"A leader must have the courage to act against an expert's advice." - James Callaghan

Let me start by apologizing to all those who clicked on the title expecting to see an actual job solicitation.  Not the case...sorry.  Instead, this post is going to focus on the broader question of what attributes make up an effective Innovation Manager and why so few organizations actually hire those people with the best blend of the aforementioned attributes.

The term, innovation, is one that is open to much debate, discussion and interpretation.  What may be innovation to one organization might be normal operating conditions for another.  The known spectrum of innovation ranges from incremental improvement (eg. iPhone in black or white) all the way up to breakthrough innovations. (ie. new to the world products or complete business model changes)  With such diversity in innovation management approaches and strategies, it can also be safe to assume that those entrusted with the leadership and management would be just as diverse.

Some organizations stick close their respective "knitting" and look for Corporate Scientists who hold PhD's in scientific fields to lead their innovation or R&D areas.  Others look for a more business-driven approach and seek MBA-types who can closely control the financial aspects of continuous improvement or innovation management programs.  Still others seek a more "free spirit" candidate who is more versed in human resources, organizational collaboration, personal creativity and visioning.  The majority, however, seek a more balanced approach to innovation management via process development and culture establishment.  Again, it really depends upon the organization's long-term growth strategy, their tolerance for risk and their internal culture.

As the innovation management field has matured over the past decade, new professionals have emerged who are more generalist in their overall approach to innovation, but also have specific areas of expertise that match their own personal interests and passions.  These people are increasingly being tapped to lead major corporate R&D departments, Innovation Centers of Excellence and Director or VP of Innovation roles.  These people also dominate the consulting arena for innovation management.

There are some typical responsibilities that go with this new leadership role for innovation:

• Manage the innovation agenda throughout the organization, inspiring confidence, excitement and ‘championship’
• Responsible and accountable for the delivery of any assigned innovation projects from ideation & concept development through to launch in market(s)
• Serve as the dedicated innovation community development lead or “innovation partner” internally to the various business units; and externally with key partners, customers, suppliers, etc.
• Develop and manage clear understanding of the roles within cross-functional teams, ensuring that all parties’ responsibilities are clearly communicated, understood and delivered
• Ensure clear, decisive communication within the project team throughout the development process
• Establish and monitor project metrics which will alert teams to problems as early as possible, support division objectives, and emphasize learning rather than control
• Demonstrate the energy and drive required to champion projects through the process, even when hurdles are presented.
• Develop and manage partner engagement strategy (internal & external)
• Balance ‘drive to deliver’ with strong analytical and sound strategic thinking. Be commercially pragmatic, understanding the commercial impact of decisions
• Document key learning achieved during the project, both technical and learning, relative to the project management process
• Manage project budgets for each project and work with the project team for input on initial project budget
• Identify enabling programs, services, tools and technologies associated with the innovation project
• Develop metrics that provide measurable and accountable return on investment for projects
• Prepare and give updates to senior management on major projects

Additionally, there are some starting point qualification requirements that typically include:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field is required
• A minimum of five (5) or more years of progressive experience with innovation roles
• Demonstrated ability to drive innovation in an organization
• Demonstrate excellent project management skills, with a proven track record of successful delivery of projects on time, in line with budget expectations and to strategy
• Demonstrate a strong understanding of the stages of delivering innovation projects with an excellent attention to detail
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally in a fast-paced environment, deliver quickly and adapt to changing demands
• Solid knowledge of innovation and creativity processes and communications and change management methods
• Must be a strategic thinker, adept at crafting conceptual and creative solutions, and have experience consulting with senior-level business and technology audiences
• Proven experience in facilitating groups and training others required
• Strong change management skills
• High-energy approach with plenty of drive to succeed
• Demonstrated effective communication skills and ability to build rapport with peers
• Experience with developing performance metrics and reports required
• Computer proficiency with MS Project, Word, Excel, Power Point and Visio

As you can see, a leadership role in organizational innovation initiatives requires a well-rounded person who has a very specific skill-set related to innovation/idea management, a more broad business-based focus and some knowledge of the specific market in which the organization resides.  This is many times referred to as a "T-Shaped" person...or someone who has both depth and breadth.

One of the most disappointing aspects of this discussion is that too many organizations, while seeking many of the exact  same responsibilities listed above, limit their available pool of applicants by requiring too much industry-specific knowledge.  They are, in essence, looking for "I" shaped people.  Why?  Because it is a safe bet in an uncertain time.  "I" shaped people will deliver "safe" innovations like line extensions, incremental improvements, new feature sets, etc.  For example, in my regional labor market, I have seen job listings for Director of Innovation positions that initially read like an organization in search of breakthrough innovation, including a lot of requirements surrounding ideation and development of an Innovation Center of Excellence but later in the listing require a PhD in Dairy Science and years of experience in "line of business" knowledge.  Quite frankly, organizations like this need to make up their mind.  Either they are going to hire true professionals in Innovation Management and establish an efficient and effective innovation program or they are going to hire industry experts who will lead an industry-specific R&D center.  Some leading organizations, however, find a way to balance both concepts.

If your organization is thinking of developing a dedicated position to build, champion and lead an innovation-related initiative, you'll need to consider a number of factors to get you to the "right" person:

• What is your organizational growth strategy?
• What is your innovation strategy that drives your organizational growth strategy?
• What is your organization's definition of innovation?
• Where does that definition of innovation fall on the innovation spectrum? (incremental vs. breakthrough vs. blended)
• Are you looking to establish a true innovation management capability vs. product-specific R&D approach?
• Do I need someone dedicated to this work internally or can I hire a consultant to help or should I use both?

Once you define the kind of innovation management strategy your organization will pursue, you can define the kind of person and skill-set that you will need to achieve that strategy.  There are a number of very skilled people in the innovation management space that are available to help.  Just a little bit of strategic planning and leadership courage/decision making will get you to the right one!