Innovation management in an Agile Enterprise

Abstract

This chapter looks at the key role innovation must play within an enterprise faced with uncertainty in a rapidly changing global environment. To set the scene, we briefly discuss the macro-economic trends that make innovation mandatory, not a luxury These trends lead to fundamental changes in the nature of innovation from a purely product or service focus to continuous and holistic creativity in all aspects of business. To succeed the enterprise becomes an "innovation engine". This demands new management skills-skills that most of you will not have learned as, even now, they are just appearing in education curricula. You will gain insight into these "new" innovation forms through some short cases illustrating the seven major new attributes that successful "innovation engines" exhibit. We also discuss how, as managers, you can lead your corporate culture to support continuous and agile innovation. Finally, you will learn how innovations in innovation management itself can be used to mine the know-how, experience, and creative capacity of your organization in real-time while underpinning a supportive culture.