Innovation is a key source of competitive advantage, but it remains frustratingly elusive for many organizations. This book shows you how to close the innovation gap by making individuals and organizations systematically and sustainably innovative. You will learn how to embrace a culture of innovation and make it permeate every level of the organization. You will find a clear road map and practical tools to redefine your workplace's culture, identify and tap into the existing innovative intelligence, and develop leaders who can close the innovation gap for greater business success.
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments xi
Preface xv
A Description of the Book Innovative Intelligence xvii
Who Should Read This Book xx
How to Read This Book xxi
Part One: Closing the Innovation Gap 1
Chapter One: The Innovation Gap 3
The Innovation Challenge 4
What Is Innovation? 5
Innovative Thinking Makes Innovation Happen 7
The Evidence Is in—We Are Underachieving 9
Try It Another Way 14
Conclusion 16
Chapter Two: Leading Through Complexity 17
Why Complex Issues Are So Challenging 18
Complicated vs. Complex Issues 20
Common Mistakes 25
Conclusion 29
Chapter Three: Accessing Innovative Intelligence 31
Intelligence: Who Knows? 32
Leaders Require Three Intelligences 35
Leaders Need to Think About Thinking 41
Conclusion 44
Chapter Four: Eclipse Of Innovative Intelligence 47
Eclipse #1: The School System Made Me Do It 47
Eclipse #2: The Analytical Intelligence Paradox 51
Eclipse #3: Impact of High Negative Stress 54
Conclusion 60
Part Two: Innovative Thinking 61
Chapter Five: Innovative Thinking: An Overview 63
Characteristics of an Effective Innovative Thinking Model 64
Key Success Factors for Innovative Thinking 67
Conclusion 77
Chapter Six: Step 1: Framework 79
Understanding Framework 81
The Context 82
The “How To . . .?” Question 83
The Boundaries 88
The Type of Solution 92
The Owner or Decision Maker 96
The Project Charter 97
Leveraging the Three Intelligences in the Framework Step 99
The Leader’s Roles in Step 1: Framework 102
Conclusion 105
Chapter Seven: Step 2: Issue Redefinition 107
The Five Areas of Focus in Issue Redefinition 108
Leveraging the Three Intelligences in the Issue
Redefinition Step 119
The Leader’s Roles in Step 2: Issue Redefinition 120
Conclusion 121
Chapter Eight: Step 3: Idea Generation 123
Idea Generation Is a Rigorous Process 125
Stage 1: Prepare Thoroughly 126
Stage 2: Introduce the Process 132
Stage 3: Generate Many Ideas through Divergence 134
Stage 4: Discover Meaningful Solutions through Convergence 141
Working Alone on Idea Generation 143
Leveraging the Three Intelligences in the Idea Generation Step 144
The Leader’s Role in Step 3: Idea Generation 145
Conclusion 146
Chapter Nine: Step 4: Implementation Planning 147
Stage 1: Confirm the Preferred Idea 148
Stage 2: Engage in Risk Analysis and Develop Mitigating Strategies 151
Stage 3: Present the Innovative Solution for Approval 157
Stage 4: Ensure an Effective Handoff to the Team that Focuses on Change Implementation 159
Leveraging the Three Intelligences in the Implementation Planning Step 160
The Leader’s Role in Step 4: Implementation Planning 161
Conclusion 162
Part Three: Making Innovation Happen 165
Chapter Ten: Making Innovation Happen: An Overview 167
Four Essential Organizational Enablers to
Make Innovation Happen 169
Sustaining Innovation 173
Conclusion 175
Chapter Eleven: Leading Innovation 177
Leading Self 179
Leading Innovation Teams 184
Leading Intact Work Units 187
Leading Enterprises for Innovation 193
Conclusion 199
Chapter Twelve: Culture Of Innovation 201
What Is Culture? 203
How a Culture Can Suppress Innovation 205
What Is a Culture of Innovation? 206
How an Existing Culture Can Be Transformed to a
Culture of Innovation 211
How to Develop a Leadership Culture of Innovation 222
Conclusion 224
Chapter Thirteen: Organizational Practices For Innovation 225
Executive-Level Organizational Practices 226
Organizational Practices in Core Functional Areas 231
Organizational Practices in Support Functional Areas 237
Innovation-Specific Organizational Practices 242
Conclusion 251
Chapter Fourteen: The Innovation Plan 253
Guiding Principles for an Innovation Plan 254
Key Elements of an Effective Innovation Plan 255
How to Develop the Innovation Plan and
Who Should Lead It 264
When Should an Innovation Plan Be Developed? 265
Pulling It All Together 266
Index 269
About The Authors 281
About the Author :
Dr. David S. Weiss is President and CEO of Weiss International Ltd., a firm specializing in innovation, leadership, and Human Resources consulting. Previously Chief Innovation Officer in a multinational consulting firm, David’s current university positions include Affiliate Professor at the Rotman School of Management of University of Toronto, and Senior Research Fellow of Queen’s University. David is a sought-after keynote speaker who has presented at over 200 conferences and is the author or co-author of four best-selling business books: Leadership Solutions (2007), The Leadership Gap (2005), High Performance HR (2000), and Beyond The Walls of Conflict (1996). For more information, visit www.weissinternational.ca.
Claude P. Legrand is the founder and President of Ideaction Inc., a consulting firm which specializes in sustainable innovation. For over 20 years he has been one of North America’s leading experts in practical innovation and is an acclaimed and frequent conference presenter. He leads a team of experienced consultants who help organizations become innovation-capable and deliver major innovation projects. In 2007, he was the founding Program Director of the Centre of Excellence in Innovation Management at the Schulich Executive Education Centre. For more information, please visit www.ideaction.net.
