In this book, we will explore innovation leadership. Innovation is one of the most important success factors in modern businesses and society. The importance of human innovation can be traced back to our time as hunters and gatherers when we began to use early tools as primitive technologies. These tools became one of our first human innovations. At some point, people decided to develop civilization, live in groups, and survive together in communities, another significant innovation. As these communities began to trade with one another, early innovations in business, such as simple currencies, began to develop. Early peoples explored, established trade routes, and discovered new ideas and cultures.
By our very nature, people create. We build, we design, we draw, we harmonize, we dance, we help, we protect, we plant, we study, we discover, and we write. When we look at the world around us, it is filled with innovations now and from our past. Like the pyramids of Egypt, historical innovations are a great source of study, inspiration, and awe, when defining human potential. When Johannes Gutenberg applied his skills as a blacksmith to create movable type and the modern printing press, he created an innovation that enlightened society. People were able to learn and be inspired by writings that drove our ability to create in many different disciplines across many different cultures. In this same spirit, the internet has created an interconnected society.
People like Johannes Gutenberg are innovation leaders. They are those imaginative people that help to develop and communicate new ideas. No matter how big or how small, if it is useful, the innovation may help to support progress in society. There are innovation leaders in all walks of life, and in this book, we will describe best practices that can be used to support innovation leadership. The book is organized in two parts. In Part I, we discuss the basic concepts of innovation leadership such as the CREATE Model of Innovation Leadership, the competencies of innovation leaders, followership, synergy in innovation network teams, building a culture of continuous innovation, and funding innovations. In Part II of the book, we describe innovation leadership success stories in the arts, the private sector, education, sustainability, cultural relations, agriculture, the public sector, and health care.
Many early explorers set out on their journeys to discover new trade routes, even discovering America along the way! They helped to establish the foundation for the modern global economy. Entrepreneurs rely on innovation in order to create new businesses. Likewise, many non-profit organizations rely on innovation in order to support their cause. Artists rely on innovation for expression. Corporations rely on innovations to grow or improve performance. Thus, innovation remains an important part of the modern economy for an organization’s growth, cultural development, or survival. More importantly, it is an important part of humanity. On behalf of the editors and chapter authors of this book, we hope you enjoy exploring innovation leadership.
Dr. David G. Gliddon