Public sector creativity: triggers, practices and ideas for public sector innovations. A longitudinal digital diary study

Abstract

ABSTRACT This qualitative longitudinal digital diary study explores public sector creativity in practice, analysing public servants’ ideas, in terms of type and magnitude, and what practices public servants apply in coming up with these ideas and what initially triggered their creativity. Contrasting with extant research and assumptions, the findings indicate that public servants working in public executive agencies are creative, generating a diversity of ideas by applying a range of practices including expressions of autonomous and radical creativity. However, the findings also underscore the pragmatic nature of public sector creativity that is focused on keeping things running: incremental, practical and reactive.