This report argues that truly transformational public innovation requires creative decommissioning: actively challenging incumbent service models and mindsets to invest properly in new approaches. As public resources are increasingly precious, creative decommissioning will become a critical
capability for public services.
The research is based on a quantitative survey of over 200 public leaders from local government and health organisations on current drivers and approaches to decommissioning, qualitative analysis of over 60 cases of decommissioning in public services including interviews with key stakeholders, and interviews with informants with a range of perspectives on the issues.