Conditions for open innovation in public organizations: evidence from Challenge.gov

Public organisations have long sought new ways to enhance organisational performance and employee morale, bring about organisational change, and foster innovations. While governments across the world have continually embarked upon administrative reform efforts, the efficacy and adoption of such reforms remains understudied. This study explores whether organisational and individual factors predict the adoption and use of open innovation in government. In particular, we use the case of Challenge.gov, a novel open innovation platform in the U.S. federal government that aimed to engage the creative potential of the public in solving problems, enhance citizen engagement and public participation. Data on federal agency use of the Challenge.gov platform was paired with existing data on employee attitudes and organisational attributes over a five-year period. Our results show that a range of managerial practices, including employee empowerment, and organisational characteristics predict the extent to which federal agencies use open innovation. We conclude with discussion of the implications for theory and practice.