Innovation and Leadership in the Public Sector: The Australian Experience

Using empirical data, this book uniquely presents the dynamics of innovation within public sector organisations and identifies the most crucial factors that promote innovation or the determinants that enhance innovation activities. It presents a macro and micro analysis of workplace innovation in the Australian public sector written by a combination of practitioners and academics to provide both theoretical and practical insights.

The book reviews the relationship between culture and workplace innovation as a multi-dimensional, subjective and context-specific phenomenon operating dynamically as organisational innovation, organisational climate for innovation, team and individual innovation. It identifies a variance in the perception of workplace innovation and organisational culture between public sector employees with different demographic and employment characteristics. The demographic and employment characteristics confirm that employees in a Public Sector Department of State exhibit significant differences between various groups in how culture impacts on workplace innovation. This knowledge assists practitioners in developing positive cultural environments that support the development of workplace innovation and raise awareness in considering the differences within organisations caused by an individual’s characteristics. Lastly, the book reviews public organisations around the world and provides a cross cultural comparison of public sector innovation and leadership. This includes a review of the major forms of public sector systems in operation and how this relates to innovation and leadership.

Innovation and Leadership in the Public Sector is written for academics and students interested in the public sector innovation field. It’s suitable for both graduate and undergraduate students and researchers in the fields of public administration, management policy, organisational behaviour, human resources management (HRM) and human resources development (HRD) courses. Additionally, this book is suitable for middle-to-senior-level administrators or managers who wish to develop more innovative public sector organisations.

Mahmoud Moussa, Ph.D., is a lecturer/ coordinator at the College of Business, Government and Law at Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia. He is a member of the editorial board at Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies ( EEMCS ) Journal, Emerald Group Publishing. He has been teaching Business and Management courses for the undergraduate and postgraduate students in Thailand and Australia for the last 15 years. He has conducted research and published extensively on human computer interaction, attitudes and perceptions of interactions within organisations, cross- cultural management, HRD and HRM. His current research interest involves innovation in Australian public sector organisations.

Leonie Newnham, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer at the Business and Hospitality Vertical, Torrens University, Australia. She has many years of experience in tertiary education including academia and education and training having worked part time in this field while employed as a manager in the Victorian Public Service. Coupled with a similar number of years of experience in businesses across various sectors including all levels of government, academia, education and training, corporate governance and not- for- profit sectors. She has had a career that has included academia, education and training programmes, executive and strategic management, operational policy, organisational and workforce planning, innovation and change management, diversity and inclusion and emergency management roles, industry, major business projects and managing organisations and teams. Her research experience addresses workplace innovation, organisational culture, organisational change, agile organisations, environmental sustainability and the public sector.

Adela McMurray is Professor of Management/ HRM and Innovation at Flinders University Australia and Honorary Professor at RMIT University, Melbourne. She serves as Guest Editor on the Journal of Applied Energy , the Journal of Cleaner Production , and she is an associate editor of the Journal of Management History . Professor McMurray has extensive experience researching in public- and private sectors and has published over 360 publications. Her research is internationally recognised, and she is the recipient of four Australian Research Council grants, two industry Collaborative Research Centre grants and various other international grants totalling over AUD＄5million. Adela has won numerous international teaching, leadership, HDR supervision and best paper awards. She chaired the USA Academy of Management’s International Theme Committee and is a member of various journal Editorial Advisory Boards. Adela’s research expertise addresses innovation, culture, sustainability, commitment, entrepreneurship and leadership including organisational change and development in public- and private sectors.

Nuttawuth Muenjohn , PhD, is a researcher and educator at the School of Management, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Australia. His research has been achieved through various research collaborations with international networks in the Asia- Pacific region. Nuttawuth has published extensively over 100 refereed publications, including books, journal articles, book chapters, teaching monographs and conference proceedings. He is the co-editor of The Palgrave Handbook of Leadership in Transforming Asia (2017) and The Palgrave Handbook of Workplace Innovation (2021).