What does a director of innovation do?

This person is likely a visionary, whose aim is to enable great ideas in the given framework of the company ? They work closely with different departments like R&D, marketing, and production to turn innovative concepts into tangible solutions. Their role is crucial in ensuring that these ideas are not only innovative but also feasible and aligned with the company's strategic goals. Lots of things on the plate!

When I did this at O2 / Telefonica my role was really to be the chief irritant and also bridge builder. Oftentimes when you challenge the status quo at big enterprises you will pay a political price so you need to be ready and fearless about that outcome. Good leadership embraces this person and protects them but you will have your enemies. Overall bring in the new and try to find the right people in the org to get it implemented. Its a political role in the end.

A Director of Innovation is the driving force behind an organization's creative evolution. They craft and guide the innovation strategy, ensuring it's in harmony with the company's overarching goals. More than just managing projects, they cultivate an ecosystem where new ideas flourish, pushing boundaries to turn unconventional concepts into tangible solutions. Their role is pivotal in transforming the workplace into a hub of creative thinking and experimentation, continuously assessing the innovation landscape to adapt and thrive in a dynamic market.

I learned there's a deep, inescapable tension in this role, because: 1. You're expected to drive transformational change and deliver new growth within the company. And yet... 2. Nobody will thank you for pointing out the ways in which *they* need to change, to achieve these outcomes. The role demands that you be an expert bridge-builder, a smooth diplomat, a deeply creative problem-solver and, you guessed it, a great storyteller. Indeed it's only by expressing a radical vision, and by inviting everyone along on your journey (the dinosaurs AND the hipsters), that you can make a long-lasting impact as Innovation Director.

- Strategic Leadership: Set and refine the innovation vision, goals, and priorities, aligning it with corporate strategy and values. - Cultural Architect: Cultivate an environment where creativity and experimentation are the norms, encouraging every team member to contribute innovative ideas. - Portfolio Management: Oversee the innovation project portfolio, ensuring a balanced allocation of resources and mix of initiatives that support immediate and longer-term objectives. - Gatekeeper: Act as the primary point of contact for vetting new ideas and technologies, challenging assumptions, and testing prototypes.

Innovation directors instill a culture of courage, creativity and care. Boyd pioneered fighter jet tactics through continuous learning and rapid iteration. He challenged bureaucratic military culture that prized hierarchy over creativity. Boyd’s OODA loop framework emphasized adaptability - constantly re-evaluating the changing situation faster than opponents. He catalyzed innovation by empowering pilots to design tactics matched to emergent battlefield needs, not rigid plans. Boyd connected deeply with people’s passions. Boyd recognized that innovation depends on a courageous spirit of experimentation. Titles meant little - he led through the integrity of his example.

When I was heading Innovation at Deutsche Bank in Americas, the connection and network externally to the ecosystem (Venture Capital, Accelerator, other Innovation function) as well as internally (business and unit heads) was mission critical. Connecting internal usecases (challenges/opportunities) with the best innovative solution.

It is very important to understand the system at abstract level in terms of business, direction of the company, all functions of business so that he/she can strategise and prioritise the resources in such a way get going on the short term mid term and long term plans

A Director of Innovation is a strategic thinker who acts as a "Connector" between various departments and external partners. They possess strong communication skills to inspire and unify diverse teams. Their competencies include creative problem-solving, trend analysis, and the ability to generate and implement innovative ideas. They must think visionary to explore new paths and position the company for the future. This role requires adaptability and the capacity to link knowledge from different areas, creating synergies and driving sustainable innovations.

One of the biggest challenges for an innovation director is leading beyond the vision. Teams need to be engaged and motivated to collaborate cross-functionally, therefore continuous communication about the vision, mission, the why and how is necessary to keep the teams motivated. Resistance to change is indeed an issue for many leaders, however with a strong communication strategy, vision, action plan, and putting a management system in place to measure performance that will help tracking results, resistance can be avoided/mitigated. Building an innovation culture and mindset within the organisation will further strengthen collaboration and will reduce stress and therefore resistance.

Overcoming the valley of death, being patient while we go through some failed experiments, and having people in the team who are counter culture mean we need a measurement framework. One that gives senior people confidence while todays results look average. I think in terms of demonstrating awareness, ideas, customer engagement, talent development, value of the new idea/business before I focus on sales/MRR. Establishing the framework early allows the freedom to operate.

There are no failures, there is only learning. This is the culture that the director of innovation needs to instill in every part of the organisation. The challenge is the pressure of “short termism” which is a false expectation. The recommendation is to establish two innovation pipelines: one centred on execution and short-term vision, and the other dedicated to long-term strategies informed by research, market trends, and perspectives extending beyond the two-year horizon. This dual-pipeline approach aims to effectively address both immediate needs and future considerations, providing a balanced and comprehensive framework for innovation within the organization.

In my experience, culture is one of the main challenges when we are talking about Innovation. For that reason, is very important to have the innovation areas away from day-to-day work, and focus them on understanding customer needs and having a clear strategic vision, these is crucial, because guarantees the success of the organization. On the other hand, it must be aligned with the business areas, involving them in all developments, in order to have expert visions and allow better adoption of new ideas.

As the Director of Innovation at a Big 4 firm, I had the opportunity to rapidly enhance my professional profile, work across various domains (cross-service lines), and gain easier access to the market through our company's existing relationships. Another significant advantage was not having to worry about managing the team's payroll. However, the challenge that became my nightmare was the 'Exit Plan'. Ideally, as an Innovation Director, my role in a particular innovation topic should conclude after achieving early success and just before the scaling phase begins. Unfortunately, this approach does not align with the business model of my company. Consequently, the role of innovation gradually diminished.

In my professional journey, I've observed that leaders in innovation must invest substantial energy in fostering in-house cross-functional collaboration. They work intimately with diverse departments such as R&D, marketing, and product development, ensuring the seamless integration of innovative solutions throughout the business. Additionally, nurturing relationships with external partners is crucial. These external resources often act as catalysts for innovation, bringing fresh perspectives and ideas that can ignite transformative changes within the organization.

I’ve been close to the action many times, so follow a simple guidance: 70% of your energy should be on 1 degree from your core business. That’s safe zone. We can lose a few, but the few that succeed pay the bills and some. 20% on 2 degrees from core. If one of the seeds are promising, go big, otherwise, lose small. The remaining 10%? Go wild. Little risk but, maybe, there’s a unicorn around the corner…

In my opinion a success for a Director of Innovation is making their own job obsolete in the end as innovation becomes a part of company culture and is present in everybody’s job!

A director of innovation is like a captian of a ship in turbulent sea. Director has to keep the team together and their spirits high. Instigate the team members to generate ideas and also facilitate the process of flowing generated ideas through turbulent process of transformation of ideas into innovations. There is a need to constructively challenge ideas on its workability and viability to mould it into a robust innovation having potential of becoming an enforceable intellectual property innovation. Continuous motivation through due recognition of team members for every generated ideas irrespective of its reaching to the point of innovation or commercialization is the key to institutionalisation of innovation culture as a way of life