The document discusses the importance of innovation leadership in organizations, emphasizing the need for leaders to establish a vision and manage collaborative environments that foster creativity. It highlights the alignment with ISO 56000 standards for innovation management and the necessity of balancing the exploitation of existing resources with the exploration of new ideas. Additionally, it stresses the role of leaders in motivating teams and creating a culture that embraces risk-taking and learning from failure.

1. Volume 22 | Issue 4
Aug - Sept 2021
Viewpoint
Casting Innovation Leadership in
Future Organisation
Innovation Management System brings a greater alignment to Redefine
Innovation Leadership.
By Neelima Joseph & Lokesh Venkataswamy
Innovation has been referred to as a ‘Short Skirt’ that’s been in and out of
fashion: popular in good times and tossed back into the closet in downturns as quoted
by a leading consulting firm, today; it's different as it combines art, science, system,
and people however with increased uncertainty the need for Innovation and
managing Innovation is best achieved with leadership and planning.
By aligning to ISO 56000 Series-Innovation Management Standard framework,
'LEADERSHIP' establishes an innovation vision, strategy, and policy, including the
necessary roles and responsibilities based on the organization's context. Leadership
is one of the factors that affect Innovation in organizations.
The sub-clause in leadership comprises the following:
• Leadership and commitment
• Innovation policy
• Organizational roles, responsibilities, and authorities
To highlight on 'PLANNING,' which is our second knowledge area in this article,
innovation objectives, organizational structures, and innovation portfolios should be
established based on the direction set leadership team and the identified
opportunities and risks.
The sub-clauses of clause Planning are:
• Actions to address opportunities and risks
• Innovation objectives and planning to achieve them
• Organizational structures
• Innovation portfolios
What does leadership mean for Innovation, and why is it important? The role of
leadership is vital and is one of the factors that affect Innovation in organizations. The
reason is that leaders set the stage for Innovation, and they inspire others to act. An
HBR article on creativity and leadership mentions that One doesn’t manage creativity
but manages for creativity. For achieving which a few practices are mentioned.
Innovation
Leadership
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2. "They are
motivated not by
the desire to get
rich but by the
technical
challenges and
romance of the
quest for human
flight" - Meyers
(Referring to Wright
Brothers)
They lead the team with the right people at the right time to the right degree in
creative work. And few of the ways to achieve this is by tapping ideas from all ranks
and not just the top-down strategy because managers must contribute to the
imagination and create an environment of autonomy for employees where there is a
higher bubble of new ideas among the workforces. Another example is the hazard of
not distributing creative responsibilities throughout the organization because it relies
on a single source for ideas. Furthermore, it is also essential to encourage and enable
collaboration and look beyond the "lone inventor myth" because people don't do what
they do since they have been asked to do so, but people do best when a leader can
convey why an idea should be considered and focus later how to do it and what are
the benefits out of the idea. If the leader can explain the "why," the vision is shared,
and the collaboration is smooth. Another way is by defining the "superstar" as
someone who helps others succeed.
Innovation is more likely to happen when people from cross-functional disciplines, age
groups, backgrounds, and areas of know-how share their thoughts. Managers should
identify integration and enhance diversity by also looking for sources of creativity
outside the organizations. One example is that of the Wright brothers - quoted by
Meyer, "They are motivated not by the desire to get rich but by the technical challenges
and romance of the quest for human flight," referring to the Wright brothers who
shared their discoveries and ideas freely even before the potential for aviation was
fully understood.
Scaling Innovation, it is crucial to understand that more layers of management often
lead to bureaucracy, meaning lesser room for experimenting, risk-taking, and learning
from mistakes. An example quoted by Frederic Laloux is about running soulful
organizations by adapting breakthroughs like self-management, with no pyramids,
getting rid of hierarchies, and upgrading to distributed authority, referring to teal
organizations. The idea behind this organizational structure is based on the profound
practice of sensing and responding combined with self-management that leads to a
high level of Innovation. Because Innovation does not happen according to plan but
happens when a change is sensed and ready to experiment to find solutions.
Moreover, leaders can manage Innovation by mapping the different phases of creative
work with the different processes, skill sets, and technical steps needed. And
managing the commercialization handoff is crucial since the idea originator has the
highest passion for an idea, and it's the leader's responsibility to see that the idea does
not lose steam at the handoff and transition.
Adding on to this, the idea of Charles A. O'Reilly and Michael Tushman in "The
Ambidextrous organization" present why big successful companies fail and are failing
at an ever-increasing rate despite having all the resources. Their research found that
successful organizations are trapped by the set of processes, metrics, rewards, and
cultures and fail to shift to change from these previously successful processes with the
changing markets and technologies and are still in the past. A solution for this is the
Create the Future
Viewpoint
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3. Create the Future
Explore-Exploit Continuum which is about juggling between the future and the
present. That is exploiting the existing business by staying close to the customer,
getting better in incremental innovation, and running the cash flow. At the same time,
it is also essential to understand that just because you win today does not guarantee
a win tomorrow. So, to win tomorrow, it is vital to explore the future by collecting
ideas within the organization or searching for a breakthrough. After due diligence, the
idea is funded and are run as venture capitalists to test the market suitability and
proceed or scrap based on the market response. So, it is about experimentation,
embracing speed failure, and rapid adaptation as a culture & process.
One way is by providing intellectual challenge or independence (intrinsic motivation),
salary, benefits, and job security (extrinsic motivation), allowing people to chase their
passion, which involves awareness of individuals' interests and skills. Another best
practice is that motivating people to perform at their peak is exceptionally vital in
creative work. A leader should practice the art of being an appreciative audience who
is a vital and intrinsic motivation to its people because good leaders challenge and
inspire creative work by participating and asking questions.
Embracing the certainty of failure is about experimenting, failing as early as possible,
and learning from the mistakes. Also, creating an environment of psychological safety
is needed to convince employees that it is acceptable to fail and learn.
******
To solve the ‘innovation Puzzle’ of future leaders, we will bring you a series of articles on innovation management systems in
our Viewpoint and the on clause of context, stay ahead for more readings further.
Authors
Neelima Joseph
Professional Innovation Management Specialist, Sweden
Lokesh Venkataswamy
Design Thinker, CEO & Managing Director, India
About Innomantra
Innomantra is a leading Digital, Innovation, and Intellectual property management consulting and services firm. It helps
organizations to design and achieve their digital strategy from idea to implementation, Innovation Management Systems, and
Intellectual property goals by enhancing culture for amplified efficiency and exponential growth.Innovation3x and Discover
Design Thinking describe the philosophy which it believes in, that innovative organizations must identify innovation goals that
seek to achieve a 3x and beyond to boost their performance. Innomantra's signature three-fold approach to innovation that
looks at overall business strategy, people, and functional systems in a digital ecosystem is globally recognized. Innomantra has
a wide range of 50+ clients range from small and medium businesses to Fortune Global 500 organizations. It has a strategic
alliance with global leaders in Digital and Innovation. Innomantra is headquartered in Bengaluru, India, and has a global
presence.
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Leadership
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