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Oh, hi!
Innovation in cities does not belong to a department, a title, or the person with “chief” in their name.
It belongs to the people doing the work.
Some of the most impactful innovation I have ever seen in government did not come from a strategy deck or a shiny new tool. It came from employees who were curious, felt supported, and were given permission to work differently.
That belief sits at the center of CityCX.
Innovation is not about hierarchy. It is about mindset.
Three things you should know:
1️⃣ Innovation does not live at the top. If new ideas only come from leadership, they will never scale or stick.
2️⃣ You do not need a technical title to be a data or AI innovator. Curiosity, context, and proximity to the work matter more than credentials.
3️⃣ Culture beats tools every time. AI and new technology fail when people are not trained, empowered, or included.
This part really matters:
If innovation feels intimidating, exclusive, or disconnected from daily work, it will stall. When innovation is practical, inclusive, and human, it sustains.
What This Looked Like in Practice:
When I worked in city leadership, we were intentional about making innovation accessible. Not aspirational. Not theoretical. Accessible.
We hosted brown bag lunches where anyone in the organization could show up and learn. Data 101. How to use 311. How information actually flowed through the city. What we were hearing from residents.
Innovation was not framed as a role. It was framed as a skill anyone could build.
That mattered, especially when we rolled out 311. We quickly realized something important. Some of our streets and field workers had never used smartphones in their personal lives. Expecting them to suddenly rely on mobile tools and data without training would have been a failure of leadership, not capability.
So we trained them. We walked through the tools together. We showed them how data could help them get what they needed faster and serve residents better. Once empowered, they did not just adopt the system. They improved it.
That experience shaped my CityCX philosophy:
If you want better customer experience for residents, you must invest in the employee experience first.
Where AI Fits In:
Many public sector employees love their work. They care deeply about service. But they are intimidated by AI, automation, and new tools. Not because they are resistant, but because no one has shown them how this technology fits into or can help them do their jobs.
The private sector does not leave this to chance. They upskill. They train. They expect evolution.
Cities and government must do the same.
AI should not replace public servants. It should remove friction. It should free people from repetitive tasks. It should help employees spend more time solving real problems and serving real people.
What You Can Do:
Open innovation to everyone. Host informal learning sessions where curiosity is welcomed and no one feels behind.
Teach the why before the tool. Explain how data, AI, or automation helps employees do their jobs better, not just faster.
Upskill the people who already care. Do not overlook experienced public servants because they feel intimidated by new technology.
Design innovation to last. When innovation lives in the culture, not the org chart, it survives leadership changes.
Cities do not struggle with innovation because their people lack talent.
They struggle because too few people are invited into the work.
Who in your organization gets access to innovation and AI training today?
Here’s to more innovation to come!
—Dana
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