Innovation in the intelligent municipality: A theoretical model and perspectives for the future

Abstract

In recent years the development of market economy in Poland has caused that ordinary administration in local communities stopped being effective. Implementation of community management has become very useful. Activities being a part of process of the management of territorial self-government unit can be divided into several kinds. The most important ones are: defining rules of community’s policy and coordination of the realization of local policy and monitoring of the usage of sources and means given to community, verification and control of effects of the realization of local policy aims as well as the introduction of territorial marketing which is to be used to create specific unit’s image and help in its development in a particular region. Unfortunately, elements of management in the modern economy more and more often are insufficient, that is why specialists are looking for new instruments supporting communities’ activities in the region by introducing innovation to create more intelligent municipality. That is why in many TSUs introduction of innovation is a must, not just a need. What is more, innovation inevitably involves a degree of risk because it changes the status quo or contributes towards an alternative future. As such, an appetite for risk and risk management is essential; and risk avoidance is an impediment to innovation. In this regard, a number of agencies have given increased priority to building and maintaining the capability, including the human capital, necessary to take a long-term perspective and to better anticipate and respond to the needs of government and stakeholder groups (Report innovation in the public sector, 2009). That is why the main goal of this article is to determine the model of intelligent TSU at theoretical level.