The State of Innovation in SA Municipalities –
Municipal innovation Maturity Index Report from the pilot phase and the digital tool
Dr Okem Andrew
(Co-Principal Investigator)
PURPOSE OF THE PRESENTATION
The purpose of this presentation is:
• To provide an overview of MIMI
• Share the preliminary results of the MIMI implementation pilot
• Share a model of Municipal Innovation Practices Report to be produced following the national roll out
• Show an example of feedback to participating municipalities
• All the information shared in this presentation is based on MIMI implementation testing phase
THE MUNICIPAL INNOVATION MATURITY INDEX
• MIMI is an initiative of the DSI to promote a process of self reflection and shared learning on innovation practices among municipalities and their officials
• It seeks to enhance the innovation capabilities of municipalities and their officials to stimulate and support innovation
• MIMI assesses the innovation maturity levels of municipalities and the individual capabilities of municipal officials to innovate for improved service delivery
• The earlier version of the framework was developed by the HSRC in 2016
• To build on the success of the first phase, DSI contracted UKZN, HSRC and SALGA to facilitate a sector-wide scale up via an online platform
THE MUNICIPAL INNOVATION MATURITY INDEX
MIMI instrument has four sections:
• Profiles of participating municipal officials
• Municipal arrangements for innovation
• Three constructs for assessing the innovation maturity levels of municipalities:
A. Municipal enablers of innovation B. Managers support for innovation C. Individual innovation behaviour
• Each construct comprises a set of self-assessment questions by which municipal officials assess themselves and their municipalities
• The municipal maturity level (levels 1-6) is calculated from responses
METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH
• The implementation testing builds on the piloting of MIMI in 2020
• The pilot phase examined the applicability and feasibility of the MIMI instrument in collecting information needed to benchmark municipalities and municipal officials’ innovation maturity levels
• The pilot phase involved 16 officials from 7 provinces, spread across 4 metros, 3 district and 6 local municipalities
• The implementation testing targeted all 278 municipalities
Recruitment of Municipal Officials and Data Collection Process:
• SALGA invited municipal managers to nominate innovation champion from their municipalities to:
• be the contact person within each municipality,
• promote communication between the municipal officials and the MIMI project team throughout the implementation testing
• We received 43 nominations
• Innovation champion ICs participated in a briefing workshop to inform them about the implementation testing
• MIMI implementation testing was completely voluntary and targeted to at least 50 officials per municipality
• Every week during the implementation testing period and followed by
METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH
Participation:
• Only 55 officials from 18 municipalities participated in the implementation testing during the testing period
• Highest participation rate was from the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (15 officials)
• Low participation rate implies that no municipality reached the threshold of 30 participants (the underlying assumption of the MIMI index for the development of a robust maturity level)
Challenges/Limitations:
• Limited number of responses from municipal officials during the implementation testing due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
• Technical issues that prevented the participation of district
METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH
PROFILES OF PARTICIPANTS
3,6
41,8
7,3 7,3
1,8
38,2
0,0 5,0 10,0 15,0 20,0 25,0 30,0 35,0 40,0 45,0
Eastern Cape Gauteng Kwazulu-Natal Limpopo Mpumalanga Western Cape
Percentage
Provinces of Participants
PROFILES OF PARTICIPANTS
7,3
34,5 58,2
District Municipality Metropolitan Municipality Local Municipality
Proportion of Participants from Municipal Categories
PROFILES OF PARTICIPANTS
61,8 38,2
Male Female
Gender of Participants
PROFILES OF PARTICIPANTS
32,7
47,3
20,0
0,0 5,0 10,0 15,0 20,0 25,0 30,0 35,0 40,0 45,0 50,0
Junior level Middle Management Senior Management
Percentage
Position of Participants
PROFILES OF PARTICIPANTS
41,8
34,5
14,5
5,5
1,8 1,8
0,0 5,0 10,0 15,0 20,0 25,0 30,0 35,0 40,0 45,0
0-5 years 6-10 years 11-15 years 16-20 years More than 20 years No response
Percentage
Number of years in current position
PROFILES OF PARTICIPANTS
3,6 3,6
32,7 18,2
14,5
27,3
0,0 5,0 10,0 15,0 20,0 25,0 30,0 35,0 Grade 9 or below
Matric/ Grade 12/ National Senior Certificate
Diploma or Higher Certificate Bachelor Degree Honours Masters
Percentage
Highest qualification
MUNICIPAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INNOVATION
80,0 3,6
16,4
No response No Yes
Incorporation of innovation in municipal strategies
MUNICIPAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INNOVATION
80,0 12,7
7,3
No response Yes No
Municipalities with a dedicated unit to manage innovation
MUNICIPAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INNOVATION
3,6 3,6 1,8 3,6
87,3
0,0 10,0 20,0 30,0 40,0 50,0 60,0 70,0 80,0 90,0 100,0
2011 2013 2014 2017 No response
Frequency
Year in which innovation units were established
MUNICIPAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INNOVATION
MUNICIPAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INNOVATION
10,9
9,1
80,0
Yes No No response
Local Municipalities with Innovation Unit and Champions
MUNICIPAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INNOVATION
MUNICIPAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INNOVATION
80,0 12,7
7,3
No response Yes No
MUNICIPAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INNOVATION
MUNICIPAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INNOVATION
80,0 20,0
No response Yes
Established partnerships with external
MUNICIPAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INNOVATION
Examples:
• The Innovation Hub,
• Tshwane University of Technology;
• Technology Innovation Agency
• Department of Trade and Industry,
• French Embassy,
• Barloworld,
• Chamber of Business,
• Twin City in Belgium (Heist-op-den-Berg)
• International Finance Corporation
• The National Treasury, the World Bank,
• The City of Oldenburg (Germany),
• The Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative,
• Green Cape,
• The Cape Higher Education Consortium (CHEC).
MUNICIPAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INNOVATION
80,0 18,2
1,8
No response Yes No
Constraints to implementing innovation
MUNICIPAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INNOVATION
Key constraints:
• Legislative red tapes
• Funding
• Human resource
• Management
MUNICIPAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INNOVATION
Municipal Innovation Maturity levels
Municipal Innovation Maturity levels
Municipal Innovation Maturity levels
Gauteng Municipal Innovation Maturity Map
Municipal Innovation Maturity levels
Feedback to Municipalities
Municipal Innovation Maturity levels
Feedback to Municipalities
Municipal Innovation Maturity levels
Feedback to Municipalities
Municipal Innovation Maturity levels
Feedback to Municipalities
Municipal Innovation Maturity levels
Feedback to Municipalities
Conclusions
• This report documents the outcome of the implementation testing of the MIMI framework
• MIMI enhances the learning process towards the adoption of innovation for service delivery.
• Although the participation rate did not meet the expected threshold, it provides valuable insights into innovation processes within participating municipalities.
• The implementation testing demonstrated the value and the capacity of the MIMI to produce innovation maturity scores for municipalities
• The implementation testing has provided useful insights, but further refinements will be implemented based on our experience and feedback
Thank you
Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)
ASSAf Research Repository http://research.assaf.org.za/
B. Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) Events F. Innovation for Inclusive Development (IID) Seminar Series (incl. Proceedings)
2021
The Launch of the National Rollout of the Municipal Innovation Maturity Index
(MIMI) (A tool to measure innovation in municipalities)
Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)
Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) & Department of Science and Innovation (DSI)
Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) (2021) The Launch of the National Rollout of the Municipal Innovation Maturity Index
(MIMI) (A tool to measure innovation in municipalities). Available at: https://doi.org/10.17159/assaf.2021/0076 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11911/220
Downloaded from ASSAf Research Repository, Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)
