Innovative Intelligence: The Art and Practice of Leading Sustainable Innovation in Your Organization

Preface

Innovation has emerged as a key source of competitive advantage in today's knowledge economy—yet it is still quite elusive for many organizations. The evidence is clear that despite decades of effort, most established organizations have not figured out how to innovate systematically. We have not had sustainable solutions—practical and reliable programs that deliver long-term, predictable results. Instead, we have had an endless array of partial answers.

The observation that fueled our pursuit of this problem was the contrast between what so many established leaders were saying about the critical need for innovation and what so few were successfully doing. Most CEOs, government leaders, and consultants recognize the importance of innovation; and yet, innovation is still the exception, not the norm. Our question then is: Why is innovation not happening systematically when leaders demand it?

We have found that too many organizations try to improve innovation by focusing on one element at a time, particularly in the area of new products and services. They train individuals, hire more creative people, or create specialized innovation departments. Despite these investments, most organizations have disappointing results. They are left with an alarming innovation gap.

Innovative Intelligence responds to the question: How can we make individuals and organizations systematically and sustainably innovative?

We use a three-part approach as follows:

• Part One defines the root causes ...