Disruptive innovation: a new model for public sector services

Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to provide examples of opportunities to implement disruptive innovation and offer a framework to introduce it in the public sector – proposing a way to use innovation to make public programs radically cheaper without slashing services.

Design/methodology/approach

By focusing on the public sector job to be done – promoting public safety through incarceration vs electronic monitoring – can illuminate how to accomplish the core goals of an existing process in a different way.

Findings

The paper finds that the best place to start disruptive innovation tends to be in a market segment that is vastly over‐served or not served at all by the current, dominant model of delivery.

Practical implications

Government has an array of tools and channels that can be used to foster the growth of disruptive technologies.

Originality/value

From homeland security to education, from health care to defense, what is needed are innovations that break traditional trade‐offs, particularly that between price and performance. Disruptive innovation offers a proven path to accomplish this goal and in the process transform public services.

Citation

Eggers, W., Baker, L., Gonzalez, R. and Vaughn, A. (2012), "Disruptive innovation: a new model for public sector services", Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 40 No. 3, pp. 17-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/10878571211221176