Enabling Innovation with Human Values: A Recipe for Transformation

Abstract

Despite the deluge of innovation knowledge, processes, models, tools and resources… Is it possible we are still in a nascent stage of comprehending the true nature of innovation, and how to enable it across the organization? Can innovation be a catalyst for personal as well as organizational transformation?

Methods of enabling innovation have evolved over the last decades into three distinct yet interconnected versions. The time has arrived for the emergence of Innovation Enablement (IE) 3.0, which puts the power, responsibility, knowledge, and tools for innovation at the fingertips of every employee – with a common language and understanding, integrated productivity tools, and processes that can be used throughout the organization.

Innovation Enablement 3.0 is a game changer. It will first be a means of industry leadership, but eventually it will become a required core competency for any organization just to be in the game. However, changing the game does not necessarily mean transforming it. Human values elevate Innovation Enablement 3.0 from a game changer into a transformative force. They provide the “hard stuff” of good character and courage it takes to transform the what, why, and how of innovation.

How do we enable innovation with human values as a recipe for transformation… fostering the mindset, behaviors and opportunities for people to innovate to their highest capacity?

After setting the stage for Innovation Enablement 3.0, this chapter answers those questions with a recipe that can transform the way we innovate. Each of the 10 ingredients is suffused with human values, the driving force for moving Innovation Enablement 3.0 into the transformational realm of a quadruple bottom line: people, planet, prosperity, and principles.