Minnesota Department of Transportation: Innovation Strategy [2022]

NHTSA · 2022 · ROSA P / Minnesota. Department of Transportation

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Summary

This document outlines the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (MnDOT) 2022 Innovation Strategy, developed to address challenges such as dwindling budgets, increased citizen expectations, and evolving societal needs. The strategy aims to foster a culture of innovation that supports risk-taking, change, and action, thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of transportation services. The initiative was motivated by the need to solve complex transportation problems and maintain MnDOT’s reputation as a national leader. The strategy is structured around five critical questions: why innovate, what to innovate, how to innovate, who innovates, and where to innovate. The development of the strategy involved a deliberative process beginning in 2020, guided by an Innovation Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) and supported by the Research and Innovation Office. The methodology included an organization-wide survey of over 1,200 employees, eight work sessions, and a review of industry best practices. The assessment utilized a model based on research from Babson College and MIT to evaluate six building blocks of innovation culture: resources, processes, success, values, behaviors, and climate. The TAP identified key strengths, including leadership support, talented staff, and a collaborative spirit, alongside significant barriers such as bureaucracy, organizational silos, risk aversion, and a lack of clear priorities or resource access. The findings revealed that MnDOT’s innovation culture score was 2.71 on a 5-point scale, slightly higher than the average non-profit but lower than industry and service organizations. The assessment highlighted that while staff possess high technical expertise and an appetite for learning, 72% of respondents reported that rules and bureaucracy present significant barriers to innovation. Additionally, nearly half of the employees reported little or no access to dedicated funds for innovation. The strategy categorizes innovations into three types: incremental (minor enhancements), adjacent (applying existing capabilities to new spaces), and transformative (high-risk, high-impact changes). The document emphasizes that successful innovation requires a shift from a "No, but" mentality to a "Yes, and" approach, focusing on human-centered design and empathy. The significance of this strategy lies in its actionable roadmap for systemic cultural change. It establishes five primary goals: integrating innovation into the culture, accelerating and scaling innovations, positioning MnDOT as a national leader, leveraging strategic partnerships, and supporting a safe, equitable, and sustainable transportation system. Key recommendations include establishing a Center for Innovation, creating an Innovation Leadership Council, and implementing an "E3 mindset" of Empathy, Experimentation, and Empowerment. By addressing structural barriers and dedicating resources to innovation, MnDOT aims to create a sustainable ecosystem that empowers employees to solve problems effectively and adapt to rapid changes in the transportation landscape.

Key finding

The strategy identifies bureaucracy, risk aversion, and lack of clear innovation processes as primary barriers to innovation, proposing a cultural shift toward empathy, experimentation, and empowerment to overcome them.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 1200

Provenance

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