Concept
Looking at the traditional stages to create a new idea moving from formation, development, to implementation will involve different leadership roles to keep new ideas progressing. Leadership roles needed for entrepreneurs to make their journey successful include entrepreneurial, sponsor, mentor, institutional, or critic roles.
Background
The leadership rhythms for ideas development is a term coined by Van de Ven in his books: Innovation Journey in 2008 and Advanced Technologies in 1986.
How does it work?
There are many leadership roles every innovator needs (Mckeown, 2014)1:
- The entrepreneurial role: is about being the lead obsessive who can lead day-to-day efforts, decide, believe in the project, and inspire others to join and push it forward. This role does not create innovations, as the latter will need more resources and political power to make new ideas successful.
- The sponsor role: is about securing the resources and investments needed for the new ideas to thrive. A sponsor role usually has the power to provide sufficient resources to the new-idea project but is less effective in acting as an entrepreneur, mentor, or critic.
- The mentor role: the one who offers advice and coaching to another project team to improve performance. A mentor isn’t involved in funding the project but advises entrepreneurs to handle challenges, solve issues and encourage the right mindset.
- The institutional role: the one who sets the structures and systems for the project team to make new ideas successful. This role isn’t backing specific ideas but is settling disputes, protecting the organisation’s health, and setting up an operating system and governance.
- The critic role: is the one who encourages deep thinking about alternatives and consequences. As the journey of innovating ideas is unknown and uncontrollable, having someone who provides different views and suggestions on ways forward to make new ideas successful is critical for the innovation project.
- This post is sourced from my new book- Your Guide To Reach Innovation.
- For more information about the book: https://growenterprise.co.uk/your-guide-to-reach-innovation/
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Final note: the book- Your Guide To Reach Innovation, is an actionable guide to innovation from beginning to end. Enjoy reading the book, and I look forward to your reviews.
Author: Munther Al Dawood
maldawood@growenterprise.co.uk
Reference:
- Max Mckeown, 2016. The innovation book, Pearson, UK.
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