From Hero-Innovators to Distributed Heroism: An in-depth analysis of the role of individuals in public sector innovation

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Abstract

Building on the literature on collaborative leadership, this paper explores the roles of individual persons in processes of public innovation. On the basis of a literature review, a heuristic model is developed that consists of roles at different levels (entrepreneurial leadership versus innovation realization) and in different phases (idea generation, selection, testing, scaling-up, and diffusion). The value of this model is explored through an in-depth, longitudinal analysis of a police innovation in the Netherlands. The empirical study underlines the value of the model and shows that, although individual hero-innovators may not exist, distributed heroism does.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)199-216
Number of pages18
JournalPublic Management Review
Volume16
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2014

Keywords

  • entrepreneurial leadership
  • innovators
  • police
  • Public innovation

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