Abstract:
Innovative capacity receives significant attention from public and private sector
organizations, as well as scholars and researchers. Some studies invoke human capital,
leadership, organizational changes, and generational differences in their job preferences.
These studies have been partly addressed by the OECD, World Bank, World Economic
Forum, Mercer and Oracle. However, the assumptions, factors and solutions have not been
tested or applied.
The study therefore explores how civil servants see themselves within the civil service
system and beyond, as well as how they evaluate current competencies for pursuing
innovative endeavors. To this end, a questionnaire was developed to collect data from a study
sample consisting of public servants from all regions of the country. Overall, 10,629 civil
servants at regional level of public administration participated in the survey. Factor analysis
results revealed that work environment and conditions, as well as career, trust and scheduling
were strong determinants of innovative capacity. Supplemental Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure
and Bartlett's Test indicated factors were sufficient and a reasonably good fit for the
conceptual model overall.
Moreover, through a 360-degree assessment tool, data were obtained for each
competency in order to identify weaknesses and “growth points” for innovative capacity.
Additionally, to investigate how talented public officials (HiPo) could potentially be recruited
and promoted, a retrospective analysis of public administration reforms, as well as
a comparative case study were conducted, based on the experience of Singapore and
Kazakhstan.
Thus, by using factor analysis, a case study and appraisal tools, the paper responds to
calls for research and exploration of innovative capacity development for further
improvement of state apparatus effectiveness.
