The conference “Creative Bureaucracy” took place on 27 November 2025, aiming to explore ingenuity and citizen participation within the context of public administration.

The conference “Creative Bureaucracy: Public Administration, Ingenuity and Citizen Participation” sought to open a meaningful dialogue, on how public policies are shaped and implemented in Greece.

The programme was structured around four thematic sessions, examined through the lens of the Iceberg Model, which distinguishes between visible events, recurring patterns, underlying structures, and deeper cultural values within public administration.

Session 1. The tip of the iceberg: Innovative policies in public administration

The first session, “Innovative policies in public administration,” focused on the tip of the iceberg: the level at which we observe events and visible, recurring challenges within public administration. With speakers Nathan Hayduk (Creative Bureaucracy Festival) and Thalia Rizou (among), the session introduced the concept of Creative Bureaucracy and its relationship to innovation and public governance.

Nathan Hayduk, referencing Charles Landry, stated that “you cannot have creative cities without creative bureaucracy,” highlighting the shift from a mindset of “no, because” to “yes, if.”

Thalia Rizou, Policy innovation advisor and director of among, framed the role of public servants in driving change: “You cannot have a creative and sustainable city without a creative bureaucrat who dares to make it happen.”

The key insight of the session was that Creative Bureaucracy is a prerequisite for building sustainable cities. Many of the visible dysfunctions experienced by citizens, such as rigidity or punitive enforcement, do not stem from legislation itself but from how laws are interpreted and applied. Through live interaction, participants initially associated “public servants” with indifference and “bureaucracy” with opacity. As the discussion progressed, a cognitive shift emerged: bureaucracy began to be associated with transparency, while creativity was linked to curiosity and freedom of thought.

 Key questions discussed included:

 Mechanisms and structures: How can administrative systems absorb information in a constantly changing world?

• Human capital: How can public servants’ skills be developed to solve problems creatively?
• Collaboration: How can stable channels be built between public administration, residents, academics, entrepreneurs, and communities?
• Values: How can contemporary values, such as inclusion, participation, and equality, be embedded in public administration?

Session 2. The effectiveness of Creative Bureaucracy.

The second session addressed the Pattern Level of the Iceberg Model, focusing on recurring administrative patterns. Speakers included Manos Kitsellis, Paraskevi Kourti, Nadia Bessa, and Paraskevi Tarani, who explored how policies, procedures, and institutional relationships shape bureaucratic behaviour.

Key insights included:

• The state bears responsibility for educating citizens on how municipalities and public spaces function.
• Policies must not only be understandable but also easy to apply.
• Administrative rigidity can be challenged by clearly communicating vision before demanding accountability.
• Greece lacks a strong culture of institutional collaboration, partly due to structural gaps such as the absence of metropolitan governance.

The session concluded that bureaucratic effectiveness depends on changing the policies and procedures that reproduce negative patterns, alongside fostering long-term planning beyond electoral cycles.

Session 3. Examples of citizens’ participation and key learnings

The third session corresponded to the Underlying Structures level of the Iceberg Model, examining how concrete projects can reshape governance structures to support citizen participation.

Case studies included:

• Municipality of Neapoli-Sykies & mamagaia environmental organisation: Demonstrating how pilot projects can “unlock” rigid administrative processes.
• Municipality of Thessaloniki & MATh S.A.: Highlighting the need for integrated urban development through horizontal and vertical coordination.
• Municipality of Kalamaria & Heinrich Böll Foundation: Showcasing citizens’ assemblies as tools for democratic co-responsibility, while stressing the importance of translating citizens’ proposals into bureaucratic language.

The session highlighted that participation is not automatic and requires trust, clear frameworks, and tangible, small-scale projects to maintain credibility and momentum.

Session 4. Beliefs, perceptions, and stereotypes around active citizenship

The fourth session addressed the Mental Model Level of the Iceberg Model, the deeply embedded beliefs and values shaping behaviour. Ilias Nikolaidis (diaNEOsis) presented findings from the study “What Greeks Believe” (2024).

Key findings included:

• Widespread social distrust: 83.9% believe one must be very cautious in dealing with others.
• Low trust in institutions: Trust in public administration stands at 30.4% in 2025.
• Low political efficacy: Only 37.9% believe they have a say in government decisions.
• Perceived lack of control over the future: 71.5% feel the future is beyond personal control.
• Dominant emotions: Insecurity (49.9%) and disappointment (44.3%), with low optimism.

These deeply rooted mental models undermine active citizenship and collective action. Without trust and perceived impact, participation is seen as ineffective.

Conclusion

The Creative Bureaucracy Conference guided participants through all four levels of the Iceberg Model, revealing the systemic nature of challenges within public administration. From visible symptoms such as the “it can’t be done” mentality, through recurring patterns and structural gaps, to the core issue of deep-rooted distrust, the conference highlighted that meaningful change cannot be achieved through technical reforms alone.

The central conclusion was clear: creative and participatory governance requires a long-term cultural transformation, grounded in trust, collaboration, and systems that allow public servants to work with imagination, safety, and cooperation.

As articulated during the conference: “If we want real change in public administration, we need systems that allow people to do their jobs with creativity, security, and collaboration.”