Overview

Lead government innovation with skills to detect change early, overcome constraints, and harness AI's power—turn disruption into mission-driven success. Government organizations don’t have the luxury of standing still. Missions change. Budgets shrink. New technologies emerge. In this course, you’ll explore how successful agencies overcome constraints—legal, structural, cultural, and technological—to drive meaningful innovation. Michael Raynor, co-author of The Innovator’s Solution and author of The Three Rules, partners with John Johnson, UMD’s Lead Faculty in Agile and Product Management, to reveal how public sector leaders can sense change early, organize for innovation, and deliver results that matter. Through real-world case studies—from software factories and health exchanges to drone warfare and cloud disruption—you’ll examine how government organizations adapt and thrive in the face of disruption, and how AI is amplifying both the challenges and the opportunities. This course is designed for anyone working in or with government who wants to lead change, not just react to it.

Syllabus

Week 1 - What Is Innovation In Government?

This module explores how innovation, especially in government, is driven by necessity in response to changing circumstances, focusing on four main drivers such as market disruption and mission changes. Learners will understand innovation as breaking cost or performance constraints, differentiate between types of strategic innovation like Red Queen and White Rabbit, and explore three pathways of adoption: diffusion, democratization, and disruption. Through real-world examples across technology, healthcare, defense, and AI, the course highlights the crucial role of both technological advances and organizational adaptability in successfully delivering innovative solutions.

Week 2 - Sensing Change And Preparing To Act

This module guides government innovators through recognizing when to begin their innovation journey by identifying key triggers like market disruption, mission changes, budget pressures, and cross-market technologies. It emphasizes understanding your current position, selecting the right innovation strategy based on breaking cost or performance constraints, and building a coalition of trusted change agents to drive adoption across the organization. Practical lessons include real-world examples like software factories, healthcare reform, cloud modernization, and drone warfare, along with strategies for setting achievable innovation milestones and sustaining momentum through effective leadership and social proof.

Week 3 - Innovation Pathways in Practice

This module explores four distinct pathways to market adoption—diffusion, democratization, low-end disruption, and new market disruption—using real-world examples like Uber, Tesla, Netflix, and cardiac stents to illustrate how innovations move from niche footholds to mainstream acceptance. Learners will understand how different combinations of performance and cost challenges shape each pathway, and how businesses strategically break constraints to expand their market reach. By mastering these frameworks, participants gain practical insights into navigating innovation adoption and scaling solutions in complex markets.

Week 4 - Rules For Success

This module emphasizes that long-term success in government innovation comes from prioritizing quality and mission impact over simply controlling costs, highlighting the importance of delivering real value and measurable outcomes. Using case studies from software development, healthcare, cloud modernization, and drone warfare, we will explore how subordinating non-essential processes and focusing on key bottlenecks leads to sustainable performance gains. By mastering these principles, participants gain practical strategies to drive meaningful innovation and mission success in complex government environments.

Week 5 - Planning Your Innovation Journey

This module guides you through foundational innovation concepts and frameworks, emphasizing the importance of identifying clear first steps in complex journeys—especially in AI—and using tools like jobs-to-be-done to align solutions with real user needs. It deepens understanding of innovation pathways such as diffusion, democratization, disruption, and shows how deliberate, incremental progress with modular design and continuous learning accelerates success while managing risk. By applying these approaches, participants gain practical strategies to navigate uncertainty and create lasting, scalable value in government and technology projects.