Urban Innovation

How to Fail (Forward): A Framework for Fostering Innovation in the Public Sector

August 4, 2020  • Center for Urban Innovation & Centre for Public Impact

In government, where the stakes are higher and the resources tighter, talking about failures can be an anxiety-inducing, stressful experience. So stressful indeed, that many avoid it whenever possible. And yet — failing forward is critical to a government’s ability to innovate, and therefore, to make things better for people. With this in mind, the Centre for Public Impact and the Center for Urban Innovation’s latest report considers two basic research questions. Why is it so hard to learn from failure in government? What can leaders and their allies do about it?

View the report