Some lessons learned
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SOME LESSONS LEARNED
Putting general and often generic policy advice into a real context emphasises how hard it is to develop policies that work. During the ‘reality check‘ of the innovation partnerships we learned that the reality is always more complex than first imagined and that some things just take a long time to change. But, we also learned that Europe is filled with enthusiastic, highly engaged, passionate and skilled people who want to create change in order to improve conditions in their regions
| REFLECTIONS: – Words don‘t always mean the same thing to everyone. We need a common vocabulary in order to ensure good understanding. – The more people you involve the better recommendations you can provide. Crowdsourcing is a good vehicle for creating policy recommendations. – Physical presence is essential. If you want to give advice to a region, you need to go there. This advice seems obvious, but it does not always happen. – Identifying and working with people who are passionate about change at an early stage makes the whole process much easier. |
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO CONTEXTUALISE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS |
| During the compilation of these recommendations we did some things that worked well and some things that didn‘t work quite so well. So, on the following pages we want to share some practical advice for anyone who wants to develop or refine regional policies for mobile services. |
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SETTING THE SCENE The essential groundwork that needs to be done before starting work includes: understanding the existing mechanisms within the innovation environment, assessing the strengths that can be built on and the weaknesses that need to be overcome.
If the region does not have a SWOT analysis, it is recommended that one is carried out. It is also recommended that any earlier reports for the region are examined. WHO TO INVITE
Concentrate on engaging with people that are active in building your regional strengths. The Triple Helix that connects industry (start-ups, SMEs and large companies), government (incubators, regional development offices, cluster organisations) and education (universities, vocational training, other higher education) are the ideal sources to draw from.
But do not forget other stakeholders such as users, intermediaries, NGOs and citizens. |
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ARRANGING A WORKSHOP
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From experience we know that the best way to get a good result in contextualising general recommendations is to use people’s knowledge. So your workshops should be as inclusive as possible and allow everybody to be able to influence the final result.
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GETTING THE INFORMATION RIGHT
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In order not to get swamped through information overload, it is important to structure your questions carefully. By using the topics recommended for the type of region you are addressing, the questions can be tailored to ensure that the information returned is relevant and provides an easy to understand picture of the region. Crowdsourcing Communication |
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