Dutch Government Innovation Barometer 2021

‘Employees determine the innovative strength of government organisations’

ICTU

Auteur(s): Siwert de Groot en Sil Vrielink

This report describes the findings of the Dutch Government Innovation Barometer 2021. It concerns the first innovations survey in Dutch government organisations: which innovations were implemented, how did they come about, and what did they yield? In 2019 and 2020, 86 percent of the Dutch government institutions that took part in the survey implemented one or more innovations. Compared to similar surveys in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland this is a good score. However, it becomes evident from the analyses that the innovation capacity of Dutch government organisations varies widely, even between organisations that have similar tasks and sizes. This means that successful innovation is less dependent on external circumstances and is mainly determined by the organisation itself. The organisational climate is allimportant: organisations with a powerful innovation climate innovate more often and across a broader spectrum. Through innovations, they create more public value in terms of quality, efficiency, employee satisfaction, citizen influence and achieving political objectives. In practice, the most successful government organisations have a cohesive and organisation-wide approach to innovation.