Why copy-pasting policy solutions won’t work

This article was written by Noa Miller, R&D Manager at the Digital Transformation Division, Joint-Elka, Israel.

When someone implements a successful solution to a challenge facing society — in the public sector or elsewhere — it is often celebrated online, creating a buzz and a demand from citizens in other countries that we should all copy the same good idea.

However, it is not that simple because different countries are simply that: different. We all have different ecosystems and starting points on various issues. To “copy-paste” a great solution sounds tempting, but it could also lead to failure.

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Meet Mavrik

I work for Joint-Elka, an NGO that promotes and facilitates effective interfaces between and within the different sectors in Israel (national and local government, third and business sectors) engaged in the provision of public services.

We develop solutions to deep-seated public service challenges, such as digitalisation of the public sector, cross-sector collaboration and quality assurance — which limit the ability to provide effective and efficient social services.

To do this, we learn from cases around the world, translating international solutions into local successes.

We are currently in the midst of launching a new initiative — Mavrik — based on the Code for All model. Code for All is an international network of organisations that support each other, with the goal of empowering citizens to meaningfully engage in the public sphere and have a positive impact on their communities.

One of our main areas of activity is a fellowship program in which local professionals from the tech and business sector are paired with government leaders in order to co-create digital services that would better serve their constituents.

The fellows work together with government leaders on improving services and work processes, by not only digitalising them, but also redesigning workflows.

In this model, the fellows work on their project for a limited time, usually between three months to a year, after which the government leaders implement the changes in their organisations.

We chose to create a six-month fellowship program, in which digital talents will work in both municipalities and central government agencies to improve government services to the public. The fellows will work in teams of three — UX expert, product manager and developer — that are in charge of making this magic happen.

The first 12 fellows will start their work in 2020, and we decided to focus this cohort in digital transformation of services to the citizens.

We have drawn inspiration from similar programs across the world. For example, one of our major successes in recent years is the Digital Leaders program, which was based on a similar UK model.

But it was only when we began developing Mavrik that we realised that there is a certain pattern in our model. Specifically, there are a few steps that we always take when we “copy” projects from elsewhere — and which add immense value.

Here are our five key steps to translating international solutions into local successes, using our experience regarding Code for All as a case study.

1. Study the model in its entirety

Whenever you are trying to replicate a success, you should realise that there can never be too much knowledge.

And if you are basing your project on a model someone else has made, you must understand the model in its entirety.

External researchers or consulting companies can add value, but their views do not necessarily give you the full picture.

If the solution has already been replicated, study its different implementations. Chances are, the original blueprint has already been modified in this replication.

When we were applying the Code for All model, we spent months gathering information on successful and failed implementation attempts around the world, which has been vital in our replication efforts.

2. Go to the source

Whoever led a successful initiative is the best authority on it. Go to them. Ask them to share their knowledge and advice, from contacts to tips and written materials.

I spoke to Cori Zarek, former Code for America Summit co-chair, who explained Code for America and its model.

Zarek then connected us to Krzysztof Madejski, former coordinator at Code for All — who invited us to their global network. The input we received from the Code for All network was priceless and helped us understand the global ecosystem and avoid many missteps along the way.

“The most important lesson we learned was the necessity of finding a great champion for the first cohort of the fellowship. It’s important to show success in the first try”

The most important lesson we learned was the necessity of finding a great champion for the first cohort of the fellowship. It’s especially important to show success in the first try; otherwise, it would be hard to convince both governmental agencies and fellows to join for the next cohorts.

A strong champion with the will and ability to change work processes and unlock barriers is crucial to its success. This is something that the Code for All community emphasised strongly.

3. Learn from successes and struggles

Good practice comes from learning from your failures.

The organisers behind Code for America figured out that an individual fellowship (situating one fellow in a governmental agency) was hard to maintain for two main reasons.

First, the transition from the private to the public sector is difficult, as the two sectors have very different work cultures. The speed, regulations and work environment are different, and it is hard to adapt if you are doing it all by yourself. Having team members made this experience much more positive.

Second, developing good digital products requires multidisciplinary teams. One developer or one UXer is just not enough. Having a team of three different professionals makes it possible to create better products and services.

As a consequence, Code for America changed their model from an individual fellow into community fellowships — and with great success.

When we were analysing other Code for All solutions, we realised a similar model had helped other countries: community fellowships and teams of at least three fellows. Studying these adapted models helped us create ours more efficiently.

4. Map your country's ecosystem

Look at where you work. Is the international solution that you are looking to adapt even necessary or needed locally? Have other organisations tackled the issue? Whether they did or did not — why?

We mapped Israeli initiatives aspiring to exchange knowledge between the private and public sectors in the digital field. We discovered many initiatives struggled.

Among the difficulties they faced were the fact that local authorities, which are central to the Code for All model, are small and work differently in Israel than in the US, Australia and other countries in the Code for All community.

In Israel, the central government has vast control over what is happening at the local level, and the local authorities are acting under the central government's supervision and financing.

In addition, the local authorities work with different technological systems, which makes it even harder to reach citizens. Therefore we decided, in parallel with our work with local authorities, to work with Israel's central government, which is larger and has more authority.

Some initiatives also focused on university students. In Israel, this led to a unique continuity challenge: mandatory conscription means Israelis study at a later age than in other countries, and students also usually have a professional career — rather than being completely dedicated to university projects.

Therefore, we decided to exclude university students from applying for the program. These two examples stress the importance of adapting an international solution to the needs of a local ecosystem.

5. Use your assets

Every organisation should leverage its assets. Our biggest asset is our vast network of partners. These have diverse backgrounds — from central and local government, the private sector and non-profit organisations.

When we develop new initiatives, we let our partners know what we are working on and they bring fresh perspectives. This was also true in Mavrik: we received input and practical help.

One of our partners from the private sector proposed her company's employees as mentors, and another, from the government, volunteered to host our first pilot — all extremely valuable resources for us.

Another of our assets is our unique expertise in supporting and facilitating complex processes and partnerships, which is based on the 35 years of experience, organisational strengths and work methods that Elka has developed and accumulated over the years.

Our expertise and assets include public leadership development and leading change; supporting, guiding and consulting on developing and implementing projects; creating multi-sectorial platforms; deep understanding of, and close familiarity with, the work of senior officials in national and local government and civil society; and a network of connections throughout central government, local government and civil society. We had to use all of those assets to make Mavrik happen.

We partnered with Digital Israel Headquarters and the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Authority. Each brought their connections and experience to the table.

We’re starting every project in the fellowship with a design sprint, a five-day process developed by Google Ventures for answering critical business questions through design, prototyping and testing ideas with customers.

Digital Israel Headquarters brought in vast experience in that field and took the lead on that part of the initiative. The ICT Authority had built MyGov — an online personal platform for citizens to get government services while safely identified.

So, all our projects will be built on the MyGov platform with the help and guidance of ICT staff. We at Elka will facilitate the entire process, while allowing experts to implement their part.

By working together, we created the best solution possible.

Adapt, don’t replicate

Adapting successful solutions is a wise path to take when possible. It helps countries and organisations innovate without reinventing the wheel. But it also comes at a cost.

“Adapting successful solutions is a wise path to take when possible. It helps countries and organisations innovate without reinventing the wheel. But it also comes at a cost”

Learning from others and adjusting existing solutions takes time and effort, and requires resources. The five steps listed above helped us along the way as we shaped a local solution based on an international model.

We did not replicate something — we adapted it to our ecosystem and needs.

— Noa Miller

Picture credit: Bùi Thanh Tâm on Unsplash