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This chapter presents a view of social innovation as a process of knowledge coproduction between interdisciplinary actors. It offers theoretical perspectives of knowledge classification and activity theory as a means of understanding this process. It provides recommendations on how the public sector workforce may be prepared to engage in coproduction to achieve social innovation, considering some of the values and competencies they require and practical ways, through transformational learning and crossing boundary workshops, to achieve this. We present this within the context of a case study social innovation, achieved through collaboration and the coproduction of knowledge between mental health and criminal justice systems collaborating to develop social innovations to address poor mental health in offender populations.

In Innovation in the Public Sector, Willumsen, E., Ødegard, A. Sirnes, T. (in press)