Instructor: Prof. Mehmet Akif Demircioglu, Carleton University This course examines the core functions of public sector innovation (PSI), or bureaucracy and innovation. More specifically, this course is designed to help students understand what questions (e.g., innovation typologies and sources), how questions (how can governments innovate), where questions (the political and socio-economic context within which organizations operate in different sectors), why questions (why governments need to innovate), and so what questions (outcomes of innovation, including ethical implications). Overall, the concepts taught in this course apply to all types of positions in all kinds of organizations (e.g., public, private, and non-profit) in which we may find ourselves. However, most of our focus will be on the public sector. We will learn a variety of concepts on public sector innovation (and reforms, organizational change, and entrepreneurship) and how they influence innovative activities and employee attitudes considering different levels of analysis: individuals, groups, organizational structure, state/country, and the external environment of public organizations. As we discuss these content and context areas, I will ask you to be introspective and reflect on your knowledge, skills, and abilities. Then, we will discuss how you can maximize your innovation as an individual, a group member, colleague, manager, and citizen. We will also contemplate a key question from the first class: innovation through or in the public sector (i.e., should the bureaucracy innovate itself or promote business innovation?) and how it affects employees (e.g., their attitudes and behavior), organizations (e.g., performance), and nations (e.g., national development), particularly Asia in general and Taiwan in particular.

Expected learning outcomes 1) To understand, apply, and develop theories, frameworks, and practices of innovation in public organizations. 2) Explain and discuss the institutional, political, national, organizational, and demographic context of the innovative activities. 3) Develop an ability to think critically and systematically about innovative activities and evaluate them. 4) Generate new knowledge about how to increase innovation in the public sector. 5) Employ qualitative [interviews, interpretation; fewer observations, but in-depth; build a theory or explore; inductive] and quantitative [numbers; large dataset, statistical; to test a theory; deductive] methods to measure and evaluate innovative activities.

1. Attendance, civility, participation, developing an innovation map (20%) Attendance, civility, and in-class participation make up 15% of the final grade. • First, read the required materials and prepare for a fruitful discussion! You do not need to watch videos in advance. • Please bring a case or an essay from newspapers/magazines to the classroom related to each week’s readings and discussion from time to time. • Don’t be shy, and please contribute. You will never miss any points if your idea or answer is wrong (there are no true/false answers in most cases in our class). • Being an active participant, but not a dominating participant. • Making thoughtful, insightful comments and not speaking just to be heard. • Being a good listener and demonstrating respect for others and for others’ opinions. • Building on others’ comments and helping others develop their views and ideas. • Identifying key assumptions underlying discussion points and arguments. • Being constructive and positive in one’s comments. • Positively contribute to group discussions. 2. Reflection points (2 submissions: 20%) Overview Between May 14 and May 25 (inclusive), you are required to submit two reflection documents in two different days. Each reflection should be around 1 to 1.5 single pages, following the formatting and submission guidelines below. These reflections will contribute to in-class discussions and help deepen your understanding of the readings. Formatting Guidelines • Length: Between one and two pages (maximum). • Font: Times New Roman, 12-point. • Spacing: Single-spaced. o Submission: Print and bring a copy to class. Content Requirements To receive full points, your reflection must include all five of the following elements: 1. Summary (1st Paragraph) a. Summarize any two required chapters for the day (e.g., chapter 5 & 6, or chapter 5 & 7, or chapter 8 & 9, or chapter 10 & 11, etc), highlighting their main arguments or themes. You are choosing two chapters, but you are submitting only one paper. 2. Analysis (2nd Paragraph) a. Critically analyze the readings: i. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each chapter? ii. What insights did you gain? iii. Are there any gaps or contradictions? 3. Connections (3rd Paragraph) a. Make connections between the two chapters that you have selected. 4. Quotation (4th Paragraph) a. Select one or two sentences from the readings that stood out to you. Write them as a quote (no need to explain or discuss). Do it twice (for each chapter). In other words, one quote for one chapter and another quote for the other chapter, with page numbers. 5. Questions (5th Paragraph) a. Choose one chapter and pose one or two thoughtful questions for the class or me. Examples: i. What was unclear in the readings? ii. What follow-up questions or ideas do the readings spark, such as the topics’ implications for Taiwan? 3. Final Paper (30%) A significant part of your time and grade this semester (30%) will come from writing and developing a paper related to a topic of public sector innovation based on your interviews. In other words, the final paper is based on the interviews you will conduct and report on them (while adding an introduction and discussion [without literature review]). Each student needs to interview two or three employees working in a government organization (or multiple government organizations), like a ministry or agency in the central or local government. You can interview any full-time employee, regardless of rank, and you will not share the employees' names with me or others. Feel free to choose your particular topic and research question, and feel free to consult with me. The interview should be face-to-face, on Zoom/Skype, via WhatsApp, or by phone. It cannot be an email exchange, although you may email some of the questions to your interviewees before your conversation. You can interview with different agencies/public organizations (not necessarily the same organization or all different organizations). Once you contact public sector employees for potential interviews, you can mention that you aim to have a 15- 25-minute conversation about particular topics. You do not need to talk with each person for more than 30-40 minutes. We will cover many issues, so you cannot ask so many questions. Depending on your and your group's interests, please choose a topic that is the same or very similar and ask the same or very similar questions. Feel free to use ChatGPT or another GenAI tool to finalize your questions. For example, if you are interested in a recent innovation implemented/adopted by an organization, you can ask the following questions. • Could you please describe the most significant innovation you have implemented in the last 12 months (or the last two years)? Could you please identify who was the primary source of the innovation? Did you collaborate with another agency or organization to develop the innovation? What were the outcomes/ benefits of innovation (e.g., in terms of cost, quality, effectiveness, user satisfaction, employee satisfaction or stress, improving process, unexpected consequences of innovation, etc)? And/or you can ask many other questions, such as those related to barriers to innovation, drivers of innovation, overcoming those barriers, resistance to innovation, governments’ role in innovation, innovation culture, innovative work behavior, and creativity. Perhaps you can ask approximately between 6 and 8 structured or semi-structured questions. Additional Notes • Groups must demonstrate close to equal participation from all members • Ensure the confidentiality of interviewees and comply with ethical research standards (e.g., do not share the names with the audience. Just share demographic information, like approximate age, gender [if available], position of the work [e.g., policy analyst, supervisor, etc], location of the work [HQ or other], etc). • Include a list of interview questions as an appendix and a table summarizing interview demographics (e.g., agency, position, gender, etc.). • There are no limitations on the number of words, but I expect each group paper to be about 3,500 words and 6,500 words. • You do not need to cite any papers other than those mentioned in the syllabus (but you are more than welcome to cite any other papers if you wish). You also do not need to cite any papers in the introduction or methods section. You can cite relevant references only in the discussion section (perhaps only 3-5 references will be sufficient). • While writing the final paper report, please skip the literature review section. Therefore, an ideal structure of the paper is the following o Title: Between 4 and 12 words. o Abstract: About 130-150 words, followed by between 3-5 keywords. o Section 1: Introduction (about 2-3 paragraphs, mentioning research purpose and question, and your motivation [e.g., why you can conduct this research, what is the significance of the research, why this research question matters]) o Section 2: Methodology (about 3-5 paragraphs, the methodology, including participant selection criteria, interview methods (e.g., Zoom, phone calls), location of participants, and the rationale for the approach. Includes details on group work (if applicable) and the number of interviews conducted. Adheres to guidelines on the number of interviews and group participation, and explanation of how long the interviews took on average. o Section 3: Findings: Provide a summary of findings (tables can be helpful). o Section 4: Discussion and Conclusion: Provides a strong, critical discussion linking interview findings to relevant literature, theories, or frameworks in public administration (just from the syllabus; like around 3-5 book chapters only). Offers insightful reflections on the implications of the findings for your topic or topics (e.g., governance, public sector innovation, Taiwan, democracy, etc.) 4. Term Paper Presentation (15%) On May 25, each group will present its research and findings. You are expected to use a PowerPoint slide show (or a similar tool). I do not expect the project to be completed until then, as you will have an additional week to complete it.

6 hours each week in May

Demircioglu, Mehmet Akif, and David Audretsch. 2024. Public Sector Innovation. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Required: Demircioglu, Mehmet Akif, and David Audretsch. 2024. Public Sector Innovation. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Suggested (free download): OECD. 2017. Fostering Innovation in the Public Sector. Paris: OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org/gov/fostering-innovation-in-the-public-sector-9789264270879-en.htm