The Politics of Innovation

Crossing the Innovation Bridge Connecting Theory to Reality Malcolm De Leo

Overview
The Innovation Bridge : Path to change
Culture : Moving towards seamless function
Politics : Breaking down the issues
When is innovation in danger?
Who are you dealing with?
Case Study: Navigating the political waters
What makes it die?
What makes it live?
How can you learn to navigate the landscape?

The Bridge to Innovation – Foundation for Change Successful Innovation is grounded understanding where your organization is lacking Process + The Needed Order - Opportunity Loss Organizational Structure + The Needed Order - Opportunity Loss Functional Execution + Innovation Reality - Driven by Tactics Theory + Great Impact - Low $$$ Value The Bridge to Reality You can have great Innovation Theory or Process… You can have the Innovative Structure or Executional Excellence… But without navigating organization politics or culture...The Impact is Diminished! Politics/Culture + Speed it Up - The Death of Change

Driving Towards an Innovation Culture An enlightened innovation culture is one that trusts its people’s ability to lead the strategic direction of the organization
Create – Innovation push into an organization/customer
Enable – Innovation pull from an organization/customer
Create Enable Do For Me Do With Me Untrusting Tactical Inefficient Collaborative Strategic Functional Trusting Tactical Functional Trusting Strategic Efficient
Do With Me – A state where the accountable wants to exert a close relationship to the work
Do For Me – A state where the accountable trusts a person/team to lead decision making

Where Politics Play During Innovation Creation Understanding where the danger lies will help one successfully innovate Identify Innovation Create Proposal Plan Proposal Sell Proposal Implement Proposal Market Needs Competitive Intelligence Technology Strategy Develop Strategy Determine Breadth Identify Standards Legitimize Proposal Develop Case Develop Metrics Identify Stakeholders Align Allies Pre-Sell Stakeholders Gain Line Alignment Improve Proposal Sell Upward Clarify Plan Create Timelines Develop Resources Do the Work Identify Improvements

Basic Political Archetypes Who are you dealing with? Fence Sitting Revisionists Hammers Collaborators
Work together to win
Flexible partners
Share the credit
Push other’s agenda
Cooperative to a fault
Scale Builders
Indecisive
Subordinate
Risk Averse
Very Politically Active
Opinion Switchers
Credit Thieves
Relentless
Action-oriented
Confidence of position
Judgmental
High body count
Decisive

Clorox Case Study: Technology Strategy Process Integration
Internal Challenge : A team is asked to develop a SBU technology strategy to help re-invigorate a very dry pipeline
SBU Interests :
Create an technology strategy that delivers short, medium and long term technology leads for new products
Own the success of the effort
Innovator’s Interests :
Build a new functional capability that is reproducible and not merely a one-off effort.
Utilize opportunity to further drive Clorox corporate culture towards one of open innovation (through new tools)

The Political Playing Field
Negative Forces
Differing Agendas : Effort represents SBU versus Corporate Interests
Boss is afraid of change : SBU Stakeholder is a fence-sitting revisionist
Turf Issue : Innovator’s boss recently completed a one-off strategy process
Understanding : SBU counterpart does not grasp innovators’ higher order interests
Stay off my Turf : Innovation Co-Lead is the expert at innovation toolbox and doesn’t trust others easily
Positive Forces
Encountered the desperate : SBU leader under pressure to fill a very dry pipeline
Strong Ally : SBU counterpart is an major ally
Professional Credibility : Innovator has credibility at leveraging external technologies/partnerships
Motivated Ally: Innovation Co-Lead was recently given no credit by Innovation boss for one-off strategic process
Kindred Spirit : Innovation Co-Lead fills the innovator’s blindspots
Understanding Interests ’: Innovator’s boss is just that…the boss

Political Strategy: Create/With Details along the way…
The Process – Key highlights
Created ownership – SBU scientists critical
Leverage what exists – Internal innovation tools/partnerships were utilized
Broke new ground – used project to test novel capabilities
Key political mantra’s used along the way
Understanding the decision-makers type – I stayed away from the SBU leader and let my SBU counterpart handle it
Utilized opposite-minded partners – The team all brought its individual strengths to the effort
Find bolt-on opportunities – New tools were integrated into the initial interest of a technology strategy
Sell high informally – Seized opportunity to take the corporate process to VP R&D to ensure it remained big
Success has many parents, failure is an orphan – Always expected others to jump on board which

The Results: A New Capability
The Business Output :
At recommendation :
7 technology projects created
Pipeline filled with feeders for 7 years
3-5 patents filed
After 2 years :
6 projects created from technical insights with over $30MM NCS projected in 18 months
The Process Results
Process won Global R&D Innovation award in 2007
Process enabled 4 new innovation tool partnerships to blossom
Process is now R&D best practice for developing technology plans
3 other SBU projects completed in the last 2 years
2 technology platform strategies developed over the same period

Politics Kill Innovation Because… Poor Influence Risk Aversion Personal Issues Interest Issues
They don’t…
understand it
see the value for them
believe you are right
have enough data
They have…
been influenced
a boss who’s afraid of it
fear of the risk of innovation
had a similar bad experience
They don’t…
care about it
have the same agenda
capacity to support it
see the value vs. other work
They have…
issues with you personally
allies with issues with you
Issues with people on their turf
distrust of your motives/interests

Great Innovators are often successful because… Data Drivers Power Drivers Personal Drivers Influence Drivers
They have…
leveraged corporate culture
made big issues small
strong standards
clearly articulated plan
They have…
unseen influence
risk tolerant client
decision-making authority
created hierarchical cascade
They have…
successfully built a supportive coalition
understood others’ interests
encountered the desperate
access to decision makers
They have…
a successful track record
professional credibility
strong allies/relationships
found an innovation kindred spirit

The Innovator’s Political Mantra Gaining self awareness is key to successfully creating and realizing Innovation value
Preparation
Know thy Client
Understand decision-makers personality types
Know why you shouldn’t do it
Success has many parents failure is an orphan
Communication
The Concept-Approach principle
It’s your fault they don’t understand
Know when to start selling and when not to
Never innovate by article or book
Influence
Sell high informally
Patience is a virtue
Learn how to lead the horse to water to drink
Sell you ideas in bits and pieces
Collaboration
Always support your allies
Look for opposite-minded partners
Find bolt-on opportunities
There is enough credit to go around

The Politics of Innovation

by Malcolm De Leo on Feb 01, 2011

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