Leadership and Innovation

Introduction

• Key Challenge: Lack of appropriate leadership is a major reason organizations struggle with innovation and agility.
• Historical Perspective: Over the past century, the concept of leadership has evolved.

Historical Evolution of Leadership at Harvard Business School

• 100 Years Ago: Leadership was about setting direction and ensuring people followed.
• 40 Years Ago: Shifted from strategy to vision, inspired by thought leaders like John Kotter and Warren Bennis.
• 2000s: Emphasis on shaping culture and capabilities alongside vision, due to the increasing importance of innovation.

Modern Leadership for Innovation

• Co-creation: Transition from leading with a vision to getting people to co-create the future.
• ABC of Leadership:
  1. A - Architect
  2. B - Bridger
  3. C - Catalyst

Role of Architect

• Purpose: Build the culture and capabilities necessary for collaboration, experimentation, and learning.
• Key Concepts:
  • Collective Genius: Innovation results from the collaboration of individuals with diverse expertise.
  • Unleashing Genius: Leaders must harness and leverage the diverse talents within their organization.
  • Focus on Possibilities: Encouraging people to think about what they could be doing, not just what they should be doing.

Role of Bridger

• Purpose: Connecting the organization with external talent and tools necessary for innovation.
• Key Points:
  • Innovation Across Boundaries: Organizations are part of a web of interdependencies; innovation requires external partnerships.
  • Building New Units: Leaders often need to create or lead units that serve as bridges between the inside and outside of the organization.
  • Corporate Accelerators and Labs: Examples of structures that support bridging roles.
  • Digital Partnerships: Even digital-first organizations need external digital partnerships for capabilities like the cloud.

Role of Catalyst

• Purpose: Accelerate co-creation across the entire ecosystem for greater innovation.
• Reasons for Catalysis:
  • Other organizations need to innovate to create something you need.
  • Increasing overall capability in the ecosystem benefits everyone.
• Example: Enhancing cybersecurity among clients improves your security.
• Interconnectedness:
  • Catalyst and bridger roles are interconnected.
  • Example: Pfizer's leadership fostering deep commitment and mutual influence with vendors and consortia.

Practical Applications

• Influence Without Authority: Leaders must influence through culture and capability shaping, not formal authority.
• Mutual Trust and Commitment: Effective innovation requires deep trust and commitment, not just control.
• Voluntary Innovation: Innovation cannot be mandated; it must be voluntarily embraced by the team.