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At the core of innovation management lies disciplined leadership and tactical thinking that strikes a
delicate balance between the performance engine (existing operations) and the innovation engine.
Innovation management is defined as” a combination of the management of innovation processes and
change management. It refers to product, business processes and organizational innovation
“(Wikipedia.)
The value proposition of a successful innovation can never be underestimated, even well managed
companies have failed when faced with disruptive innovations. Imagine what solar powered engines
will do to the petroleum industry? Or most recently what the advent of the Compact Disc did to the
Video/ Audio cassette and vinyl records companies? One man drove Apple to success; two others
created Google and another young man, now a father founded Facebook; these men have changed
the world in ways never imagined.
Well managed companies have fallen when faced with powerful disruptive innovations and certainly
more companies will fold as more and more innovators defy the odds and tread even where angels
fear. Such is the power of innovations changing the completion of the competition in an amazing way.
In this article the author will argue that a more proactive approach that anticipates known and
unknown conflicts and building a strong team can increase the chances of launching a successful
invention.
To push an innovations initiative through the tedious innovation process leadership needs to separate
the innovation team and its operations as far as possible from the existing operations. While at the
same time letting the innovations team’s operations be sufficiently close to the existing operations to
leverage on the existing assets such as brand, finances, networks etc.
It is critical that to mitigate the competition for resources, the innovation team should submit a
separate request for their resources and budgetary needs. The innovation team should pay for the
services of the shared resources and if quantifying the services is not possible they need to pay for
their full costs. Failure to pay for the services provided even though it is an intra -organizational service
will make the leaders of the performance team de prioritize the innovations’ teams’ work. The
Innovation team needs to take into consideration the stage and level of the business in order to
balance agility and scale.
There is an inevitable need to discuss contingency plans with regards to shared services in the event
that growth requires more or vice versa, failure to have one in place might lead to conflicts.
The existing operations have a better argument to spend resources as they are larger, established and
their plans are more quantifiable therefore the innovation team can only promise a bright future. The
odds are against innovation hence the need for a persuasive, collaborative and diplomatic approach
together with the intervention of top leadership.
Conflict management
The innovation leaders should anticipate conflicts and proactively mitigate or neutralize them.
Innovation deals with a high degree of uncertainties whilst existing operations work with a degree of
certainty and budgets are changed by insignificant margins. As the operations’ grows there will be a
high demand of more resources such that the innovations team will have to fight for resources and
even advocating for a higher priority and higher budget. This will bring conflict as a new budget process
is brought into the picture. The leaders of the dedicated team should ensure that they are not viewed
as rivals, antagonists or rebels by the performance engine. Innovation team should consistency be in
touch with the political , economic, social and environmental issues that potentially have an impact
on the business to ensure that it remains relevant and alive
This is key to innovation success and there is need for a dedicated team to be assembled. Their sole
mandate is to push the breakthrough idea through the stages of the innovation process and there has
to be a separation from the team working on the existing operations.
The dedicated team cannot work alone, it requires some interaction with the staff from the existing
operations to give input in a number of key areas especially of leveraging on resources, information
and the brand of the organisation.
The configuration, structure and management of the innovations team is so different from that of the
existing operations hence the need for separation of the teams.
Selection of the team members is critical, the team should be made up of highly talented and highly
energetic people. The key is to identify the skills, hire the best people and organizing their efforts in
such a way that they do not mimic the status quo in the organization. The organisation needs to be
clear of the specific skills (individual skills) and the general skills (innovation skills) that the team will
require. Create a framework or structure in the processes so that flow of ideas, changes or people are
adequately managed.
The leadership of this team should include those that have served on an innovation dedicated team
before, should be politically astute, competent in team and partnership building.
Every organization has a function that is a centre of power. It is critical that the power within the dedicated team
is determined by what is intended to be achieved. The most common areas of expertise of the leaders of the
dedicated team creates the power centre, if most leaders are from a marketing background the team tends to
have marketing as a powerful function within the team. So a balance that tilts the innovation team towards the
specific thrust of the innovation initiative has to be complimented with team members with the relevant
background.
What is key to note is the identification of the function that is the centre of power? Decision whether to shift the
power to where it will yield better results?
7. Tyranny of conformance
Rigidly enforced standardisation is bad for dedicated teams, support functions such as HR, IT, Finance are usually
under tremendous pressure to be cost effective and the obvious panacea to cost reduction is standardize. The
dedicated team should be treated as an exception in this regard.
No matter how good the leader is no amount of coaxing the wrong team will work out as
organisational memory is a powerful force.