The White House recently formed the Office of American Innovation, which has a stated focus on “implementing policies and scaling proven private-sector models to spur job creation and innovation.” It’s a familiar idea: A SWAT innovation team is created, ready to inject new thinking into a burdensome bureaucracy. It certainly sounds familiar to Greg Godbout, a former U.S. presidential innovation fellow and a cofounder of 18F, a digital services office within the U.S. General Services Administration. 18F was borne, in part, out of the Obama administration’s attempts to funnel startup-style ingenuity into the government, particularly after the disastrous launch of Healthcare.gov. Godbout was executive director at 18F before departing to become chief technology officer for the EPA. He is now the CEO and cofounder of cBrain North America.
Advice on Running a Government Agency Like a Startup, from Someone Who’s Tried It
Lessons from 18F, a U.S. government digital services office.
April 12, 2017
Summary.
The White House recently formed an Office of American Innovation with a stated focus on “implementing policies and scaling proven private-sector models to spur job creation and innovation.” It sounds like a familiar idea: a SWAT innovation team is created, ready to inject new thinking into a burdensome bureaucracy. It certainly sounds familiar to Greg Godbout, a former U.S. presidential innovation fellow and a co-founder of 18F, a digital services office within the U.S. General Services Administration. In an interview, Godbout discusses how innovation teams work best in government settings, strategies for recruitment, criticisms on costs, and offers his advice for the newest U.S. innovation office.
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New!
HBR Learning
Innovation and Creativity Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Innovation and Creativity. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Unlock your team's curiosity and willingness to take smart risks.