Flexible Team
A non-bureaucratic work model to mobilize talent and strengthen innovation in the public sector.
Context and Challenge
Public organizations increasingly face complex challenges that require new forms of collaboration and better use of the competencies available in the public service. Traditional structures and formal personnel mobility processes often restrict civil servants from applying their skills beyond their home units.
What Are Flexible Teams
To address this challenge, in 2020, LA-BORA!gov developed the Flexible Teams model. The initiative enables civil servants to dedicate part of their working hours to temporarily support projects, strategic missions, or emergency situations in other teams or organizations without formally changing their position or home unit.
How the Model Works
The model connects civil servants’ skills and interests with relevant public sector challenges. By participating in a Flexible Team, they apply knowledge in new contexts, collaborate across teams, develop new competencies, and contribute to improved public service solutions.
Recognition and International Influence
In 2021, Flexible Teams received the 25th Innovation Award in the Brazilian Public Sector, granted by the National School of Public Administration (Enap). The approach has also attracted international interest and inspired similar initiatives, such as the implementation of the model by the Government of Chile.
International Partnership
We also established a partnership with the government laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT GOV/LAB), with the objective of exploring future-of-work scenarios and inspiring governments around the world. The study will become part of MIT’s global government innovation platform.
Institutionalization and Regulation
As part of its institutionalization process, the initiative has been incorporated into the Management and Performance Program (PGD), a management model of the Brazilian federal public administration oriented toward deliverables and results. In this context, civil servants can dedicate part of their working hours to new projects or missions aligned with institutional objectives. Concurrently, a regulatory framework is being developed to strengthen institutional support and facilitate adoption by other organizations.
Applications and Impact
Currently, the laboratory has nearly 2,500 civil servants registered in its candidate database to collaborate on its projects, and the model has already been replicated in 15 organizations and units of the Brazilian public administration. The initiative has been disseminated through mentoring, guides, and learning activities conducted by LA-BORA!gov.
The Flexible Team has also been scaled across the country. The ImpactaGov project and Janela do GNova/Enap recruited public servants inspired by the Flexible Team. Within MGI, SEGES, SGPRT, and SGD are also using these new work models. Even the judiciary and state governments have already started experimenting with the Flexible Team, as shown by the TRT5 experience in Bahia.
The model has demonstrated potential in crisis contexts. During the floods that affected the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul in 2024, Flexible Teams were mobilized to support civil defense actions and assist the affected population. Civil servants, driven by a sense of duty and solidarity, applied their skills in the service of the disaster response. This experience showed how the government can rapidly mobilize competencies and deliver agile responses in critical situations.
Flexible Team
Public servants who work with LA-BORA!gov on an ongoing basis, in projects or services, with a weekly workload agreed upon by the parties, while always maintaining their original employment link and original work unit.
Free-LAs!
Public servants who work with the team on a flexible, as-needed basis. After registering, they may be invited to contribute occasionally to a project or service, according to their skills and interests. Currently, under the new regulation, they are also considered part of the Flexible Team.
Awards, Inspirations and Other Materials
Award
Flexible teams won the 25th Public Sector Innovation Competition – ENAP (2021). Read the publication featuring all awarded initiatives.
MIT Gov/Lab Article
Read the article developed in partnership with MIT Gov/Lab on how the lab creates space and support for civil servants to innovate.
FAQ
Find answers to common questions about how flexible teams work, how to join, and what to expect.
