A Platform Innovation in Public Service

Abstract

This study concerns a case of public–private collaboration in elderly care in Gribskov municipality in Denmark. Gribskov has been a frontrunner and driver in public–private collaboration in Denmark. It is situated north of Copenhagen in the capital region and has approximately 40,500 inhabitants. The interesting aspect of the case study is the attempt to change the approach to public–private collaboration from focusing mostly on price, efficiency and the disaggregation of public hierarchy towards including development, innovation and collaborative activities among private and public companies. The case study illustrates that, under certain conditions, a “platform organisation” could be a relevant framework for public–private collaboration. A platform organisation is an organisation that facilitates collaboration across organisational boundaries and which provides a formative context for experimentation, communication and innovation among them (Ciborra 1996). It considers resources for collaboration, such as a secretariat, expert facilitators and office buildings. The case study also illustrates that a facilitator or broker can play a crucial role in the platform for common innovation activities.