THE
JOURNEY OF MINDLAB
From 2002 until now
How
do you build an innovation lab in the heart of the central
administration? How do you revolutionize a public sector from within?
Or just challenge it productively?
How
do you transform public service systems and bureaucratic structures
from a human-centered approach?
In
MindLab, we still haven’t found all the answers – but in the past
decade, we’ve explored and tested various ways of finding them. In
this process, we have kept questioning our purpose, role, mandate and
future possibilities.
It
is has been a bumpy road and we are certainly not there yet. So the
journey continues.
The
MINLAB Team
See
more: mind-lab.dk / #mindlab
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1st
Generation: 2002 – 2006
8
MINDLAB AS CREATIVE PLATFORM
2006:
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After
having run nearly 280 workshops between 2002 and 2006, the demand for
MindLab’s support decreased. This left a strategic choice for the
future.
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After a thorough process of reflection, MindLab was turned into a
cross-ministerial innovation unit focusing on user-centered methods
to enhance innovation across government.
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2nd
Generation: 2007 - 2009
8
MINDLAB AS USER ORIENTATED INNOVATION UNIT
2007:
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Christian
Bason starts as manager of MindLab.
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New
team of 5 hired. Focused on design, social research and public
administration.
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The
Danish Ministry of Employment becomes part of the ownership of
MindLab.
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Right-wing
government gets re-elected in Denmark. De-bureaucratization and
digitalization are significant part of the government focus.
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Project:
“Burden Hunters” Identifying administrative burdens for
businesses; concrete illustration of the potential of MindLab
methodology within a politically supported agenda.
2008:
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“New
service journey for work injured citizens” First MindLab project
leading to a new organizational strategy in a large public
organization.
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Facilitation
of “Working-labs” and cross-ministerial project manager networks
as part of the project management-education in the ministries: First
successful attempt to build new capacity in terms of changing the
skills and approaches of civil servants.
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Scientific
research The partner ministries invest in 3 PhD-projects organized
between MindLab and the universities.
2009:
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Financial
crisis: Actualized reflection on core operations and new ways of
developing the public sector.
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Moment
of serendipity Top-public managers from UK are meeting the three
Permanent Secretaries of the MindLab owners. They are recognized as
innovative top-managers because of MindLab.
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“Experienced
legal rights” Using art as a central component in illustrating a
public challenge; experimenting with the limits of knowledge input to
decisionmaking processes.
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3rd
Generation: 2010 - 2011
8
MINDLAB AS CATALYST OF AN INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT
2010:
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“Away
with the Red Tape”: First larger cross-ministerial project.
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Christian
Bason published the book: “Leading Public Sector Innovation”
based on experiences from MindLab which becomes an international
reference point in the literature on public innovation.
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MindLab
launches the public sector innovation toolkit “The innovation
guide” on an online platform.
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Mindlab
had grown larger, now around 15 employees.
2010
- 2011:
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Multiple
presentations for international governments, organizations and
institutions.
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Case
with Dennis, a young taxpayer in Denmark, goes ‘viral’ in
Ministry of Taxation as an audio-reference point, driving new
strategic and organizational developments in ministry.
2011:
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MindLabs
existence questioned! Permanent secretaries are asking: What is the
actual value-contribution of MindLab?
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Election
in Denmark: New left-wing government elected with significant
eagerness of making big reforms on several policy areas.
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The
two first industrial PhD projects affiliated in MindLab focusing on
implementation of employment policy (Nina Holm Vohnsen) and the
practice of tax compliance (Karen Boll) are completed.
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Scientific
research process and insights are exposing delicate bureaucratic
practices. This challenges the relationship to the Ministry of
Employment and questions MindLab’s loyalty.
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Ministry
of Taxation withdraws from MindLab due to organizational change
within the ministry.
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How
Public Design Global conference hosted by MindLab is catalyzing an
emerging community of public innovation practice.
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4th
Generation: 2012- 2013
8
MINDLAB AS STRATEGIC CHANGE PARTNER
2012:
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Ministry
of Education is new partner.
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The
current board structure is replaced by a more strategic,
decision-oriented model with only the permanent secretaries as board
members. Along with this change, a new advisory board is formed with
international experts from different fields to ensure that MindLab
makes the most of its position and possibilities.
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Seminar
series: ”Denmark is a great country!”” Proactive use of
government platform to explore innovation potential.
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First
longer-term research collaboration Nesta/MindLab publication on
innovation in public policy.
2013:
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Strategic
advisor the Danish minister of Education on New Nordic School and
bottom-up development practices.
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MindLab
is leading the work for the EU-publication: “Powering European
Public Sector Innovation: Towards A New Architecture” and advices
Manual Barroso on innovation strategy in the European Union.
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Launch
of research program: A strategic focus on using research as central
component in projects and organizational development of the
ministries.
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How
Public Design Policy workshops is held to let design-methods work
everyday challenges of bureaucracy.
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New
approach to reform implementation. First project focused direct on
applying human-centered design in core reform agendas focusing on the
implementation of the reform of early pensions and flexjobs.
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Partnership
with UNDP around developing their innovation skills and capacity.
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5th
Generation: 2014 – 2015
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MINDLAB AS DEVELOPER OF CAPACITY
2014:
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MindLab
took a strategic step from being cross-ministerial to become
“cross-public”, adding the municipality of Odense to the circle
of owners. This new formalized partnership with Odense recognized an
increasing need for local experimentation.
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Odense
Municipality is new partner.
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Christian
Bason leaves Mindlab to become a Director at the Danish Design
Centre.
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Mindlab
helps the UK government to set up a policy lab in the cabinet office.
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“Denmark
as advanced production country”: Strategic cross-ministerial
project defining the future of Denmark’s production policy.
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Governance
labs : Temporary partnership with the Ministry of Interior focusing
on exploring new governance models for more trust-based public
service systems.
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Publishing
of “Design for policy”: Bringing policy-making and human-centered
design together in an ambitious volume of practice-oriented research.
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Workshop
on public innovation labs at OECD: A significant sign of an emerging
community of practice becoming recognized by existing institutional
actors.
2014-2015:
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MindLab
assists various governments set up innovation labs in their
government administrations. Latest examples are Uruguay and Canada.
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Development
of new generic implementation model/mindset for the Ministry of
Employment.
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Thomas
Prehn is appointed new Director of Mindlab.
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6th
Generation From Now
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ENABLER OF A NEW PUBLIC SECTOR CULTURE
"Innovation
labs must transform from being facilitators of process and service
design to enablers of the cultural change in the public sector, for
innovation to disseminate as a culture of practice and leadership."
– Thomas Prehn, 2015