The role of leadership in building innovation capability is
represented in a following way -
- Innovative Leaders Have a Vision of the Future, looking not
just for immediate success but also at long-term goals.
- Innovative Leaders Establish Trust in their employees, which
will be reflected back on themselves. Employees who trust
leadership are more likely to think of alternative ways to conduct
their business.
- Innovative Leaders Challenge the Status Quo, relying not on the
safe and comfortable path but on their future vision to make
decisions.
- Innovative Leaders Possess Expertise in the area that requires
innovation, both knowing the details of where their organization
stands when it comes to technology, and displaying a professional
curiosity about where it could go.
- Innovative Leaders Set Aspirational Goals, challenging their
employees to reach high rather than simply duplicating last year's
performance. This quality has to go hand in hand with giving
employees leeway and freedom to achieve these goals.
- Innovative Leaders Move Quickly. In fact, the research found a
clear correlation between speed of execution and degree of
innovation—the 10% fastest leaders were also in the top percentile
for innovation effectiveness.
- Innovative Leaders Crave Information, recognizing that relevant
facts can drive innovation. Asking good questions and listening to
the responses is crucial.
- Innovative Leaders Excel at Teamwork, putting their own
self-interest to the side in the interest of collaboration and
group-based value creation.
- Innovative Leaders Value Diversity and Inclusion. Similar
viewpoints lead to the danger of groupthink, whereas differing
experience and opinions act as fuel for the creative process.