We don’t feel like we are part of the project”

An analysis of tensions in the development and implementation of a public sector innovation project in Norway

Bibliographic Data

ID12965833
AuthorsHilde Švrljuga Sætre (0000-0003-1217-1272, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences), Mai Camilla Munkejord (0000-0002-5700-7639)
Year2021
Volume12
Issue1
Pages201-220
Publication date2021-10-10
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNordic Journal of Social Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1892-2783 • E-ISSN: 1892-2783
PublisherScandinavian University Press (PUBLISHER • NO)
DOI10.7577/njsr.4056
OpenAlexW3205189601
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited14

Some of the extant literature on collaborative public sector innovation seems to assume that collaboration per se implies a positive outcome. Recent research, however, has demonstrated that innovation processes may take different shapes and trajectories depending on, for example, the collaborating actors’ diverging (or converging) perceptions of the given situation. In this article, we seek to contribute to understanding the nature of potential challenges in public sector innovation processes. We interviewed seven key actors involved in developing and implementing a new introduction programme for refugees in a municipality in Norway. The interviews explored how the innovation process evolved and how the different actors experienced their participation in the process. In this article, we use the classic four ‘moments of translation’ approach proposed by Callon (1986) to shed light on the main tensions that arose for the project team in the 18 months after the project was launched. These challenges related to why the innovation was realised, how such an innovation should be operationalised, for whom the innovation was targeted and whose innovation project the project was initially. In conclusion, we argue that to address the tensions that may arise in any collaborative project, innovation leaders must establish a ‘structure for collaboration’ that includes a space in which to acknowledge and potentially solve emerging challenges

Business · Extant taxon · Innovation process · Knowledge management · Political science · Process (computing · Public involvement · Public relations · Public sector · Responsible Research and Innovation · Sociology · Work in process · Management and Organizational Studies · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Public Policy and Administration Research · Marketing

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