Loose cannons and rule breakers, or enterprising leaders? Some evidence about innovative public managers

One element of the debate over New Public Management concerns public-sector entrepreneurship. Critics see entrepreneurs as people prone to rule breaki ng, self-promotion, and unwarranted risk taking, while proponents view them as exercising leadership and faking astute initiatives. This article exami nes two samples of the best applications to the Ford Foundation-Kennedy Sch ool of Government innovation awards, one between 1990 and 1994 and the othe r between 1995 and 1998, to see whether they are more consistent with the c ritics' or proponents' views. The second sample closely replicates the firs t, and the evidence from both strongly supports the proponents' views. inno vators are creatively solving public-sector problems and are usually proact ive in that they deal with problems before they escalate to crises. They us e appropriate organizational channels to build support for their ideas. The y take their opponents seriously and attempt to win support for their ideas through persuasion or accommodation.