Civil servants are often portrayed as spending their workdays leisurely sipping coffee and watching the clock, eagerly awaiting the moment they can leave the office at 4 pm. Maarten van Leest from InnovatieNetwerk Vlaanderen (INO) knows that this perception is, in most cases, far from the truth. On the contrary, civil servants today are more driven than ever to contribute to positive change and transformation. However, this requires challenging the traditional narrative of what it means to be a civil servant and embracing the concept of becoming a civil entrepreneur.
At the beginning of last year, INO and the Centre for Leading Adaptive Organisations (CELAO) embarked on a two-year partnership to explore the characteristics of civil entrepreneurs and to develop a civil entrepreneurial toolbox for all who are interested. In this conversation with Neveen, head of the research centre, Maarten shares some reflections on his motivation behind the project and the collaboration itself.
Neveen: Great to have you here, Maarten. Can you start by telling us a bit about yourself and how you became involved with INO?
Maarten: It all began around 3 years ago, when our former secretary general was given the chance to launch an innovation project within the Flemish Government. The project piqued my interest, as I have spent my career as a civil servant in various roles across the governments of Belgium and the Netherlands. Over the years, I have noticed that successful initiatives often go unrecognised, while ineffective practices tend to persist. This motivated me to address these challenges with new approaches, which eventually led me to join INO.
What does INO focus on?
The idea behind INO is in its name: cultivating a strong network of people who are curious about innovation. And even though most of these people are civil servants, it is not exclusively a governmental network. Rather, we recognised the importance of creating a platform where like-minded people can come together to discuss and explore ways to bring about positive change. We wanted to provide a safe space for those who are trying out new approaches – whom we now refer to as ‘civil entrepreneurs’.
Working on innovation in the government must be challenging, since it often involves experimentation, which inherently carries the risk of failure. How do you strike the balance between accountability and innovation?
Addressing complex issues such as sustainability, climate change and integration requires a willingness to experiment, learn and adapt. And, in my view, experimentation itself is not the problem – the difficulty lies in assessing its value, in determining how to frame the accountability, and also how to stop the experiment. The purpose of experimentation is not to create something that works – it’s about understanding the underlying factors and learning from what works and what doesn't and why. Experimentation is fundamentally a learning process.
But this can be challenging in a government environment, where the tax-payers’ money is at stake. We believe that civil entrepreneurs can play a key role in finding new solutions. And we need that, because the simple problems have already been solved in the last decades (or centuries).
As a government, and as a society, we now need to focus on navigating more complex challenges, for which traditional approaches fall short. We can build trust and understanding by openly discussing these challenges, engaging stakeholders, and not trying to be the boss but instead by fostering collaboration. And this means moving away from the traditional top-down approach towards a more inclusive and open dialogue.
What is your personal driver for working on innovation in the public sector?
Throughout my career, I have been surrounded by passionate people who aim to make the world a better place. At the Ministry of the Environment, many of my colleagues were committed to protecting our natural world. They were fuelled by a strong sense of purpose – which initially made me question whether I was the right fit for the role, since I do want to contribute to a better society but I did not share their primary focus.
So, it was a bit of an eye-opener when you from Vlerick Business School talked about the drivers of civil entrepreneurship in the white paper that we produced in the partnership. You pointed out two main drivers: (1) the desire to solve problems and make the world a better place, and (2) the aspiration to make the system function effectively. My motivation aligns more with the latter: I’m driven by a desire to enhance efficiency and improve existing systems.
As you’ve mentioned, INO and The Centre for Leading Adaptive Organisations embarked on a partnership on the topic of civil entrepreneurship. Can you share with our readers how this partnership came about?
It started with joining the research centre. One of INO’s main goals is to create a dialogue and engage with new people to learn and exchange ideas. This is what I get excited about! Through such an exchange, I believe both sides, private and public, can learn from each other.
However, the partnership was sparked by a specific interest. At Vlerick, we frequently discussed entrepreneurship – and while that’s a popular topic, it’s not the first thing that comes to mind in a highly regulated environment like government. It challenges the traditional image of civil servants drinking coffee until they clock out at 4 p.m. But that image is outdated – today’s government employees are highly educated and driven, eager to make a difference in the world. Many enter with enthusiasm, but they can become disheartened when facing a system that seems resistant to change and filled with red tape. They are told things like, "We’ve already tried that," "The minister will not go for it," or "The citizens will not be happy."
In spite of this, some civil servants remain undeterred. They take bold actions and risks, pushing boundaries and reclaiming their agency rather than being dragged down by the system. We have seen these civil servants enjoying their work more and making better progress. This inspired us to explore the characteristics of these ‘cool’ civil servants, who are redefining the traditional perception of working in government. Our interest in this led us to discuss civil entrepreneurship with you – which marked the start of our partnership.
How did the project unfold?
When we began our partnership with the Centre, we had the luxury of starting with an open dialogue about our mutual interests and questions. To actually start as a collaboration, not as a client and his contractor(or: consultant, advisor). We took our time to understand each other’s perspectives and work on something that is of interest for both of us. It was very much a conversation of "Hey, this aspect seems interesting. What do you think?"
We could have partnered with a traditional consultancy firm, but that wouldn’t have been the right fit for this project. This partnership felt different because it was truly about co-creation, not just about providing a service. Ultimately, the focus on civil entrepreneurship was something new and exciting. And if you want to learn about entrepreneurship, you go to a business school.
What is the desired outcome of this partnership?
The insights from this project contribute to a larger puzzle. By sharing the stories of civil entrepreneurs who are more fulfilled and effective in their work, we suggest that this approach could also make their jobs more enjoyable. So, the results of this partnership provide more of a toolkit, and our colleagues can use what works best for them – whether it’s the whole approach or just part of it. Our job is to create a framework that supports and empowers our colleagues and, hopefully, makes them ‘infect’ others, which ultimately benefits the public sector as a whole.
Is there a recipe for success in this collaboration?
I think an important ingredient is taking the time to get to know each other, as well as understanding each other's ideas and how they fit together. This partnership is about mutual value creation. With the support from Vlerick, we can enhance our efforts; and for Vlerick, this collaboration is a source of new insights and knowledge. This kind of cooperation requires openness, flexibility, and trust. One of the keys to our success is that we have mutual trust and a shared commitment to what we are creating. Which also includes a certain calmness – knowing you can trust the other partner even if they propose things that at first glance seem weird. If you’re then able to give your partner the benefit of the doubt and the time to experiment, the really cool things get a chance to grow!