Author Identifier

Sash Milne

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9470-142X

Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Edith Cowan University

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

School

School of Arts and Humanities

First Supervisor

Chris Kueh

Second Supervisor

Stuart Medley

Abstract

Recent research highlights the significance of design-led approaches, such as human-centred design, in fostering an innovative culture within complex public systems like public health. However, transforming systemic culture on a large scale presents a formidable challenge, constituting its own "wicked problem" that is both a fertile ground for design intervention and exceptionally difficult to tackle.

My research employs a design-led research perspective to investigate the current state of innovation culture within WA Health and to identify potential leverage points for future cultural transformation. Utilising data gathered from interviews and workshops, this research project sheds light on the multifaceted barriers confronting public health systems in their endeavour to cultivate a culture of innovation.

Within WA Health, the cultivation of an innovative culture is still in its nascent stages, hindered by significant systemic obstacles. In such scenarios, where the prevailing culture poses the primary impediment to change, both design and innovation encounter substantial resistance in introducing and sustaining the norms and expectations that encourage innovation to flourish. During this research project more than 50 individuals, working in an innovative capacity within or alongside WA Health, were engaged in the conversation about innovation culture through both deep interviewing and collaborative workshops.

Analysis of the collected data reveals a series of insights that create a picture of the current experience of a culture of innovation and lead to a set of recommendations and a vision for an ideal state of systemic culture in the future. The exegesis and accompanying Roadmap for Change (found in the appendices attached to this document) provided to WA Health outline the challenges inherent in fostering a culture of innovation within the public sector and propose a five phase approach to cultural transformation. Despite the complexities involved, the study identifies key opportunities and leverage points for effecting change and nurturing a culture of innovation over time.

This research contributes novel insights into the role of design in facilitating transformative change within public systems, offering a pathway for evolving our understanding of this role to drive greater impact and value in the future.

Comments

Author also known as Alexandra Milne

DOI

10.25958/edby-wh24

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