The document discusses challenges with promoting innovation within a government workforce due to an entrenched culture of regulation and oversight. While leadership messages support greater communication, workers remain hesitant due to a "us vs. them" attitude toward industry. Early and ongoing interaction between government and industry during requirements development could help address this by facilitating shared understanding and allowing industry to propose better solutions.

10. WORKFORCE

12. ACCESS TO INNOVATION
...the challenge comes from culture. We are trying to promote innovation
but we send a message of regulation and oversight.

13. The message from the top is clearly promoting
communications, but the workforce is still hesitant.
The culture is still ‘we are the government, you are not.’
Having early interaction with industry during
the solicitation process even as we are drafting our
solicitation [is a best practice]. I think the more we
can communicate that requirement and have an
understanding with industry, the more that industry can
internalize it and propose something back.

14. One person picks up a phone and complains so now I have to spend three months gathering information on
something that is not actually a problem. We are beating back a horde of bad ideas. The pendulum has swung too far.

16. CONCLUSION