
encapsulates the to elected government and their linked teams and to their
choices we have
to make 27
 Tel Aviv: Some
issues are so
urgent it is really
one minute
before midnight

The public sector has been on the defensive and has not been able to give credence to
its public interest or common good concerns. Let us remember the good reasons for
bureaucracy and their post-Enlightenment origins, which were to create fairness, equity,
equality of opportunity, due process and transparency. These are important achievements
of democracy and need to be maintained to avoid special interests dominating society or
corruption. Yet now these virtues are seen to stifle and to slow things down.

Now new, often negative, political forces may also reduce the potential of the bureaucracy
to provide stability or to act with legitimacy.

Managerialism drains confidence

In the last few decades it has been argued that bureaucracies can be managed as though
they are private companies even though their purposes and criteria for success are
different.

The system started to change through a combination of adopting private sector

management techniques, building up of special offices and the advisor culture, and the
reduction in some jurisdictions of tenure for civil servants and downgrading policy units.
These have gone out of favour and been a source of easy savings and often disappeared.
They have sometimes been replaced with reform units or innovation functions. Forward,
insightful thinking can then be lost.

This all weakened the bureaucracy and stymied them, so adding to a sense of being
‘administrations’. Bureaucracies enact and deliver national and disempowered and stuck. In some places, heads of big departments effectively became
local government policy and programmes. Each needs foresight, chief executives who relied on the favour of a minister or a mayor to retain their positions.
imagination and agility to respond to what lies ahead. And most The will of ministers could be expressed too through a range of politically appointed
importantly they need an ethical framework to guide their actions. advisors who often wield great power and influence.

Bureaucracies on the back foot Public administrations across the world have not been able to resist the rise of the
new managerialism. The resulting efficiency paradigms have partly been beneficial in
The public bureaucracy can play a crucial role, with others, in
reshaping how bureaucracies operate. They have become more accountable to their
… Bureaucracies making the best of opportunities but only if it reinvents itself in
publics. But there are negatives. One consequence is the overweening box-ticking
are behind terms of its democratic processes, its moral system or, crucially,
or checking mentality. Another is technology being projected as the saviour with the
other sectors its way of operating. It has fallen behind other sectors, such as
proliferation of automated systems that feel robotic. Or decisions made by algorithms
business or social life regarding their organizational forms and
in re- that fail the test for common sense with services unable to respond to individual
operating methods. Yet the world outside of the bureaucracy
assessing their needs to recognize its value and values too. The rise of civic
circumstances.
organizational movements is one example. Managerialism ceaselessly pushes an approach whereby all human affairs are driven by
forms instrumental rationality. The most cost-effective means to achieve things always trumps
Many years of reform and continued questioning of their roles
other values or ethical bases. The economic value lens is now the overarching narrative
and competences have drained bureaucracies of their confidence.
of our world. Something valuable is lost in making citizens become customers. To be
The anonymous bureaucracy has become a scapegoat for broader
identified merely as a customer is a narrow conception of being human.
discontents. It often encapsulates frustrations that have nothing
specifically to do with public administrations. It has made them
uncertain about how to act.
28 29
The Creative Bureaucracy

The intrinsic value of the ‘public sector model’ itself thus suffered. The collaborative imperative
Instead of upgrading the public service we tried to make it conform
Organizations still tend to separate functions when many problems, like long term
to a private sector model, management consultants, essentially
unemployment or mental health issues, require an integrated response across health,
accountants, were brought in. They imposed their own discipline -
skills development or social care. Vertically siloed departments fight to grow their
targets and new public management. The possibility of the public
resources, not to collaborate and connect with others. Even when the weight of evidence
sector embracing their own kind of entrepreneurial spirit akin to
favours connected thinking, collaboration is hard to achieve.
that of the private sector, was lost.
City development is still too frequently seen as a series of separate projects. Many
Language matters. Seeing people as citizens is different from
rules are designed for single issues like health, safety, privacy, road guidelines, traffic
seeing them as customers. A citizen is more about ‘me’ and
flow or the environment. Cities are complex and interconnected and so are issues.
‘us’ and how we form a society or joint identity and purpose. A
Unemployment is not only about not having a job, social and mental health matters
customer is more about my wants, my needs, my desires. One is
also come into play. A silo mentality over simplifies and separates that which needs to
more relational and so about give and take or mutual interests.
be connected. Interrelated issues like ‘a vibrant environment’ or ‘a fairer city’ require
The other is more transactional thus ‘do I get for what I pay for’?
broader urban outcomes. They clearly need serious collaborative work across the sectors
Interestingly what the public sector is losing, the deeper link to a
public, private and community.
citizen, private companies are trying to gain by creating product
‘community’ or brand or lifestyle associations. Movements such as ‘collaborative impact’ are trying to overcome these separations. Here
organizations agree on the deep changes they want to achieve and collaborate around
Uneasy relationships them. In the small town of Medicine Hat in Canada23, this approach was able to eliminate
So bureaucrats ask: Should they drive change or just respond to homelessness and their ‘homeless first’ strategy has even spread to larger places like
Bureaucrats it? Should they intervene or stand back? Should they lead policy Calgary.
have complex thinking or wait to be advised by ministers, mayors, councillors The key skill for the 21st century for governments and bureaucracies is to partner with
connections or private sector entities? Should they let outside consultants do others across all parts of society. Only by doing this well will they have access to a
all the interesting work? Should they work in partnership with wider set of intelligences, to create and tap into a wider pool of solutions, to generate
to navigate to
citizens or operate in secrecy? more energy and resources. Short-term self-focused political gains need to give way to
make the most
This bigger context is exacerbated by an uneasy relationship longer-term benefits. It remains a central task, difficult to achieve, and in a context of
of possibilities
between the bureaucracy and the elected government at all levels. uncertainty. The tools of elected bodies, principally their policies and programmes, their
There is a loss of trust in both directions. Short-term thinking can bureaucracies and capital, have been shaped for eras of slow, steady and predictable
dominate. Internal power struggles have often led to arrangements change, not sudden often unpredictable shifts.
to make it easier to ‘hire and fire’ employees, and sometimes this
Multidisciplinary or Transdisciplinary
was the right thing to do, but it led to the increasing loss of influence
of bureaucrats. This implies that the city should be run more on interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary
lines. In multidisciplinary approaches experts share information and knowledge, but are
There are stories of bureaucratic incompetence that can’t be
less likely to transform their own thinking. In the interdisciplinary world the aim and
blamed on those elected. These are the ‘kafkaesque’ experiences
intent, say making a great place, is central. The only question then is how the expert
of people dealing with bureaucratic systems that seem to lack
discipline can help that goal.
empathy or sense. These often operate in areas where people
have the least power and are the most vulnerable, like social Great, intelligent rules and incentives focus on what you want to achieve and empower
services, benefits or immigration. you to get there. Too often a city has a vision and existing rules, often determined by a
higher authority. Existing departmental structures add on strategies and actions to an
existing sub-strata of rules, losing the intent of the vision.

30 31
The Creative Bureaucracy

The first step is to re-clarify a common intent, ambition for of local governance. Yet the trend is clear. City hall has to support
and picture of a place. The second is to ask ‘do the regulations citizens’ activities, with the community partially overtaking city
and laws help achieve the aims you want?’ The incentives and government.
regulations regime needs to adapt to get to where you want to
Old patterns of running organizations no longer work. They don’t
go. The third step is whether staff at all levels are empowered and
work for individual employees and they don’t achieve the results
have incentives to connect the dots between the vision, the policy,
they need. ‘Bossing’ people does not encourage them to give of
the resources between the internal potential and the outside
their best. The focus increasingly is how to uncover, unlock and
world. Too often they cannot or do not play this connector role.
unleash potential. This calls for a different organizational ethos,
The allure of the start-up different ideas of what leadership means and different behaviour
patterns.
Levels of frustration are growing as bureaucracies have more
highly educated employees than ever before. These employees are Equal relations with citizens
no longer content to be voiceless, to be infantilized or be treated
In the past restrictive attitudes were often etched into how codes Old patterns
as less intelligent or capable than they are. They are irritated that
were written. It led to an attitude that ‘everything is forbidden of running
people think only the outsiders have clarity and clever ideas. They
unless it is allowed’ rather than ‘everything is allowed unless it organizations
want to bring the sense of freedom and autonomy associated with
is forbidden’. It’s easier to say ‘no’ when regulations entwine at
start-up cultures to their day-to-day bureaucratic work. Public no longer work
cross-purposes. Risk averse interpretation can neutralise good
sector cultures which emphasise process, hierarchies or levels
intentions. There is less the courage to say ‘yes’.
are rife with internal competition and are so increasingly less
attractive to the most ambitious. If systems intend to manage and control messages, they won’t
cope. In the outside world citizens increasingly expect to be
Bureaucrats know there are other ways to work out there.
involved in decisions that matter to them. They expect to have
Their experiences in social networks and passion driven activities
a say in creating services. They expect direct connections with
are more informal and adaptive. There they contribute within
decision makers. Bureaucrats and citizens see things changing
a community of equals. Technology helps create the exchange
rapidly. They do not want to be passive observers. Social media has
platforms that drive the necessary sharing. And the web 3.0, based
changed the communications landscape. Everyone is ‘constantly
on a world of sensorized objects, with its immersive, ever-present
online’. They expect all forms of government to be transparent,
interactive capabilities and use of artificial intelligence, is set to
responsive, accountable and good humoured.
change communication even more dramatically.
Bureaucrats, who are also citizens, have the same expectations
Younger Bureaucracies need to help people feel this sense of freedom. The
of the internal life of their bureaucracy. The trend is clear. Not
bureaucrats regularity, reliability and accountability of the bureaucratic form
everyone will want to be active or seen as shapers, makers and co-
take the new needs to meet the ‘fleet of foot’ of the digitally enabled world.
creators of their evolving environment. Many still shy away from
They need to become empathetic environments that trigger a
forms of participation and simply want things to work for them. But this
positive psychological response to bring the best out in people.
communicating should be their choice, not something imposed from above.
Many new ways of running the public sector exist. Numerous
for granted examples are highlighted by the European Capital of Innovation — An era of shrinking resources
iCapital — award24 which is described below.
These movements are happening in an era of shrinking resources.
Younger bureaucrats take the new forms of communicating for Demands will continue to grow. Take health as an example. More
granted. They imagine services that return responsibility back to provision can create more needs. Paradoxically, new resources
the individual. Critics and die-hards instantly label this as wanting may not meet demand, they stimulate it. Two approaches can
to dismantle the welfare society. This is leading to a major upheaval address this. Get people to do things themselves or foster
32 33
The Creative Bureaucracy

prevention. Technology is heading in this direction with gadgets

that allow people to monitor their own health. But the system will
need to change. Add to this an ageing population and the likely
surge in demand for social services or mental care. Social health
and mental care are connected and co-locating services, pooling
funds and sharing costs across boundaries are obvious solutions.
This is difficult to do, as cities like Helsinki have found out.

Blending the differing health and social service cultures is

immensely difficult, but increasingly needs to happen. The health
care culture is more immediate, emergency driven and faster
whereas social care focuses more on the longer term in working
with clients. Technology will help, such as automating processes,
but will only be part of the answer. Most importantly, shrinking
resources, pay restraints and low status and esteem can create
a downward spiral which makes attracting and retaining good
people difficult.

The period for Incremental adjustments will fail to cope. There is a need to think
incremental afresh, to experiment, to create new alliances and to combine
adjustment ideas in new ways, to create new avenues for gaining revenue
and resources. Governments, local and national, need to make an
is past…more
imaginative leap.
dramatic The Dutch MVRDV project to create
a liveable community in Taipei
The emerging operating environment offers many more
change is
possibilities, but is impatient with or intolerant of nonsense rules.
required Organizations are people and the quality of their thinking shapes
‘Nonsense rules’ are the ways bureaucracies continue to regulate
the culture, rules and operating system. Any organization, public,
the working lives of their employees in trivial ways. It’s the locked
private or community driven, should aim to be the best it can be
stationery cupboard in serious health and welfare organizations.
to fulfil its intentions and ambitions. This involves harnessing the
It’s the hazard signs advising not to eat photocopy toner or
collective imagination, intelligence and capacities of those who
advising caution in walking around corridors. It’s rules that
prevent people exercising common sense, or taking normal risks.
work in them as well as able outsiders and partners — in short … a 21st
people and knowledge. This is their primary capital. Other assets: century form …
The emerging environment is potentially more radical. It sees being money, technology and physical things provide the back-up. engaged, open,
trustful as key and connectedness as a driver of strategy making
and as a means of adding value to projects and programmes.
This is the context for the creative bureaucracy. The shifting equal, and
landscape where committed and active bureaucrats at all levels imaginative
Acting with foresight and agility of the organization work from their strengths. A capacity to
innovate, exercise foresight and offer frank and fearless advice.
At the same time governments and bureaucracies are being called
Bureaucracies in a 21st century form — engaged, open, equal and
upon to think with foresight. To imagine how convoluted trends
imaginative. So how can the bureaucracy begin to shape this
and countertrends may play out. This requires strategically agile,
destiny?
talented people.

34 35
 THE 'LIVED EXPERIENCE':
GOOD & BAD
The Critique
Conversations with bureaucrats in a dozen countries, perhaps 500
in all, at different levels give a flavour of their lived experience.
We asked questions such as: How do you work at your best? What
is blocking you to perform better? Describe the physical and
cultural environment you would like and what needs to be done for
you to be more fulfilled at work? They identified several reasons
why bureaucracies are failing to inspire their people, reflecting
many resentments.

Bureaucrats are committed to the tasks, they are essentially

ready to be turned on and activated, excited by the possibilities
and get glimpses of it. Given the freedom to talk, interviewees
tended to focus on the negative. This is why in the section that
immediately follows we summarize, by contrast, many examples
of inventive bureaucracies and the people who work within them
and how some bureaucrats have been able to make their mark.
Seen positively the negative helpfully sets an agenda for the
issues to be tackled. It also helps us to better appreciate the good
examples of the public bureaucracy that are being achieved:

• Bureaucrats are not publicly credited for their ideas but their
mistakes may be ruinous for them. The nature of government
makes it hard for individuals to point to initiatives and to claim
credit. In the world outside giving credit is more transparent.

• Policy initiatives associated with former leaders, governments

or administrations, and which current employees helped create,
are often abandoned whether or not they were effective.

• The currency of internal power is influence so there is

an obsessive internal competition for influence or resources
accompanied by an obsession with secrecy

• A fear of getting things wrong makes people reluctant to

broach topics in case leaders react badly. Failure is insufficiently
Bahrain, the accepted. This constrains people as assumptions are made over
desire for what can be explored, discussed and done.
openness spills
out everywhere 37
The Creative Bureaucracy

• The ‘not my job’ syndrome is exacerbated when people feel The culture then becomes one of loyalty to the chief executive.
they have little control. People become inward looking and take a
• Consultants and academics are increasingly used for policy
limited view of their jobs so failing to see the bigger picture or fail
advice and programme evaluation. This means that people interested
to develop the larger potential of projects because overly narrow
in ‘ideas’ related work in government are more likely to have the
thinking has become the norm.
opportunity to work on ideas from outside the administration.
• ‘Reform fatigue’ and exhaustion with change programmes that
• Managers and senior staff had considerable leeway over their
paper over important issues, do not deal with bad managers or
allocated budgets in line with their formal delegated powers.
ineffective workers, and often parachute others in to senior roles.
Today there is intense scrutiny over even the smallest expenditures
• A ‘culture of busyness’ leads people to equate being reducing the real authority associated with their senior roles.
overscheduled with being important.
• In many countries the public service is dominated by people
• There is always a pressure, but it is less a question of how you with a legal background, who create a rigid culture that constrains
generate urgency, but how you get rid of immediacy. possibilities.

... some • The power of connecting and partnering with other departments, • A certain tolerance of mavericks and eccentrics in the system was
problems feel teams or organizations is rising in importance even though it is still more evident in the past. These people may not have conformed but
intractable insufficiently valued, supported or understood. were often brilliant and valued for specialised knowledge or skills.
They helped create a diversity of thought within the bureaucracy
and a string • Procurement is thoughtlessly done mostly and on a lowest
that made it relevant and imaginative. Yet cost cutting and more
of negatives cost basis – reducing the potential for innovation and potential
conformist attitudes do not let mavericks survive.
need to be spill-over benefits for local or small firms.
• The bureaucracy is opaque by its nature and seeks to avoid
addressed • Poor performers are not dealt with given the difficulty, even
external scrutiny. This culture has persisted.
inability, to dismiss people or to allow for or manage conflict.
Reform fatigue was identified in the interviews and surveys as ‘Shuffling the
• People get stuck. The system should offer many opportunities
perhaps the major issue facing public administrators. Long-term pack’ and not
yet formal employment processes make it hard for individuals to
employees may have experienced more than 10 major change addressing
experiment with different roles and types of work. Some relish the
programmes both in national or local government and within the
idea of freelancing in government, working on projects, being in deeper issues
internal organization. People become cynical and a ‘we’ve been
fluid team arrangements or working part time. leads to reform
here before mentality’ easily emerges.
• Historically the senior management team would be appointed fatigue
Their frustration is not just that each new programme is sold
from within the system. People would work their way up. Now it
as transformational, but it comes with implicit criticism of their
is just as likely they will be appointed from outside or parachuted
performance. Crucially, it is also that most fail to deliver substantial
in to senior roles from the offices of ministers, senior consultants
change beyond a changing of the guard and new organizational
or private business. Those often intend to work only short term. So
titles.
loyalty to an organization and deep knowledge of the bureaucracy
can count against individual progress. Yet old stagers are also Like the ‘Gartner Hype Cycle’25 people start with inflated
people who could, if conditions are right, challenge the system expectations of what they can achieve. As they start to take
and question choices made. action, others modify what they are allowed to do. They realise
their goals won’t be achieved. They sink into the ‘trough of
• Continuity of government was valued — once. Today when a
disillusionment’ — some become depressed, others leave. Those
new government or council is elected they often replace the chief
that carry on achieve the ‘plateau of productivity’, accept the
executive who then reconstitutes senior management teams.
limitations and stay there.
38 39
 of Bill Bruce in Calgary. Others take on the system – introducing
programmes that oblige people to work together in new ways,
to tackle entrenched ways of thinking and to translate these
approaches into on the ground action. This is exemplified by the
work of Erma Ranieri in Adelaide.

Along the ways we can see new patterns to pushing and pulling
change — inspired in some areas by impulses coming from outside
government. Bureaucracies can’t help but respond to the energy
of entrepreneurialism; the disruptions offered by digital innovation;
the passion and commitment of civic projects to do things for
themselves and the ways the city can act as a platform for
experimentation.

There are no other options. The grand challenges cities face will
only be met if bureaucracies disrupt their own ways of working,
give over control and work with people in business and the
community as equal partners.
Making it happen in Taipei: Jair Lin, a creative
bureaucrat former head of the Urban Regeneration Systematic innovations are being incentivised by many new city
Office and Margaret Shiu, a great connector
based competitions. We describe one here — the European Capital Cities are
of Innovation — where Charles has been the chair. Cities are inviting inviting
Sir Cary Cooper co-author of ‘High Engagement Work Culture: Balancing WE and ME’ ‘unconventional’ thinking into the heart of administrations. Here ‘unconventional’
notes: ‘… the stresses we face in the workplace are generally no longer physical, they are we explore the role of Gabriella Gomez-Mont, an artist/film maker
thinking
other people… The line manager for all of us is absolutely fundamental to our wellbeing… now city innovator in Laboratorio para de la Cuidad in Mexico City.
into their
the problem is that we recruited people... not on the basis of their social and interpersonal One way for cities to start is allowing temporary disruptions —
skills but on the long hours they worked, and their perceived effect on the bottom line,
administrations
through techniques such as ‘tactical urbanism’. Here bureaucrats
or whatever.’ and citizens are invited to experiment, shock, inspire, engage in
The way we manage our employees has not kept pace with the changing nature of new ways. It builds the muscle for creativity- the consequences
workplaces, growing competition and the changing attitudes of people at work. This are rarely catastrophic.
mismatch is unsustainable. While she is no longer working for the city, Helsinki invited and
accepted the ideas of a then 24-year old to radically change
The inspiration
the transport system with a focus on ‘mobility as a service’.
Despite the obstacles felt by individuals within the bureaucracy, there are positive As the urgency of climate change becomes more apparent,
examples of bureaucratic change. Many of these are led by individuals who finally find and alternative transport options more available, transport is
themselves in a position to lead, influence and change systems. And, importantly, who becoming a creative sphere where the city can act as a platform
have either the ‘permission’ to act or can operate sufficiently under the radar to lead for ideas.
changes.
What is clear is that for cities to innovate they need the talents
In some cases a bureaucratic team has an enlightened idea that is replicable and spreads of creative bureaucrats prepared to experiment (and risk their
like wildfire, like participatory budgeting invented by Porto Alegre. We then forget it was careers) in pursuit of systematic changes.
very creative as it is assimilated. In other cases they exercise their influence within a
domain — challenging rules and accepted practices. This is exemplified below by the story
40 41
The Creative Bureaucracy

The Emscher Park IBA

The challenge for cities is that imaginative bureaucrats
must deal with existing conditions to implement their
vision. Emscher Park an emblematic project in the Ruhr
developed in the 1990s is worth highlighting as a pioneer.
It reimagined the potential of the vast industrial region. It
was a project of the Internationale Bauaustellung (IBA). The
IBA is a German government initiative that identifies areas
in need of transformation and provides these with long
term resources to make change. The Emscher Park was
led by Karl Ganser a former senior civil servant who was
able to iterate around what he called ‘incrementalism with
perspective’. Driven by a strong ethos to combine cultural
renewal projects, social change and environmentalism
he could orchestrate and combine isolated decentralised
projects so that they could become part of a coherent
whole. But his success relied on the IBA being an arm’s
length organization — 'part of, but not part of the public
structures' and so able to 'decrust the old system' as
'institutional immobilism' was seen as the block.

The IBA was not an agency nor a plan in the traditional

sense. It had a perspective on development and played Can we change the
rules? Visitor looking at
an advisory role with local projects. It had no money, nor Alex Buldakow’s work at
competences in law. It had no direct power, only leverage Frieze, London
given by the ministry as it accredited projects that more Participatory budgeting27
or less guaranteed resourcing from regional government
or the European Union. It also helped bundle resources We forget how some bureaucratic innovations with strong
and acted as a branding device and quality benchmark for impact have become mainstream yet were once very creative.
projects with its logo. This gave it prestige and status. One such is participatory budgeting. This refers to how citizens
It kept out of local politics that some later criticized as and local officials come together to work out a list of priorities
when the 10 year project finished they felt it was not deeply to direct public funding, which the larger community then votes
enough embedded. By this means an attempt was made to on. Porto Alegre in Brazil invented the concept in 1989 (as it
take the IBA above and out of politics. Ganser and his team did the World Social Forum in 2001) as it wanted to encourage ... some
could be creative bureaucrats without needing to pull along popular participation in governance and redirect resources to the innovations
a bureaucracy or many of its political leaders. This enabled
poor. Since then there have been 1500 examples across the five can catch on
his team to experiment, such as with housing formats and
continents and it is promoted by the European Union, the World
the deadline for the overall project created momentum. The like wild fire
IBA stated there are no ideals but only project models and Bank and the United Nations even though it is not yet common
saw itself as a dispersed experimentation zone based on a practice. The first African examples came out of the Yaounde
series of learning projects. The IBA’s core mechanism was meeting in 2003; various European ones emerged in Italy and
to mobilize expectations through the propaganda of a the Spain in the early to mid-2000s; in North America first in Toronto
good creative example.26 in 2001 and in the States in Chicago in 2009 with others following
in China and elsewhere in Asia at the same time.

42 43
The Creative Bureaucracy

This is aligned to the idea of ‘civic creativity’. City systems, people,

The advantage is that individuals and communities feel empowered, listened to and
place, the private and public realms are interconnected. Together
engaged. They share the understanding of the difficulties of making choices between
they can create interactive, innovative ecosystems. Over 120
equally important projects. The shared responsibility results in greater trust as they
cities have participated in the competition to date, including the
take decisions together and have an idea of the priorities, choices and consequences.
very large, such Paris, Berlin, Barcelona and Amsterdam; mid-
When cities are faced with cuts this is important.
sized cities such as Torino, Grenoble to smaller cities such as
Examples of projects voted through are extensive and very diverse. Paris, one of the Groningen or Modena.
biggest schemes, has allocated more than €20 million per annum until 2020 (5% of the
We describe some of the ideas developed by the winners and
city budget). Top voted initiatives include walled gardens, urban renewal projects, co-
runners up in the competition. They demonstrate that cities can
working for students and young entrepreneurs, improved waste sorting, school gardens,
be laboratories for experimentation so unleashing new types of
composting and recycling initiatives, and more. Seoul now puts $50 million annually into
energy and engagement. Their experiences also help us understand
projects voted on by members of the Participatory Budget Council comprising people
the impediments to change.
from school children to elders. In 2013, the top-voted projects included expanding the
facilities for people with disabilities at a local sports centre; creating community projects Two core issues emerged from all finalists. First, the biggest
to stop bullying and school violence; installing gas safety valves in homes of the low- obstacle to change was their own municipal institutions and the
income retirees living alone; and creating a community restaurant that makes dishes with need to overcome the silo mentality. Second, they stressed the
bean sprouts grown in senior centres. Toronto’s scheme allocates funds, ranging from difficulties in achieving real collaboration, connectivity between
$5 million to $9 million, to community housing residents who have voted on community the various players in order to benefit from networking29.
gardens, safety upgrades, entryway improvements and building playgrounds.
It takes more than just a good idea to win, intent was not enough. ... the biggest
Competitions trigger ambition: The European Capital of Innovation28 Cities have to show concrete results of their projects as well as obstacles were
a track record of innovation. Most importantly, they needed to their municipal
How do you begin to change government and city systems? One way is through
demonstrate an interconnected innovation eco-system approach.
competitions. The competition for the European Capital of Innovation is helping to institutions
This means involving citizens, universities, the public and private
shape city innovation systems across sectors, ways of thinking, design and imagination.
sectors. A number of themes emerge:
Impulses for change can come from multiple directions. It’s essential to solve problems
with citizens in imaginative ways. Cities engage with SMEs and help them test and • Open data applications — such as crowd-sourcing ideas find and
experiment in real settings, and by so doing build a reputation needed for commercial fund solutions to urban problems ranging from crime prevention,
success. Our direct involvement has given us insight into how the public administrations to energy saving, to dealing with traffic problems. This is now
of European cities are exercising imagination and foresight. becoming mainstream.

The criteria used in 2017 are: • Addressing the energy transition using incentives and
regulations in imaginative ways. The goal being to change faster
• Experimenting with innovative concepts, processes, tools, and governance models as
than mandated reduction targets.
prototypes.
• Reconceptualising complete systems — for example citizens
• Engaging citizens in the innovation process and ensuring the uptake of their ideas.
aided by technology to manage and maintain their own health.
• Expanding the city's attractiveness to become a role model for other cities. Health is personalised, the user is in control of when and how they
access systems.
• Empowering the local ecosystem through the implementation of innovative practices.
• ‘Living labs’ that act as models for changing city systems. These
typically combine incentives to develop the creative economy,
eco-city thinking, new forms of mobility and co-creation.

44 45
The Creative Bureaucracy

• Inviting SMEs to use the city as a test bed for innovations to help solve urban problems. horizontal partnerships, trying to be lean (as they say: ‘no rigidity in the procedures, to
Companies can then prototype inventions and use the city brand as a marketing tool. support the fluid and risk taking process of innovation’). They say in the context of Italy
this is creative.
Barcelona won the first award in 2014 for introducing ‘new technologies to bring the city
closer to citizens’ emphasizing ‘technology for people’. For instance, teaching the elderly Rules & social capital
to use smart phones to communicate with their doctors. An unintended consequence was
Rules can build social capital as Bill Bruce Calgary’s director of By-Laws known as ‘By-law
many were able to communicate with their grandchildren in new ways. Most applications
Bill’ showed. Internationally known he retired in 2012 and he was a masterful creative
were co-created with citizen groups and business. Crucially the city had a focus on
bureaucrat whom Charles met in 2006. He is an inspiration and he worked with the city for
sharing results.
32 years and his vision was to work on solutions rather than heavy-handed enforcement,
Amsterdam argued that the fight against floods since the 16th century has forced the since as he notes: 'If I enforced every law, provincial and city, I'd have every citizen in
city to collaborate, but its 21st century version embraces openness, pragmatism and court for something, including you and me.' His ethos is embodied in the community
adaptiveness. It won the second award in 2016 for its holistic vision connecting four areas standards bylaw he helped to write.30 31
of urban life: governance, economics, social inclusion, and quality of life. Citizens use
One example was ensuring safety on the 650 kilometres of shared-use pathways jointly
technology to have new types of conversations and solve problems from fixing a broken
used by walkers, cyclists, skateboarders and roller-bladers, runners and dog walkers.
paving stone to a conscious orchestration of ‘serendipity’ through virtual and real ‘meeting
One rule is that all bicycles have to have a bell to alert other users. The penalty for
places’. The Pakhuis de Zwijger is an independent platform and place for inspiration and
failing to have one in 2006 was a $87.00 fine. Failing to pay had further consequences.
joint problem solving. The Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions is a
Historically, officers would patrol the pathway and stop cyclists without a bell and fine
well-funded living lab to develop and test complex metropolitan solutions – involving the
them. These interactions were unpleasant and stressful for both the officer and cyclist.
Amsterdam citizens as testers, users and co-creators.
After the confrontation the cyclist would ride away angry with their $87.00 ticket but still
Paris, a runner up, opened municipally-owned property (streets, gardens, buildings, with no bell on the bike — no compliance. Administering the fine cost the taxpayer $100
basements, schools) to experimental innovative solutions. Innovations were invited and more if the cyclist ended up in court. The simple solution was to revisit the original
through calls for proposals, around a theme, from all types of businesses. The premise is goal of compliance and to review options to achieve it. The city was able to buy 100 bells
that the sum of collective intelligence outside an organization is always greater than the wholesale at $1.00 per bell and 12 screwdrivers for each of the rangers.
knowledge within. By opening out and exchanging information, this collective intelligence
Officers were given bells and a screwdriver with the instruction to continue to enforce
can be channelled.
the regulation but to do it differently. During the dialogue with ‘offenders’, the officer
Groningen, a runner up, created tools and processes to develop a user-centred smart covers the reasons why the bell is needed and the penalty for noncompliance. He then
energy ecosystem. Called the ‘smart energy citizen’ the aim is to shift the power in says they are lucky as he has a bell and a screw driver and if the cyclist is willing to install
energy markets from large energy providers to groups of citizens. It used imaginative it now, the officer will not give them a ticket. During the installation time, the officer
communications to foster behaviour change such as heat maps for the whole city to show takes advantage to continue the positive dialogue and educate the cyclist on other safety
where and how much energy is used. related regulations. At the end of this five- to ten-minute encounter, the cyclist rides away
Espoo, part of the Helsinki city region and a finalist, established a strategic partnership in compliance, educated and in a positive mood as they have been given a gift. The officer
uniting science, business and artistic creativity. The location of Nokia and major game returns to duty after a constructive, unstressful encounter. The prime goal of compliance
companies Rovio (Angry Birds) and Supercell (The Clash of Clans) unites these elements. is achieved. To date, no one has declined to accept the bell and take the ticket option. This
Aalto University is a unique merger of an art and design university with one focusing on approach is far cheaper. Crucially with financial capital, the more you use it the less you
science and technology and a business school. have; with social capital the more you use it the more it achieves.

Torino faces a dramatic transition from an industrial city to a centre of innovation and
culture. It was essentially a Fiat city with nearly 100,000 workers 40 years ago. Now
there are only a few thousand. It is rethinking connections — developing trust through

46 47
The Creative Bureaucracy

Innovating against the grain The dominant mindset that shapes how public organizations in
the Spanish context (and in Germany and Italy too) operate is
The Creative Administration in Bizkaia project explored how the
the ‘culture of the lawyer’. This thinking might not help achieve
innovation department of the Bilbao region was itself innovative.
innovation objectives, or foster emotional intelligence, where
Undertaken by Charles it was commissioned by the Bizkaia
staff may require a different skillset. The ‘culture of the lawyer’
Economic Promotion Department (BEPD) and Bilbao Metropoli 30
is so strong that departments, such as tax, public works or public
in 2010. It was a courageous move to allow an outsider in. Not
administration have stronger status in comparison to economic
many cities are willing to undertake such a self-reflection itself a
development. BEPD procedures then reflected the requirements
creative act. The department had 150 people including its related
of the public administration ‘law’ rather than what might be right
delivery agencies and people were interviewed from the top, level
for BEPD’s needs.
one, to level seven the secretarial staff.
This prescribes how things are to be done in far too much detail,
National laws The Bilbao region is known for its innovative and emblematic urban
such as the level of checking to write out a cheque. Called the
can limit the regeneration initiatives and talent attraction strategies. At the
‘endless procedure’ it can apparently take up to a dozen checks to
scope to act so same time its bureaucratic system is governed and hampered by
expedite some cheques. These laws require people to make extra
the national Spanish ‘administration law.’ This limits the scope to
making cities efforts to work around constraints often wasting energy. The legal
act. The lesson we highlight here is how a bigger system constrains
seem inflexible potential. This law reflected its time and context and handcuffs
culture makes it difficult to test these laws or to review them.
In that context the central question is what aspects of BEPD’s
organizational development in tune with today’s situation. It
organizational culture are system driven and which are to do with
enforces rigidity in terms of procedures, employment flexibility
people and their operating styles. It is both, they are inextricably
and recruitment practices. For instance, it seemed impossible to
interwoven.
substitute an existing underperforming worker with a very good,
young unemployed person. The setting described shapes the organizational culture. Many ... long-winded,
members of staff had a long organizational history and they complex
This is significant because BEPD’s principle role is to foster
carried an institutional memory stretching back 25 years. Over procedures can
innovation and company development and to attend to the
this period the leadership changed a number of times. In the
strategic orchestration of the creativity agenda itself, which drain the spirit
periods when staff felt involved and included, interviewees said,
implies displaying some of the creativity it is seeking to foster. But
it increased their motivation, work rate and effectiveness. They
internally BEPD had to operate in relatively traditional ways even
felt listened to and valued as staff satisfaction surveys were acted
though it knows that leaders, managers and staff need to model
upon.
the intent of the organization by being switched on, flexible,
experimental. This they could not be then. An informal poll suggested that in the good periods, people
worked to 80%+ of their potential capacity and in less good
The way entrance exams for public service work means a legal
periods down to 60% or even less. Here they stressed they put
mind and knowledge is privileged. Consequently proportionately
energy into their private life and as someone at level six noted
more lawyers are in the service than one would expect. Additionally
‘they don’t pay me to think’. It encapsulates how important an
the exam system and the public administration law determine the
inclusive work environment is.
status and position of employees entering public service. This can
hamper developing the talent pool by creating a glass ceiling for Mobility as a service
some who in other circumstances would be promoted. Additionally
In 2014, the city of Helsinki announced that it planned to move
the system tends to dissuade precisely those it needs to to attract
to a system now known as ‘mobility as a service’. Its effect would
such as younger people more adept with communication tools.
be to provide a seamless public transport service based around

48 49
The Creative Bureaucracy

peoples’ individual travel preferences rather than the needs of loss of 40% of jobs is predicted by 2025. 'How' concentrates the
the system. This apparently simple switch is a paradigm shift mind and makes the local and national government think what it
in public transport thinking. The aim is to combine all modes should be doing now.
of transport from public and private operators including public
The city commissioned a young woman to develop the idea and
buses, trams and trains and our cars and bikes.
allowed her to be its public face. In many places such work would
It changes the perception of transportation away from separate, have been commissioned from expensive consulting companies.
individual providers to a mobility-centric system. It works by It would have been branded with the name of the company.
leveraging the digital revolution and peoples’ mobiles to pay for Announcements would have been made by senior leaders. Any
kilometre-based mobility packages, rather than multiple tickets public servants involved in the project would have remained
for individual rides as well as acting as a virtual payment system. anonymous.

… services It combines regular timetabled services with the ability to Adelaide 90 day projects
like transport summon on-demand rides from a variety of public and private
After more than 25 years in the public sector Erma Ranieri was
or social services. This way bus routes and the activities of private
ready for big challenges when she was appointed to head up
operators become dynamic, because the consistent platform
services can the Public Sector Renewal programme in South Australia. She
enables multiple operators to offer a seamless service through
be completely one ticketing system. By getting people seamlessly from one
wanted to infuse positive energy into the system whilst taking
rethought on sector- wide problems. She felt that public servants could solve
point to another across transportation modes it would, in effect,
big problems if given the chance and the right structures, to do
eliminate the need for private car ownership. The aim is to get to
so. The response was the ‘90-Day Project’. These projects share a
a point where owning your own vehicle is unnecessary. Helsinki
number of important elements.
believes the system could be in place by 2025.
• Each 90-Day project is framed around a specific challenge.
Even now, in 2017, this is a radical proposal. What made it even
Each is sponsored by the State Premier and has Cabinet priority
more so was that the city commissioned the work from transport
– signalling its importance. Projects are selected with care, they
engineering student, Sonja Heikkila, then aged 24, who developed
matter.
the thinking through her Master’s thesis.

The then head of the city’s transport section supported the idea,
• The 90-day timeframe provides a sense of urgency and bureaucratic
a constraint. Projects can’t drag on — they have to come to a inventiveness
planned to invest in testing it, and promoted Heikkila as the
conclusion. is growing
author. She has received international attention for her work.
She imagined boldly what transport could be: 'A car is no • Public servants volunteer to participate. They are expected to think across the
longer a status symbol for young people' she said. On the other creativity, to take risks and to consult with users. It’s energising to world
hand young people are more adamant in demanding simple, be a part of a 90-day project.
flexible and inexpensive transportation. She pointed to the
• They combine people in new ways — across normal agency
telecommunications industry as an example of how services could
boundaries. People get to see the challenge from new perspectives,
be provided in a way that differs from the current model.
to understand the system context. More importantly they also see
This example is interesting for a number of reasons. It signals the user or citizen context.
that Helsinki is prepared to think afresh. This may have catalytic
• A key ambition is for the public sector to act as ‘one government’.
spillover effects, such as assessing the effect of driverless
All the projects involve collaboration across agency boundaries.
vehicles. It gets people to think how this might signal a radical
They also engage the users of services – citizens.
transformation for cities. It gets people to think about the impact
of robots on employment or on systems like health care where a

50 51
The Creative Bureaucracy

Ultimately the aim is to transform the system itself, in positive ways that build the Woensel West & Trudo
confidence of bureaucrats, political leaders and citizens.
A similar inspirational semi-public initiative is Woensel West. It is an extension of the
Projects have ranged from health, industry development, environmental improvements, Strijp-S renewal project in the old Phillips areas in Eindhoven into housing, mixed use and
police operations, transport development and beyond. incubation centres by a social housing company Trudo. The neighbourhood had received
special 'urban renewal status' whose goal was to end 'deprivation' with extra budgets to
An initial 90 Day project brought community service organizations together with
renovate houses, improve public space and to organize social activities. It failed partly
government agencies to understand how to align efforts and improve impact. This has
because of the decline of Philips, secondly many people leaving psychiatric institutions
led to new cross agency working arrangements and to providers working together to
were housed in the district.
achieve ‘collective impact’.
Trudo was convinced traditional policies would not work. They needed a dramatic game
Another project focused on creating a ‘State of Well Being’32 based on the work of
changer as the local school had to be closed down because of heroin trading. In spite of
renowned positive psychologist, Martin Seligman. This has led to an ongoing programme
threats it started with security and, in collaboration with the police, they dealt with drugs
for community resilience and well-being. There have also been projects to improve
and prostitution. The clever solution was a scheme whereby students give their time
experiences of the health system for patients. Another took on how to make the private
freely to help the underprivileged in exchange for cheap rents. This immensely successful
rental market fairer in South Australia. A further project quickly brought the fragmented
project has transformed a failing school to one of the best in the province.
music industry together to better support artists so that they could create a more vibrant
music scene. It stimulates connections and innovation — between digital and music and Challenge as opportunity
the potential benefits of music in other sectors. Erma is now the Commissioner for Public
Bergen hosted the Road Cycling World Championships one of cycling greatest events over
Employment, still with responsibility for public sector renewal and 90 day Projects.
nine days in September 2017 and wanted to engage citizens and create a spectacular. It
Living labs & urban laboratories attracted several hundred thousand spectators. It was broadcast to 300 million viewers
world-wide.
The Living Lab Movement is an important development and there are several hundred
across the world. Here users shape innovation in their own real-life environments, whereas How then to maintain vital functions like safety, health care, electricity and to ensure
in traditional innovation networks the insights of users are captured and interpreted by infrastructure with large areas of the city isolated. Add the higher risks and need for
experts. Many initiatives focus on social innovations and look at issues from the street security. The biggest problem was coordinating the 31 agencies in charge of critical
upwards. Belgium, the Netherlands and Finland are leaders in Europe in using Labs to harvest services ranging from private companies to public agencies belonging to the city, region
creativity. Flanders and Brussels have co-created funds to develop public innovations or state.
adapted to projects coming out of Labs. This has meant taking away or changing rules.33 Their answer was the Interagency Cooperation Center, not an operation center but a
Mexico City’s Laboratorio para la Ciudad34 founded in 2013 and launched by Gabriella cluster of intertwined agencies vital to the city’s everyday functioning and crisis
Gomez Mont is exceptional. It is an experimental think and do tank for the city government. management. The differing organizations kept their respective chains-of-command.
Politically courageous, it employs a multidisciplinary team of 22 people, including political The ICC’s main tasks are: real-time monitoring, gathering and sharing information, ensuring
scientists, artists, planners, anthropologists, photographers and lawyers. Their views are good communication and coordination, mapping resources, clarifying and recommending
fresh and they engage under-represented communities across the city and make calls to common guidelines. The results were astonishing. Interagency cooperation resolved
gather ideas or to solve problems for example by developing apps. One crowd sourced a problems in minutes, that normally would take hours or days. Crucially incidents were
route map for the myriad official and semi-official minibuses that crisscross the city. They solved before they became large and expensive. Resolving incidents when still small
also acted as a negotiator to solve the escalating Uber versus traditional taxi conflict meant there was no need to involve higher level decision-makers.
that resulted in an agreed new levy to help the transport system. A strong focus has
been on creating public play areas for the nearly five million children in the city, whose A similar collaborative process happened when Helsinki won the Eurovision contest in
needs are largely neglected. In addition their community visioning work is helping the city 2006 with the heavy metal band Lordi. As host for the 2007 competition with widespread
administration reorient its services. Naturally working with and against the bureaucracy celebrations in the city the administration developed a joint action committee rather like
in imaginative ways is challenging. Bergen and it was equally effective. These are good examples of crises, yet a negative one
can also at times have a positive outcome.
52 53
 THE BUREAUCRATIC DYNAMIC
Light is breaking out in many areas. But risk aversion trumps imaginative
thinking — mostly. Governments and public administrations are falling
behind as they retreat to the tried and true.
Crisis, of course, is not always joyful. When disasters happen it
often triggers a rethinking of procedures that then become
mainstream. Many operate as if the future will be much like the
past. That change will be steady and incremental. They have not
yet viscerally imagined how the systems or the cultures of today
will suit a future where a predict and provide model won’t work.

Most are not capable of radical rethinking and farsighted strategy.

Many‘… respond to the most disruptive changes by accelerating
the activities that succeeded in the past’.35 This idea of ‘active
inertia’ by academic, Donald Sull, describes this state of doing
more of the same because it worked in the past. Kodak is one of
the best known examples from the private sector.

The alternative is to get more comfortable with uncertainty.

To anticipate and prepare for opportunities and threats
which cannot be ‘controlled’. But the idea that you have the
power and authority to direct the world is hard to let go of. This
is understandable. Citizens want answers and precise plans.
So bureaucracies and political leaders act as though they can and
will deliver solutions. And they turn to things they did in the past,
rather than embrace the opportunities of the future.

‘The very DNA of bureaucratic organization is resistant to

innovation’ suggests Christian Bason formerly of Mindlab, a Danish
organization promoting bureaucratic innovation. Bureaucracies
work at several levels and collectively constrain the possibilities
to be innovative. Eight are highlighted:

A default position to control rather than engage. Those at lower

levels can have little autonomy to interpret or tailor rules and
procedures to individual circumstances. This, in turn, detaches
the administration from the people it serves as well as with others
in the bureaucracy. It can make the organization seem faceless.

Bahrain: Light is
breaking out in
the bureaucracy 55
 Budgets rigidly controlled and fully allocated: It can be hard to
reallocate funding from one portfolio area to another. Increased
scrutiny of expenditure makes organizations and bureaucrats
fearful. Control of a budget represents power. The incentive is to
accrue and control – not share or collaborate, adjust thinking or
recognise a priority elsewhere.

The system is also to blame. Enlightened administrators may

want to leverage resources by combining with others. Yet once
allocated, say to a transport project, it is nigh impossible to shift
that to urban design or an activity programme. Or the rules favour
expensive capital projects when modest revenue projects are
needed.

Ideas come from senior levels: Major ideas or policy generation Good ideas
happens in the power play between politicians and senior staff. can come
This misses the potential of learning from the many people from many
in middle and lower levels or from citizens, the community or
directions
business. They may understand better the nuances of how a
Krakow: Great forces project or programme could work.
pull officials in different
directions Ideas need many champions to go forward, but only one person
to stop them. The impulse is to critique, not to imagine or to take
Being purposefully impersonal: Individual bureaucrats are rarely acknowledged in public. a risk. Ideas ahead of their time, that require collaboration across
They can’t take credit for authoring policies, articles, books or innovations. Invisibility agencies, or which are not already supported higher up the line
can make the organization an easier target. Once you see the person behind the work are easier to dismiss.
attitudes can shift and soften. More context can help people understand the difficult
Intrapreneurship is a version of ideas generation – the act of
choices an administrator needs to make. Bureaucrats need credit and acknowledgement
behaving like an entrepreneur while working within a large
too.
organization. It is crucial if bureaucracies want to stay alive. Most
Segregating functions: Our world is increasingly connected but our work programmes famously Art Frey, a mid-level employee at 3M invented the Post-
are not. A great organization integrates specialist, generalist and cross-cutting It note as he recognised that an adhesive invented internally that
knowledge. It values diverse thinking. It needs those who can grasp the essence of issues, wasn’t completely rock solid could solve his everyday problem
those who think in abstract terms and those who have the emotional intelligence to bring of bookmarks falling out of his reading book. Paul Buchheit at
the best out in people. This offers the greatest potential for creating public value and Google created the initial template for Gmail. DreamWorks offer
even reducing costs. their employees free classes, from script development to pitching,
and encourage them to present the best in front of the company’s
An obvious illustration is health. People are healthier in walkable and compact cities.
executive team. Google's most famous management philosophy
Urban sprawl is associated with obesity, pollution and sedentary behaviour, resulting in
'20% time' is emblematic even though only about 10% of Googlers
massive drains on public expenditure. Despite the connections being well known, it is still
are free enough to use it.
difficult to create transport or urban programmes that prioritise citizen health.

56 57
The Creative Bureaucracy

Secrecy: In some public bureaucracies, including universities, individuals and teams Trust in local and regional government is far higher mostly because
are reluctant to share their ideas. Status, credibility and promotion can depend on – or they are closer to the citizen. A decline since 2008 is perceptible
resources can flow toward — those recognised as the creator of an idea that gains favour. but smaller. Taking Europe as a whole in Northern Europe trust is
Getting things wrong can have dire consequences. 66% a decline of 5%; in Central and Eastern Europe 38% down
by 3%, in Western Europe 56% down by 1% and Southern Europe
Consultants are widely used because they bring ideas to an organization, are not
down by 12% at 28%.42
protective of them and they may take risks. They can often 'cut through' in ways those
inside cannot. Inside, people that have ideas stand out and become a target – both good A 2015 survey of the US Federal Government found that only
and bad. 20% of the public believed that federal programmes were well
run. 59% thought the federal government was in need of major
Many bureaucracies have a default position that everything is confidential. It may
reform. Only 19% trusted the government 'always or most of
have plausible rationale but it can go too far. More and more things become guarded
the time'. Less than 50% ranked the government for handling
information, diaries and appointments, even internal physical access. This fosters
‘wicked issues’ like getting people out of poverty. With the Trump
paranoia. Local authorities are more transparent. Their open meetings make it necessary.
administration will these results remain the same?
Some bureaucracies are embracing radical transparency. Helsinki citizens can explore
the documents decision makers are using through the Ahjo case management system.36 Public bureaucracies face pressures internally, externally and Progressive
through perceptions of what they can achieve. Faced with organizations
Public procurement strategies shape local markets. They can help local companies and
such circumstances they respond by announcing a restructure, are engaging
start-ups gain access to global markets. They can encourage innovation. But they often
effectively shuffling the pack, instead of asking how the deeper
favour large, established global firms and tried and true methods. In the European Union their
nuances of the organization can shift. This distracts energy and
public procurement accounts for 14% of GDP and the European Commission notes: ‘The constituencies
consumes resources needed to respond to the change.
potential of public procurement to foster innovation remains vastly untapped.”37 This is
far more
not only to encourage innovations within firms, but also to trigger innovations within the Indeed there are many things that bureaucracies could and should
strongly
public sector itself. Crucially, since the sector structures the regulatory context in which be doing to build their capabilities and creative potential. And
innovation takes place, by being innovative itself, it will understand innovation better.38 in principle they know what this is. Thoughtful and progressive
organizations across public and private worlds know they need to
One reason for being conservative and focused on processes in procurement is to
engage, connect, experiment and grow their comfort around ideas
safeguard against nepotism and corruption. Another is to avoid criticism. There is also
and innovation. They need a radical transformation in culture
a belief that specifying all the requirements in detail up front avoids risks. But this also
towards openness. Bureaucracies need to build the energy and
limits innovation. The public sector usually knows less about what the market and citizen’s
warmth of their organizations that make them places safe for
groups could in principle, offer. New methods are being trialled by organizations such as
ideas and for people. Models of command and control do not bring
Citymart.40 This group seeks to transform the way cities solve problems. Their approach
out the best in people. Some find talk of organizational warmth
called ‘problem-based procurement’ tries to connect cities to new ideas through open
woolly and vague, but it may be the hidden ingredient that makes
challenges to entrepreneurs and citizens. It does this by packaging problems or tasks, the
places work.
terms of procurement, qualifications and evaluation criteria into a user-friendly, easy-
to-understand open challenge. This changes the method cities use for buying goods and It’s not hard to find good examples or to access the latest thinking
services. It uses the existing structure but brings in new actors so opening up possibilities from across the world, to learn from their practices or to test their
for not yet thought of solutions. impact. So why is it rarely done well by bureaucracies?

The trust issue: One of the major challenges for governments and their administrations
is that the public lacks confidence in them. An OECD report of 201741 suggests only 40%
trust their national government. Trust declined strongly since 2007 unsurprisingly in
Greece, Portugal and Spain where trust levels are around 20%, but has risen in Germany
to 60%.

58 59
 SELF-REALIZATION & WORK
Dramatic evidence suggests that creativity is the most sought after
attribute in successful organizations — private or public.
Since 2004 IBM has been undertaking biennial Global CEO studies
with the largest known sample of one-on-one CEO interviews,
with over 1,500 corporate heads and public sector leaders across
60 nations and 33 industries. They include related surveys with
3600 students from over 100 major universities around the world
whom they consider to be future leaders. CEOs were polled on
what drives them in managing their organizations today. Since the
studies started in 2004 ‘creativity’ and ‘adaptiveness’, ‘partnering
across boundaries’ have been consistent themes as part of IBM’s
central question ‘are you ready to face the unfolding world?' The
2010 study concludes that creativity (60%) is the most important
leadership quality for success, outweighing even integrity (52%)
and global thinking (38%). Another IBM study, specifically of
public sector leaders, ‘Capitalizing on Complexity’ states:

‘The world’s private and public sector leaders identify 'creativity'

as the single most important leadership competency for
enterprises seeking a path through complexity.’

The most important characteristic for CEOs, public and private

sector leaders agreed, is to embody creative leadership. Creative
leaders are comfortable with ambiguity and experimentation and
use it to capitalise on complexity.43

Public sector leaders agreed they needed to encourage openness,

and experimentation within their organizations. They rated the
need to get closer to citizens, their customers and co-create
services as one of the top priorities. They rated accessing insight
and intelligence even higher than private sector CEOs. They felt,
too, that they were a long way behind industry ‘standouts’.

The studies found that public sector leaders didn’t feel well
prepared to handle complexity and that this gap in capability was
London: Re- greater than that faced by CEOs in the private sector. In fact it was
making urban
infrastructure
the largest IBM had measured in the eight years they had been
involves a conducting this research.
multitude of
hazards and
choices 61
The Creative Bureaucracy

In addition they stress that: ‘the speed at which CEOs across means abandoning some orderliness and elements of structure.
the spectrum are opening the doors to enable collaboration Letting people be themselves, interestingly, seems to enable
is extraordinary’. A growing number of private sector CEOs, so people to be a part of something bigger than themselves or
IBM has found, believe customer influence should not be merely becoming and being their better selves.
confined to traditional activities, such as developing new products
Waitrose sees its edge in fostering sparks of creativity by
or services. Instead, increasingly CEOs believe they should
supporting people’s personal interests. If you want to learn piano,
stand ready to relinquish absolute control of what is typically
for instance, Waitrose will pay half the cost. A thought experiment:
considered their domain, namely developing business strategy.
Is there a way of co-owning the bureaucracy?
They see greater organizational openness ahead, but like public
administrations, private entities are worried how they can avoid Creativity stands in opposition to traditional bureaucratic
chaos and still deliver results as rules are refined and collaboration values — a formal hierarchy, defined classifications and authority
explodes. One of these is the civic explosion expressed, for instance, structures, micro management tendencies and a surfeit of rules.
by the Impact Hub network and movement with over 100 centres
It is not surprising that those rising through the system often Bureaucracies
across five continents and more than 15,000 members. These
do not bring the perspectives and dynamism needed for senior reduce talent
offers space, a community, and a global platform to support social
ranks, having not been able to explore and experiment previously. by training the
innovators. They are a combination of ‘an innovation lab, a business
So talented outsiders, with little invested in the way things are
incubator and a social enterprise community centre offering a brightest to
now, are brought in. They bring fresh perspectives, often on high
unique ecosystem of resources, inspiration, and collaboration
salaries. But their external ideas can fail to embed or be sustained conform
opportunities to grow positive impact’. Public bureaucracies cannot
over time. This can create internal tensions.
neglect them.
So here is a dilemma. The bureaucracy systematically reduces
... public and Most organizations find the concept of ‘creativity’ a difficult one.
the quality of its talent. It recruits many of the brightest. It
private sectors It, therefore, begs the question- how will the leaders of the future
trains them to conform. It creates rule followers. The more
need to develop their own creativity? It has to start with creativity being
independently minded leave. The public administration is without
valued generally across organizations.
respond to the the talent it needs to lead for the future. All individuals have an
rise of civic The former head of innovation at Nissan, Jerry Hirshberg , who inner impulse to express themselves, to create and to be seen. We
wrote The Creative Imperative calls the bureaucracy the ‘perfect all have to find ways to express this energy.
activism
idea killing machine’:
This is why the idea of ‘the side project’ in peoples’ lives has
'No-one… deliberately sets out to stifle creative thought. Yet, a become fashionable. There is an important distinction between
traditional bureaucratic structure, with its needs for predictability, a ‘side project’ and a hobby. The latter implies relaxing into and
linear logic, conformance to accepted norms, and the dictates of giving time to your personal interests. The former is about giving
the most recent 'long range' vision statement, is a nearly perfect the energy and commitment you would ideally want to express at
idea killing machine.’ work to an outside cause be it helping the homeless, being part
of a start-up, or a local area management committee. Yet our
There are exceptions and several private companies are leading
work in Bilbao and Adelaide and that of Adobe, IBM and Gallup
the way. Take Britain’s John Lewis/Waitrose, a major department
demonstrates that bureaucrats remain hopeful they will be
store and retailer. As a cooperative every employee is a co-
engaged, inspired, uplifted and challenged.
owner and shares in its success. So commitment and loyalty is
a given. Employees and managers alike understand that self- Adobe’s44 global benchmark study, of 5000 adults across the
determination is key. That means setting your own path and being world, explored attitudes and beliefs about creativity at work,
accountable for success and failure. Nurturing this individuality school and home. Over 80% agreed that ‘unlocking creative

62 63
The Creative Bureaucracy

potential is key to economic and societal growth’. Yet ‘less than

half describe themselves as creative’. Only one in four people feel
they are living up to their creative potential at work, especially
given the increasing pressure to be productive rather than
creative at work.

People spend only 25% of their time at work thinking ahead,

questioning the tried and tested, being imaginative, exploring new
ground, creating or solving problems or searching for potentials.
Whereas they spend 31% of their time being creative at home.
61% believe that the ability to be imaginative and creative defines
a person. 77% believe it enables them to make a difference in
their lives and 62% to the lives of others. 69% say they are willing
to share the fruits of their creativity. Over 80% believe we all
have the potential to create and that creativity begins with an
environment where people can explore and express ideas. Time,
money and self-doubt are seen as the biggest challenges to being
able to create.

A US survey of government workers found that while 86% felt

they could make a difference and 87% were proud to work in
government, only 31% strongly felt that they were valued and
Down an alley way in Adelaide
58% felt fully engaged with their job.45

A survey of Irish civil servants found that while 92% were confident
in their ability to do their job only 42% felt the job utilised their
full abilities and only 32% thought that new ideas were readily
accepted in their department.46 Only 19% thought that the public Reinventing a bureaucracy: The Adelaide pilot study
valued their work. Our own survey of government employees in
In 2014, along with colleague Richard Brecknock, we explored the concept of the creative
Adelaide and elsewhere confirms these findings.
bureaucracy with state and local government in Adelaide, Australia.

Adelaide has engaged with the idea of the creative city for many years. Charles was a
‘thinker in residence’ in Adelaide in 2003, itself a programme that exemplified creative
thinking. Margie worked for the Adelaide Capital City Committee with a focus on alignment
and collaboration between state and local government. The pilot was commissioned by
Erma Ranieri, the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment, who was responsible for
many reform programmes and who in a previous incarnation had instigated the successful
90 day project outlined above.

The study tested the idea of the creative bureaucracy with internal ‘change agents’ as
well as more broadly with public servants. It summarised the context for creativity for
government. It highlighted good examples from across the world. It explored how to better
mobilise talent within government, why it matters, and what was preventing the better use
of talent and what might spark it more successfully.

64 65
 made innovation very difficult; over sensitivity to politics and
the ‘reactions’ of politicians or media; obsessions with secrecy,
hoarding information and resources; excessive competition with
others in the organization or system; short termism and a ‘chop
and change’ approach to policy and initiatives.

For those who had worked for more than ten years the accumulation
of experiences could make them more pessimistic about what
was possible. But many also developed their own ‘philosophy’
about work which meant that they created their own projects or
adopted codes of behaviour that gave them a sense of control and
satisfaction. In doing this they were also likely to find others to
connect to in the organization with similar philosophies. Creativity
could be discouraged but it would find a way to be expressed for
many.

Our follow-up survey showed that 92% thought that creativity was
important or very important for the future of the state, the public
sector and for them as individuals. But only 51% thought there was
a high or very high potential for them to be creative at work.

For places like Adelaide, which is at the sharp end of the transition
from manufacturing to the knowledge or creative economy, it’s
important to mobilise all the resources you have to work with. These
Parking day Adelaide requires
many agencies to work together cities and regions need to be even more creative than other more
successful places if they are to create an identity in the context of
the ‘noise’ created by cities competing for attention. 86% of those
surveyed had high or very high agreement that SA and Adelaide
needed to be more creative than other places if it was to compete
There were more than 20 in-depth interviews with current and former public servants and globally.
workshops and discussions with a further group of around 80-100 people. These aimed to This is the heart of the paradox. Only organizations already with a
unearth the lived experience of working for local or state government. The conclusions of culture of creativity are likely to recognise its importance for the
the pilot report were then tested through a survey with 51 responses. work that they do. A culture of creativity within the bureaucracy is
The in depth interviews confirmed that people are highly committed to their work in public likely to create a ‘spillover ‘ effect that can help a city reimagine its
service and motivated by making a contribution to the community. Some felt that they had assets in imaginative ways. A creative city can’t just be an add-on
the authority and organizational support to develop their ideas and take them forward. to an unimaginative bureaucracy. It has to flow from an imaginative
Others felt very frustrated with the way their organization and the system worked. These bureaucracy.
people could often see the potential — how things could be — but the reality fell far short. If a city needs to be more creative than other cities to thrive, it
Their frustrations came from a number of directions. Broadly summarised they included needs a bureaucracy that is even more creative again, capable of
management that had little interest in their ideas; other employees within and outside experimenting around its own processes, leveraging its own talents
their organization that took a very narrow view of the public servant’s role and couldn’t and taking measured risks.
think more broadly about possibilities; incompetent or lazy employees that were
tolerated and not managed; systems that constrained potential with illogical rules that

66 67
 RE-ENCHANTING THE
BUREAUCRACY
Despite the problems explored here, bureaucracies and the people within
them manage to do great work. Some are even quietly heroic — taking
measured risks, prepared to deal with the consequences, trying to make
a contribution.
The ‘lived experience’ of bureaucrats is a mixed bag. Much talent
is wasted and human potential lost. Others create rich and
fulfilling careers and have great impact. But a narrowing of the
bureaucratic imagination has real consequences for cities, for
society and people.

The bureaucracy will not be shielded from the forces that will
automate the routine and repetitive. It will leave the sophisticated
and intellectually complex and bureaucrats will only be able
to address that effectively if they have been nurtured by an
environment that allows for freer thought and action. The public
sector is called on to shape the context for great transitions. It
also will be required to pick up the pieces where things go wrong.

This is why the culture in the bureaucracy matters. We make no

claim that public entities should be creative 24/7, but it is a default
position. So much is being demanded of them we need a renewed
willingness to listen to its possibilities.

The factors set out below express our sense of what needs to be
influenced. These areas are not easy to measure. But we can start
to shape questions that might provoke debate and spark new
conversations.

Becoming a better bureaucracy

Softening the system

The words ‘organization’ or ‘system’ feel cold, hard, rigid and

structured. In ‘cold’ environments people feel closed in. In ‘warm’
environments they are more active and able to thrive. For a ‘cold’
environment to ‘warm’ up it needs to spark human energy rather
than reduce it. So much is in the ‘texture’ of the organization. That
is why our focus is on softening the system.

Graffiti in Krakow 69
The Creative Bureaucracy

New times and contexts require different skills. In this less Warming the mood
deferential age, leaders can no longer be remote and exist at
Investing in people is also investing in the physical environment. Workplaces have
a distance. Nor can they be paternalistic, treating people like
personality. In one you feel human. In another you feel reduced.
children. Their task is to optimize intellectual resources and human
potential in pursuit of a mission. This needs emotional intelligence. Many public sector work environments are better than before, more airy, more open,
The dilemma is that emotional intelligence is a nuanced, subtle more congenial. But austerity and lack of resources has left others looking tired, in need
skill, and harder to teach than technical skills.47 of freshening up. In some buildings, deferential thinking is etched into the physical fabric,
such as long corridors with closed doors.
Public sector organizations have big missions. But they
often lack ‘warmth’. They distrust human nature. They see ‘hard’ The trend toward open plan spaces has, in many areas, shrunk the opportunity for privacy
controls as essential. Many are yet to see ‘employees’ as partners and quiet. Personal space is reducing. In some, fear around security has stripped desktops
in a mission. The tendency is to control and to limit. of personal content along with documents and files.

Great leaders are capable of dealing with this complexity and Office design has psychological impacts. The best help people feel at ease and
ambiguity. They deflect attention rather than demand it. Civic perform better. The worst shrink people in. The spirit or culture of a place is reflected
generosity relies on civility in everyday life, including at work. The in the scale, the location or setting and in the small details. Lighting, colour, texture,
relationship between bureaucrats and elected leaders is central materials, comfort — all matter. They trigger emotions. Natural wood can feel better than
to success but is continually negotiated and revised as people plastic; warm colours can be more relaxing than the shrill; transparency can feel better
and ‘regimes’ change. We need an equality of status between than being closed in.
bureaucrats and elected officials. The bigger mission needs to be
Some help you to be more organised, give more of yourself and communicate better. This
at the forefront.
needs a fine balance between social gathering places, the semi-private to the private.
... soft skills Mentors may be better than managers. Helping people think is People need quiet spaces for solo work or to switch off. They need spaces to work in a
are the most crucial. ‘Philosophical mentoring’ or counselling is a contemporary team and to break out. Too open and you lose focus, too closed can isolate you.
important movement in practical philosophy to aid clear thinking, has much
The best let in natural light. They have views, greenery, plants, space to stretch and not
potential and may grow in importance.
in making feel cramped. They reduce distraction and overload and exude more calmness than noise.
organizations A survey of over 300,000 leaders48 found that the qualities They allow people to personalize. An office is partly a home from home. A professional
leaders need are consistent whether one is managing one person atmosphere encourages focus. The office space creates a visual story of what the
effective
or a 1000. Of the top 15 qualities, nine are ‘soft’ skills, such as: organization is, where it is going and whether those working there are valued.
Building relationships, listening, establishing stretch goals,
The physical environment is rich with symbols. Bureaucrats are adept at reading subtle
communicating well and building morale. A humane environment
cues. It’s not just the physical design. It’s where people are located and the norms that
inspires people to take the initiative, to give more and to share.
govern behaviour. Teams located close to each other can start to form casual friendship
Mood is everything. The ‘atmosphere’ matters.
bonds. They collaborate more. Distance may make this harder.
The philosophy and the structures need to change. According
Some locations are closer to ‘power and influence’ than others. They help bureaucrats be
to the authors of ‘Creating the Best Workplace on Earth’ Rob
visible to decision makers. Others relegate them to hidden corners where they are rarely
Goffee and Gareth Jones49 the best workplaces are ‘unusual
noticed.
in their ownership arrangements and ambitions. Many are
partnerships, mutual associations, charitable trusts, and social If locations are too fixed, it fixes the organization mindset too. Being able to move and
enterprises. Although all share a desire to generate revenue, few choose where to work helps people to shift their mindsets and think afresh. Hybrid
are conventional, large-scale capitalist enterprises’. This reminds social/work spaces can free up conversations. They can create opportunities for new
us of the John Lewis/Waitrose example above. combinations.

70 71
The Creative Bureaucracy

Engaging the inner self

An engaged employee brings her or his full self to their work.

Work should feel important. It should engross, captivate, even
fascinate. Work should grab our attention. We then become alert
and stretch ourselves.

This process can happen in the ‘day to day’ of work and in many
other ways. Connecting with peers, challenging assignments
and opportunities to broaden the mind can build our energy. An
atmosphere, routine and ‘challenging variety’ help us connect
the organization’s values to our own purpose and meaning. We
then invest in the quality and results of our work. We are active
contributors.

A bureaucracy that engages with people, within an organization

and outwardly across a system, with stakeholders in the community,
and citizens is creating the dynamic it needs to face the future.

The relationship needs to be two-way. A person invests in the

Warm mission of the organization and an organization invests in The iconic Holzmarkt
the individual as an individual. Creating and maintaining this development in Berlin
organizations required bureaucratic
are more relationship takes time and, importantly, intent. inventiveness

fun… They When organizations care about people or are kind, they make it Relaxing across boundaries

work to bigger safer to take risks. A sense of perspective and humour grows. Boundaries are opportunities to see potential, problems and limitations. Boundary crossing
Warm organizations are more fun. They let off steam. They work is a skilled art and one that a good bureaucracy values and nurtures.
missions
to bigger missions. Creative energy helps them ‘nut out’ ways
forward, look ahead, and tackle problems. They endeavour to build The ‘valley of death’ between one organization’s sphere and another’s is one of the
up the energy of their people, not deplete it. They see people as greatest frustrations for bureaucrats and citizens alike. It is here in the ‘falling through
individuals and equal partners in a joint endeavour, not according the gap’ syndrome that the bigger picture and goals of the ‘system’ get lost.
to their level in a hierarchy. The ‘gaps’ between silos need leadership. The challenge is that no one organization can
An engaged employee feels and sees evidence that their voice solve the problems nor be credited.
matters. Their individual qualities and strengths are valued. They For instance, ‘urbanism’ requires an interlocking set of skills, cutting across the soft and
don’t have to conform to a type that sucks out their spirit. They hard sciences and knowledge. Professional protectiveness can get in the way. Public
can influence the direction of the organization. They know they sector outsourcing makes blending disciplines and insight more difficult. Contracts
will be treated with respect. This does not mean that they will constrain through specific and tight briefs. Responsibility and accountability can be
always agree with the choices made. But they will understand why confused across the public and private sectors. For example, experts in walking, cycling,
a choice was made. public transport or cars look at the same issue differently.
The values and operating style of the organization is then Bureaucracies need to frame challenges with ambitions that go beyond typical reporting
transformed. The task is to build energy – not leech it of colour lines and the goals of the organization. The ambition has to be about something that
or diversity. matters to citizens for the long term.

72 73
The Creative Bureaucracy

The places ‘in between’ can be the most important. To create a ‘vibrant place’ or ‘a city the capacity to read situations and deal with power play; strong conceptual thinking
where people are content’ or ‘make a great street’ requires an appreciation of multiple that understands the essence of arguments, capacity to synthesise, to chair and make
factors — not all of them under the control of one organization. The principles apply meetings work.
across most areas of human endeavour.
Cities abound with possibilities that lie under the radar. Creative connectors are crucial
Working across boundaries needs a certain type of leadership. It’s a leadership that rarely to cities exploring and experimenting around their existing assets to discover and invent
gets credit. new forms of value.

Boundaries are also opportunities for creativity and experimentation. Goals contained Bureaucracies are getting better at holding conversations with citizens and are beginning
within one organization cannot be ambitious enough. But making the most of relaxing to harness the wisdom of crowds. But many citizens feel a disconnect between being
across boundaries — the role of the connector comes to the fore. engaged and influencing. It’s easy to engage in areas that are less polarised. Some might
be seen as gimmicks — others go deeper. Talking differently also needs to happen within
Connecting the potential
and across the bureaucracy.
The connector is a vital under-acknowledged skill in city making. It is difficult to become
Drawing on community knowledge and ideas can be satisfying and useful for both
or be a connector in a public bureaucracy. It is a creative activity, often an unseen ability,
bureaucracies and communities. Open platforms make these processes transparent.
and can have powerful, catalytic potential.
Many jurisdictions are experimenting with this. For example, the International Budget
Successful places have many connectors, both organizations and individuals. Connectors Partnership gives examples of citizens choosing budget priorities.51 In other places
and facilitators stand above the nitty gritty of the day to day, important as this is, citizens are invited to help develop legislation. The potential gains are clear – better
and look at ‘what really matters’ and where opportunities lie. By standing above the fray quality services, revitalized trust and understanding each other better. It goes into the
they can focus on bringing people, organizations, ideas and resources together and avoid deeper psychological needs or motivations that could create a sense of civic duty.
getting involved in interest group politics. They take an eagle-eye view of things, rove
over concerns and see lines of alignment, partnering potential and synergies between Unlocking a fresh ideas climate
supposedly disparate things. They look for the common agenda and highlight issues many Day to day organizational life inevitably involves repetitive work, a raft of activities to
view as not of prime importance as it is not their main raison d’etre. This is why being keep up to date, things to organize. It can be hard to lift the gaze, to question, to learn,
a connector is more than being a networker, although networking is part of the activity. and to challenge assumptions. New and urgent challenges from climate change to dealing
Cities are full of opportunities to connect assets in imaginative ways to create value. with diversity cannot be addressed in neat boxes.
Take the biennial solar car race from Darwin to Adelaide. It started in 1987 and in 2015 Bureaucracies need confidence that being open, curious and democratic will help them
46 cars from 25 countries travelled the 3000kms on sun energy.50 The world's foremost to achieve their missions.
solar car race exhibits astonishing forms of inventiveness where universities research
They need to ask powerful questions of what will be demanded of them. They need to
labs, high tech companies and enthusiasts come together. The race has been won by
create a fresh ideas climate capable of supporting these questions. The tight networks
Dutch, Swiss, American and Japanese teams over the years. They now arrive in Adelaide
where information is currency no longer works with the self-organising networks of
in Victoria Square and are admired. But when we last saw them a few years ago, the
our era.
opportunity to link the teams to the local start-up system, to establish joint projects with
the city’s advanced manufacturing sector, to hold public lectures or workshops had not The digital world makes it far easier to draw in ideas. It is transforming things at such a
been developed. Lessons have since been learnt and now Adelaide is making far more speed public bureaucracies must also respond at pace. They will need to be fleet-footed,
from the connections and opportunities that the race offers. flexible, far-sighted and willing to experiment.
The connector — person or organization — has a difficult role to play. They need to present Strong shifts are transforming most aspects of life. The context for bureaucracies is also
themselves as beyond self-interest and be both powerful and not powerful simultaneously. transforming. Expectations of what is possible or required may be set too low.
They need authority to draw credible people and organizations together. If they take
Some cities are asking big questions of themselves. A city that asks how it can eliminate
credit others will be jealous, yet they need authority to operate. The connector needs
private cars, as Oslo is doing, will be compelled to think about transforming mobility and
an unusual set of qualities such as: a clear focus, strategic intent, diplomacy, flexibility,

74 75
 Constraints, time or resources, can stimulate creativity as it forces
you to do things differently. The wider community can help. Think
here of the examples of involving the elderly in developing their
health programmes. ‘10 solutions for 21st century healthcare’
provides a rich set of examples from across the continents.52
Consider youth projects where they are more in control such as
the German ‘Think Big’ initiative.53

A culture for ideas connects insiders and outsiders in joint

missions of discovery and understanding. All those with a stake
in the outcome need to be involved from world experts to local
thinkers and doers. It can bring the spirit of the festival and the
diffusion of networks. Openness can diffuse internal competition
and power plays. Ideas can come from many directions.

Rather than picking flaws in ideas to eliminate them, experiments

promote measured risk taking by testing hypotheses or ideas out. A culture for
An experimental culture helps problem solving. Experiments may ideas connects
Wall in the Wynwood not need huge investment but they require focus, commitment insiders and
Arts District Miami
and attention. They can’t be done thoughtlessly. Just the act
outsiders in a
of experimenting makes organizations and cities feel more
interesting. They signal a type of confidence that allows for the joint mission of
the desires of commuters. A city that asks how it can eliminate homelessness as Medicine unexpected. discovery
Hat in Canada has done, will need to transform its role in relation to providing homes.
Resetting the culture
Seoul’s comprehensive anti — gentrification approach will confront developer interests.
Climate change will transform what is essential. Freiburg, since Chernobyl in 1986, The culture of a place brings everything together. It determines
dared to make solar energy the focus for its development. The point is to break through the mood, atmosphere, the conditions, the rules and their intent.
established ways of solving problems, to the potential for transformation. Is it more ‘the letter of the law’ or a ‘spirit of the law’ place? Is
it open to interpretation or can people create exceptions? The
‘Challenge based’ innovation is one way to start. Bureaucracies can also learn from the
guiding aim, as mentioned, is to be strategically principled and
start-up culture. Crowdsourcing ideas, using social media, seeking out ‘mavericks’ and
tactically flexible.
approaches such as design thinking can open up the possibilities.
It is alert to the spectrum of ‘authority’ that can start to
‘Start-ups’ offer techniques that can be easily adopted. Pitch sessions for project and
treat ‘guidelines’, internal ‘rules’ or ‘principles’ as ‘laws’. The
policy ideas can work in public sector settings. Convening experts in a ‘brains trust’
connection between rule and intent can be lost. It does not let a
to build up possibilities rather than pull apart projects need not be limited to Pixar.
‘recommendation’ slip into being treated as if it were a ‘law’. The
Conferences and seminars are a traditional route. Commissioning ‘experts’ to produce
reason this can happen is that people want simplicity and avoid
challenging ‘think pieces’ that are then discussed in open forums within the organization
nuanced thinking and making a judgement.
is another. Engaging with citizens in various formats from collective scenario setting to
trialling prototypes is obvious too. Crucially connecting with interesting bureaucrats in Culture is hard to define but viscerally felt as ‘the way that things
other places and even swapping jobs is not done as often as it should. Finally, of course, are done around here’. It is the way people treat each other in
drawing in creative ideas from employees. the system and the way they treat others outside it. It is hard
to shift. It can survive a change of government, of leadership

76 77
The Creative Bureaucracy

and reorganization. It persists even when many people in the Scenario 1 — The ‘mission-oriented’ and bold ambitions of some cities, driven by the
organization leave. Culture creates an overarching perspective fierce challenges they face; the creative ways some cities develop their potential, lead
(more open than closed? more ‘yes’ than ‘no’ in attitude?). to new models more suited to the times. As these cities forge ahead, translating big
ideas into practice, other cities have a ‘fear of missing out’ and join in. They find their
People are attracted to work in great cultures. They will do
administrations unequal to the task. They increasingly search for new ways of working.
anything to move to a workplace that inspires them, that adds
It begins to dawn on them that they have been leaking the necessary bureaucratic talent
to their energy, frees them and gives them a vehicle to make a
and not making enough of the talent they have. New forms of leadership continue to
difference and solve interesting problems. Great cultures don’t
emerge, far better suited to the spirit of the times. This warms organizations, softens
have to work hard to attract the skills, competencies and the flair
systems, and refreshes the ideas climate.
they need. They are magnetic.
Scenario 2 — Living laboratories, think tanks, innovation units and other forums for
Every organization and every city without a great culture has a
innovation gather pace and demonstrate impact. Cities and governments compete to host
talent crisis. Everyone wants the best to work with them.
and be known for bold experiments. The most interesting of these innovation groups are
Yet in the bureaucracy culture is often overlooked, taken for magnetic, adding power to a city. They are emblematic in the way that major companies
granted, assumed to be just the way things have to be. or top league universities have been in the 20th century. They attract civic minded people
to the big challenges and opportunities — not through a sense of duty – but because they
People will In the traditional bureaucracy the talented, risk taking and action-
want to experience the energy it brings. This spirit is increasingly embraced across the
do anything oriented people have a problem. They can be disregarded by ‘the
bureaucracy, partly because it feels essential.
to move to a system’ or their department. They can lose resources or authority
and even be forced to leave. Scenario 3 — A movement of bureaucrats demands better environments, new conditions
workplace that
for working that change bureaucracies from the inside out. An educated, freelance
inspires them Those cities that value and retain talent, are also cities that seem to
oriented, workforce won’t tolerate hierarchical, non collaborative arrangements. As job
stand out in world terms. Consider Melbourne, Amsterdam, Ghent
certainty erodes, people are more interested in making a contribution and honing their
— key people have been in their organizations or roles for more
skills. There is a merging of citizen led change and bureaucrat led change – it is less
than 10 years. They are able to take big ideas and programmes
distinguishable as to which sector is which.
and see them through.
Scenario 4 — Distracted and fractured cities, regions and nations find it impossible to
A culture that sees people as replaceable cogs, is more likely to be
summon the collective will to take the bold actions necessary to address the inevitable
associated with failure than a culture that recognises the diverse
economic, environmental and social disruptions coming from multiple directions. Some
talents of its ‘flawed’ but real workforce. And being seen as creative
places do better and they have the organising capacity and the ethos to get to grips with
has tangible impacts on who applies for a job. Lewisham, the
their culture, their place and grow their own capabilities. It takes more time, but a new
large London borough, for many years had a ‘Creative Lewisham’
model emerges.
programme. This changed its perception and the quality of staff
Bringing it all together
Being a better bureaucracy
The landscape of public bureaucracies is vast and diverse. Yet regardless of the culture,
So far we’ve explored the factors we believe will be associated
place or system — they seem to share certain characteristics.
with a more creative bureaucracy and why this feels like an
inevitable transition. One is often having a reputation of being slow, difficult and resistant to common sense.
Another is being a huge repository of human capital, which is not well used and rarely
But with the number one concern of bureaucrats being ‘reform
inspired.
fatigue’ how will the bureaucracy transition itself? It’s not possible
to be prescriptive here – so here are some brief scenarios which are A leadership ethos that enables people to give of their best and a warm organizational
not mutually exclusive and can overlap in various combinations. atmosphere are the most powerful levers to incentivize ‘system’ change. From these,

78 79
The Creative Bureaucracy

motivation, will, ambition and urgency can emerge. These, more than government Engaging the inner self
targets, league tables or benchmarks, can generate the energy to deliver services, deal
How do people describe the experience of working in their organization? Do they
with crises or create opportunity. This ethos helps keep organizations alive so public
emphasize the positive or the negative? Is it a story of achieving things? Are they proud
value can grow as rarely do bureaucracies die.
to work there? Does the environment look mono-cultural or diverse, such as age, dress or
Change is inevitable. Now more than ever we need the value that a creative bureaucracy background? Does the emotional climate encourage the better self in you? Is this a place
can bring. As we acknowledge, conversations about leadership, management, reform and where you love to work that reflects your inner aspirations?
so on already abound.
Relaxing across boundaries
But a conversation about the lived experience of bureaucrats, of the conditions that
How are system wide issues led and supported? Are other organizations seen as
support creative thinking and problem solving, and the conditions that will foster human
competition or as potential allies? Do people take an interest in problems outside their
growth is rare. The Creative Bureaucracy is a starting point for that conversation.
specific area? Is there a sense of a bigger mission beyond the goals of the individual
Our suggested domains describe the qualities of this more creative bureaucracy. They department or organization? What reward is there in noticing and addressing gaps? What
have emerged from conversations with public officials in Adelaide, Berlin, Helsinki, Taipei, lines cannot be crossed? A sense of boundaries is often important and its constraints can
Ghent and Bilbao and are presented here for discussion and elaboration. They build on trigger creativity, yet is the default position to communicate with others.
those generated for the Creative Cities Index, but their focus is different.54 They assess
the public organization rather than the amalgam of individuals, public, private and Connecting the potential
community organizations that make up a whole city. What are the mechanisms used to help see the bigger patterns and themes inside and
Crucially they look at the organization from the inside and how it feels for the people to outside the organization? Are the resulting conversations rich or curtailed? Are people
work there. They also explore how the organization reflects itself in the outside world. protective of their ideas or resources or do they share? What happens after meetings? Is
the complexity of the connector’s role noticed and valued? Are they rewarded? Who gets
The Domains: Possible questions: to be part of the conversation? Is it more open than closed?

A softer system Unlocking a fresh ideas climate

Does the organization feel uplifting? How does it help people explore and develop What examples are there of bold thinking? Does the organization feel contemporary? Is
their passions, beyond the work context? Is expressing emotions seen as part of your it possible to challenge assumptions and to reframe issues and even the mission? Is there
professionalism? Does the system make you feel at ease or guarded? Are hidden talents a good balance between immediacy and what might be important in the future? Where
assumed to be there and acknowledged? Are softer skills, like empathetic truth telling are the ideas debated and exchanged – inside or outside the organization? How much is
valued? shared in public?

A warmer mood Resetting the culture

What does the physical space tell you about the culture? What are its key symbols? Is it How do people describe the culture? Are rules treated as if they were immutable laws or
easy to see who is ‘important’? Is the office environment like a ‘third space’? Does it feel is their intent seen as most relevant? Are the values human centred? Conflict is inevitable
informal, but focused — organized but not constrained? Do people feel free to organize and potentially creative, yet there are people who under-perform. Is the organization able
their own time and to work in places they are comfortable in? Is the organization healthy to uncover its sources so it can be managed in the right way? Can the organization deal
— is there evidence of substantial sick leave or by contrast people put in an extra effort to with difference, those who do not fit the norm or even mavericks? Is it safe to express
make things happen? Is being playful part of normal work life? How would a visitor describe uncertainty, even at senior levels?
the mood of your organization? Indeed, how are visitors treated?

80 81
The Creative Bureaucracy

REFERENCES
1
https://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/31670.wss
2
Government is Good: http://governmentisgood.com/
3
https://www.oecd.org/governance/observatory-public-sector-innovation/
4
http://mind-lab.dk/en/
5
http://publicsector.sa.gov.au/culture/
6
http://labcd.mx/labforthecity/
7
http://acteursduparisdurable.fr/acteur/urban-lab-paris-and-co
8
http://ash.harvard.edu/
9
https://www.kl.nl/en/
10
http://www.kafkabrigade.org/
11
http://www.nesta.org.uk/
12
http://www.adobe.com/content/dam/acom/en/max/pdfs/AdobeStateofCreate_2016_Report_Final.pdf
13
State of the American Workplace annual series, Gallup
14
http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/188033/worldwide-employee-engagement-crisis.aspx
15
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/theory-knowledge/201405/six-domains-psychological-well-being
and http://midus.wisc.edu/findings/pdfs/830.pdf Is this public sector
office in Taipei chaotic,
16
http://janslaby.com/downloads/slabywueschner_emoagency_draft-2.pdf creative or does it
17
The Creative City: A Toolkit for Urban Innovators, Charles Landry, 2000, Earthscan, London reveal a convoluted
18
bureaucracy?
https://www.nesta.org.uk/sites/default/files/kcfinder/
files/4.1.InnovationinGovernmentOrganizationsPubilcSectorAgenciesandPublicServiceNGOs.pdf 37
https://ec.europa.eu/growth/industry/innovation/policy/public-procurement_en
19
Tactical Urbanism: Short term action for long term change, by Mike Lydon and Anthony Garcia, Island Press, 2015 38
http://sydney.edu.au/arts/gsg/downloads/Innovation%20Report_IPAA.pdf
20
http://www.hri.fi/en/ 39
http://citiscope.org/story/2014/how-barcelona-and-philadelphia-are-turning-procurement-upside-down
21
https://www.opendemocracy.net/ash-amin/reinventing-democracy 40
http://www.citymart.com/services-index/#our-services
22
http://www.iftf.org/iftf-you/make-the-future/roy-amara-fund/ 41
http://www.oecd.org/gov/trust-in-government.htm
23
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/26/world/canada/homeless-canada-medicine-hat-housing-first.html 42
http://www.eupan.eu/files/repository/20160202135959_2016-01-21_-_Public_integrity_and_trust_in_Europe_-_final.pdf
24
http://ec.europa.eu/research/innovation-union/index_en.cfm?section=icapital 43
https://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/ceo/ceostudy2010/multimedia.html
25
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hype_cycle 44
State to Create Study: Global benchmark study on attitudes and beliefs about creativity at work, school and home
26
http://charleslandry.com/resources-downloads/documents-for-download/emscher-park/ Adobe 2012 (2016 as well)
27
https://www.buergerhaushalt.org/sites/default/files/downloads/Studie_Hope_for_democracy_-_25_years_of_ 45
http://ipma-hr.org/files/GOV13%20BROCHURE%20ADP_V.pdf
participatory_budgeting_worldwide.pdf 46
CSEES_SURVEY_RESULTS.PDF
28
http://ec.europa.eu/research/prizes/icapital/index.cfm 47
http://www.humanresourcesmba.net/worlds-30-innovative-corporate-human-resources-departments/
29
http://ec.europa.eu/research/prizes/icapital/index.cfm 48
https://hbr.org/2014/07/the-skills-leaders-need-at-every-level
30
http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/bylaw-bill-set-to-retire-1.898337 49
https://hbr.org/2013/05/creating-the-best-workplace-on-earth
31
http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/how-calgary-reduced-dog-attacks-without-banning-pit-bulls 50
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Solar_Challenge
32
http://www.dcsi.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/51500/SA-State-of-Wellbeing-Project-Report-2017-02.pdf 51
http://www.internationalbudget.org/opening-budgets/citizens-budgets/
33
http://www.openlivinglabs.eu/news/living-labs-guiding-sustainable-cities-innovations-europe 52
http://www.innovationunit.org/sites/default/files/DIGITAL%20VERSION%20final%20.pdf
34
http://citiscope.org/story/2014/mexico-city-experimental-think-tank-city-and-its-government 53
https://www.think-big.org/
35
http://www.economist.com/node/11701430 54
http://charleslandry.com/themes/creative-cities-index/
36
http://www.hri.fi/en/news/a-transparent-city/

82 83
The Creative Bureaucracy

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Bill Bruce, Erma Ranieri, Margaret Shiu, Jair Lin, Susan Pettifer,
Alfonso Cearra Martinez, Idoia Postigo, Richard Brecknock, Thom Aussem,
Pieter Ballon, Karl-Filip Coenegrachts, Tim Mares, Aron Hausler,
Liesbeth Jansen, Harm-Christian Tolden, Robert Bosch Academy, Jochen Sandig

‘A stimulating look at the perennial challenge of how to make bureaucracies

simultaneously efficient and predictable, and creative and humane. Helpfully
informed by decades of experience its also full of interesting practical examples.’
Geoff Mulgan, Chief Executive, NESTA

‘Creative Bureaucracy isn't a contradiction but a force to create positive change.

This book delves deeply to explore how we can create, challenge, reimagine and
transform our public sector - and why we need to do so now more than ever.’
Erma Ranieri, Commissioner for Public Employment, South Australian Government

THE CIVIC CITY IN A NOMADIC WORLD

A tour de force, this richly illustrated book provides deep insight of where the
future city is going and how we can create zones of encounter and places of
empathy. Examples from across the world show how citizens and cities are
reshaping their urban environment.
‘The Civic City is perceptive, important and clearly written.'
Professor Lord Robert Skidelsky

‘Utterly timely. Charles uses imagery to tell a powerful story.'

Carol Coletta Senior fellow with the Kresge Foundation

‘The visual experience of Charles’ book brings the urgent issues facing our cities alive.'
Martin Parr, photographer

nai010.com/en/publicaties/the-civic-city-in-a-nomadic-world-paperback/139143

TITLES IN THE SERIES

01: The Origins & Futures of the Creative City. ISBN: 978-1-908777-00-3
02: The Sensory Landscape of Cities. ISBN: 978-1-908777-01-0
03: The Creative City Index with Jonathan Hyams ISBN: 978-1-9087770-02-7
04: Culture & Commerce ISBN: 978-1-908777-03-4
05: The Fragile City & the Risk Nexus with Tom Burke ISBN 978-1-908777-04-1
06: Cities of Ambition ISBN 978-1-908777-05-8
07: The Digitized City ISBN 978-1-908777-06-5
08: Psychology & the City with Chris Murray ISBN 978-1-908777-07-2

All the above titles are all available from: www.charleslandry.com

84