Mission-driven change
INVI uses missions as a tool to tackle today’s wicked
Mission-driven change brings together a large group of stakeholders around a shared mission, which they pursue from their own respective perspectives
Through coordination, learning, and integration across sectors, we can achieve a common goal: the many small steps will come together to form one giant leap
A wild world is crashing down on us
At INVI, we have experience using missions to solve complex societal problems by setting ambitious yet tangible goals that are worth striving for. Just as the moon landing in the 1960s brought together forces across society for a large-scale mission, missions today can be used to tackle some of the most intractable societal problems: youth disengagement, the technological disruption of AI, and the green transition.
In Denmark, we’re generally good at solving problems. But when the challenges change , our old tools don’t always get us where we need to go. That’s why missions are a valuable tool for driving change in areas such as government and organizations.
When we establish a unifying mission across sectors and levels, we combine existing structures with an increased ability to learn from many “pilot initiatives” rather than creating a single one-size-fits-all model. In this mission-driven approach, we provide direction rather than regulate, we mobilize rather than dictate, and we are willing to learn rather than control.
Missions are used as a problem-solving tool, for example, at the national level in countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia, and Japan, and at organizations such as Google and the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
On this page, INVI shares our insights into mission-driven change—particularly as a policy tool in the political arena. We highlight hard-won lessons from other OECD countries and provide recommendations for further reading and courses.
From mission to moon landing
In Denmark, we have a number of advantages when it comes to using missions to drive change. We have a high level of trust, a well-educated and skilled population, and effective collaboration between the state, municipalities, and private actors. That’s a good start.
However, Denmark’s traditional approach to problems focuses on ministerial accountability, sectoral division, and budgetary control. It works when new roads need to be built, taxes need to be collected, or welfare transfers need to be distributed.
However, the current systems are less effective at addressing complex issues such as young people’s unhappiness, inclusion in public schools, or increasing employment among young people who are neither in work nor in education.
A mission-driven approach can complement traditional policy when the causes and solutions to problems are unclear or diverse—and when there is a need to mobilize a wider range of solutions, stakeholders, and funding streams across sectors.
A well-known example of mission-driven change is the U.S. Apollo program, which culminated in the moon landing in 1969. That is why missions are also referred to as “moon landing projects.”
However, the story of NASA’s moon landing is so famous that it overshadows two important insights: 1) that missions require a willingness to learn and gain wisdom through trial and error; 2) that missions are more about bringing together and coordinating alliance partners than about commanding obedient subordinates.
Learn how to implement missions in your own organization
Would you, your organization, or your company like to learn more about how to put mission-based work into practice? INVI offers both masterclasses and customized programs tailored specifically to you and your organization.
Read more here about our masterclasses for policy entrepreneurs, where we equip you to work in a mission-driven way in practice.
If a masterclass isn’t the right solution for you, please contact Kristine Fisker at kristine@invi.nu to learn about the many other ways INVI can assist you.
Mission-driven change in practice
INVI highlights six key lessons learned from missions in other countries.
First and foremost, missions are much more than just lofty goals and good intentions. Missions require a thorough approach to planning, coordinating, and implementing efforts, whether in national politics, large organizations, or small communities.
You have to think things through very carefully. And you have to learn from the successes and failures of other countries.
❋ Goals worth striving forMissions should give participants something to strive for, and they must be neither too vague nor too mundane. In several OECD countries, missions are either formulated too broadly (“all children should thrive”) or too practically (“two baths a week for the elderly”). But neither the overly vague nor the overly concrete is suitable for missions. They must be able to inspire and motivate many people to help erect a “monument” about which one can say: “We built this—together.”
❋ Requires cross-functional collaboration Without new forms of collaboration between those carrying out the mission and the world they seek to change, missions risk becoming fragmented. No single ministry or organization in society has all the answers. Cross-sectoral collaboration is necessary between the steering committee, the secretariat, and implementing partners in society.
❋ Unity across the missionMissions require a cross-functional unit that can synthesize insights, coordinate sub-missions, and scale the project. Missions involving multiple stakeholders are made possible by a strong internal coordinating unit that has clear responsibility for keeping the effort on track. When there are many cooks in the kitchen, someone is needed to plan the menu, distribute the ingredients, and ensure that everyone contributes to a single, unified meal.
❋ Crystal-clear ownership from the startA team must be assembled—and someone must take the lead. What is everyone’s responsibility often ends up being no one’s responsibility, which is why missions work best when they are clearly anchored in, for example, a steering committee. Working with missions requires clear ownership, which provides direction and ensures progress. You must both dare to take the lead on the mission and, at the same time, delegate responsibility for ensuring that the lessons learned from the many pilot initiatives and sub-missions are captured.
❋ Continuous learning is a prerequisiteMissions that fail have lacked insights from the front lines of the mission. The idea behind a mission-driven approach to problem-solving is precisely that we do not know in advance how the problem should be solved. That is why we must be skilled at trying out solutions, testing them, and learning as we go. To ensure the mission’s success, it is necessary to measure its progress—and to constantly be able to learn from both failures and successes.
❋ Capacity, culture, and competenciesMany missions fail because it is easy to articulate grand visions, but difficult to implement them if you do not have people who understand the mission-driven approach. In the public sector, missions can become yet another task for an already overburdened civil service that must handle day-to-day operations and crises where mistakes are costly. Working with missions often requires different skills and a different mindset, including experiments and trials conducted in close collaboration with citizens and businesses. This requires upskilling employees or inviting experimental capabilities from outside the organization to participate.
Lessons from Apollo 11
NASA’s leadership in the United States was skilled at bringing together diverse groups around a common mission—but this was only possible because stakeholders from universities, the business community, and foundations were willing to participate on their own initiative.
When Kennedy launched the moon mission in 1961, no one had any idea how to get to the moon. But it was clear that realizing the mission would require extensive collaboration and numerous tests.
In fact, many of the key breakthroughs took place outside of NASA. Margaret Hamilton, a computer scientist at MIT, wrote the code for the lunar lander. Whirlpool developed the freeze-dried food for the mission. Both played a crucial role in the success of the moon landing.
Together, these many small steps became the“giant leap for mankind,” as Neil Armstrong, the first person on the Moon, put it.