We have kicked-off the Basque Public Institutions Missions Meeting Space, a space to build capabilities and knowledge for transformation
The aim of the Basque Public Institutions Missions Meeting Space is to generate knowledge and disseminate mission-based innovation in Basque public institutions. It has been promoted by Arantzazulab together with the innovation stakeholders Apitropik, Maraka and Ko-garri.
The current social challenges also affect public institutions. Thus, the need to rethink public institutions is a well-known issue. In order to contribute to this, we suggest that the capability building space goes beyond the approaches frequently followed and we want to build changemakers’ capabilities by involving them in an innovative learning experience.
This is a space to build knowledge in collaboration, exchange lessons learned of local and international experiences, as well as to generate knowledge to deepen on missions oriented innovation. Moreover, we would like it to go further, and to be: a personal journey, a different experience that empowers people who drive transformation to develop innovation processes based on the missions driven innovation approach. In this sense, we intend to deepen the innovation processes based on the missions; we want to deepen the values and opportunities; and generate knowledge through learning communities. To this end, we have started to create a network with entities that work with this approach. Representatives of local councils, provincial councils and the Basque Government participate in this space.
Specifically, the objectives of the meeting space are:
- To reflect on and deepen the understanding of the missions innovation approach.
- To share experiences and knowledge related to mission-based innovation.
- To learn from connecting local projects with international actors.
- To foster personal transformation.
This learning experience is divided into 3 phases: DEconstruct, COconstruct and REconstruct. We propose two sessions in each phase to deepen the knowledge of this approach. We will also deepen our understanding of three capabilities for innovation in Democracy and Governance: building relationships and collaborations; designing and promoting innovative experimentation; and leadership for transformation.
15 March, first session of the meeting space
On 15 March, the first day of the Public Institutions Missions Meeting Space took place in Arantzazulab. Representatives of local public institutions attended the session, specifically from: the Basque Government; the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa; and the town councils of Zarautz, Usurbil, Mundaka and Igorre; as well as representatives of Orkestra research group and Debagoiena2030 network.
The first session began by getting to know the representatives of the organisations that put the mission approach into practice. In addition, we had the inspiring international presentation of Rainer Kattel, and we reflected on complexity.
Ione Ardaiz from Arantzazulab kicked-off the session, who described the objectives of the meeting and the learning experience that will be followed. To open the space, we invited a well-known international expert, Rainer Kattel. An Estonian academic and science administrator, Kattel is Professor and Deputy Director at the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (University College London), as well as Chair and Professor of Innovation Policy and Technology Governance at Tallinn University of Technology.
In his inspiring presentation, Kattel stressed that innovation is always political, that is, the actors who drive innovation are the ones who set the directions of innovations, and this is closely related to politics.
According to this Estonian expert, laws and policies are created without deep reflection, which makes it difficult to improve the services and functions of public institutions. Mission-based innovation seeks to promote structural changes that will lead to more experimental and meaningful policies.
The mission-based approach is based on establishing and agreeing on a common direction among the different actors, namely representatives and civil servants from public institutions, organised civil society and citizens. The innovative approach proposes agreeing on a common inspiring, measurable and aspirational objective, and then identifying the contribution that each group or person can make to achieve it. Rainer Kattel asked the meeting space the following questions: what is the direction that the Basque Country wants to take? what is the transformation of public institutions based on missions that can be activated from Basque culture?
The inspiring presentation was recorded and will be available on Arantzazulab’s Youtube channel.
After the international presentation, members of the session had the opportunity to get to know each other and their work, deepening on the experiences of each one in missions driven innovations and how they have put it in practice.
In the last part of the session, we focused on reflecting on complexity and how to incorporate it in missions driven innovation. As a starting point, we asked questions such as: How does uncertainty influence our daily lives and our institutions? How do we manage uncertainty? How do we listen to and perceive reality?
To explain that we see and understand reality in very different ways, we observed the room. Each participant wrote a description of the space and when we shared it, we engaged in the perceptions and interpretations made by each participant.
This was synthesised with a framework that captures both single perspective and multiple perspectives descriptions by detailing the functions, actions, expressions and ethical ideal (it is in Basque and Spanish).
We closed the session with an explanation of the approaches covered in this table and we will continue to deepen in those in the next session.
The second session will take place in April, and we will meet once a month until July. The knowledge we generate will be shared on this page and in our social media.