Nesta Creative Councils – Catching the Wave

Yesterday I read catching the wave a collation of the application to on innovative leadership through @nesta_uk’s #creativecouncil  bids..

The thing that worried me most is that 70% of local authorities who applied to the programme think they already have all the skills they need for social innovation. I wonder where they have all been hiding? Either they’ve been squashed by bureaucracy and just need freeing, or else they don’t realise they don’t have skills (Donald Rumsfeld’s unknown unknowns).

A few quick things I think are really important:

1.       People in positions of power no longer have the answers.

2.       Service design needs to be done by those who use services.

3.       Even if they did have the answers, implementing themselves on behalf of service users will lead to rejection (like organ transplant rejection)

4.       They need to be asking for help from outside of their normal circles.

5.       They need to be open to suggestions that they have already considered and dismissed.

Social leadership is by definition social. I hope we hear a few more doors opening because I’ve heard very little coming from the councils that Nesta selected.