Governments are being pushed to develop new institutional reflexes. Innovation is increasingly about building shared capacity to sense change early and respond with intention, rather than relying on isolated projects or specialised teams. The practice of public innovation is shaped by tensions that cannot be resolved through tools alone. Governments need environments that support steady learning, structures that allow rapid adaptation without losing legitimacy.

CEO Stephanie Wade's article in GovTech discusses building an innovative culture to maximize AI's potential.

Ascendant CEO Stephanie Wade and Jon Freach co-authored a paper exploring design's growth and impact in city government.

Ascendant CEO Stephanie Wade discusses the value and impact of innovation and design in government with Design In Focus.

Join us as we explore Stephanie's unique perspective on driving meaningful change at every level of governance.

Mayor Mochamad Nur Arifin discusses the impact of their participation in the Bloomberg Philanthropies' Innovation Training program.

Ascendant CEO Stephanie Wade breaks down the human-centered design process.

Designers in the public sector need empathy, adaptability, collaboration, creativity, and resilience.

Ascendant CEO Stephanie Wade: While there is little doubt government needs to use innovation skills to tackle complex problems.

An Interactive Debate About What Works and What Doesn’t

Stephanie Wade shares her insights and lessons learned in leading the first of its kind human-centered design innovation lab

Using human-centered design to improve the National School Lunch Program

Stephanie Wade discusses discusses the philosophies often used by designers to create human-centered products.