LEADERSHIP: This question is asking about the importance of leadership in the innovative

organisation. Its worded in such a way as to suggest that leadership is important but then so
are lots of other things. What do you understand by leadership? Dont slip into a long
account of this complex notion but it is helpful to write and think with a robust definition.
What are these lots of other things that are important and where might you rank leadership
in a list of them? Top? Middle? Bottom? Or perhaps its importance changes over time and
across situations (if this is the case why and how?). Have a look at Unit 3 in the Module
Handbook and the accompanying overview notes and Reading. Use your understanding of
leadership as a concept and reflect on its significance and importance vis--vis all the
elements and aspects of an innovative enterprise. CLUE: At one extreme in certain situations
leadership might be THE independent variable from which all else flows dynamic,
charismatic and transformational leadership is dominant and all the other factors are
dependent variables. In other situations perhaps not?
Leadership is addressed in Unit Three where we look at the components of an innovative
organisation. There may be relevant material elsewhere (of course you have to decide what is
relevant).
INNOVATION STRATEGY: All the textbooks stress that innovation can and
should be planned for. Strategic management textbooks say exactly the
same thing enterprises should plan so there is nothing novel about
innovation planning. There is a question though about how innovation
planning and strategic management planning generally relate to each
other. My view (you might disagree) is that innovation planning should not
be regarded as a separate activity but one entwined with and part of
strategic planning generally. Innovation should be an automatic
consideration built into the planning cycle through culture, routines and
acknowledged priorities the Blackpool thru a stick of rock approach.
That said, the question is asserting that having a strategy vis-a-vis
innovation is THE key to innovation success. Get a strategy and innovation
is guaranteed. Have a look at Unit 4 in the Module Handbook and the
accompanying overview notes and Reading. Think how this big statement
can be challenged. Is the strategy well-designed in terms of its sequential
elements SEARCH, SELECT and so on? Moving from the strategy itself to
the context of planning we might remind ourselves that sometimes
enterprises call themselves innovative on the basis of R & D spending
when in fact the spending is not well-focused and the organisation lacks
the structural, procedural and cultural underpinning of an innovative
organisation. Is there any kind of parallel here with innovation strategy?
CLUE: Does all innovation come from and is the result of having a
strategy?
INNOVATION STRATEGY: All the textbooks stress that innovation can and should be
planned for. Strategic management textbooks say exactly the same thing enterprises should

plan so there is nothing novel about innovation planning. There is a question though about
how innovation planning and strategic management planning generally relate to each other.
My view (you might disagree) is that innovation planning should not be regarded as a
separate activity but one entwined with and part of strategic planning generally. Innovation
should be an automatic consideration built into the planning cycle through culture, routines
and acknowledged priorities the Blackpool thru a stick of rock approach. That said, the
question is asserting that having a strategy vis-a-vis innovation is THE key to innovation
success. Get a strategy and innovation is guaranteed. Have a look at Unit 4 in the Module
Handbook and the accompanying overview notes and Reading. Think how this big statement
can be challenged. Is the strategy well-designed in terms of its sequential elements
SEARCH, SELECT and so on? Moving from the strategy itself to the context of planning we
might remind ourselves that sometimes enterprises call themselves innovative on the basis
of R & D spending when in fact the spending is not well-focused and the organisation lacks
the structural, procedural and cultural underpinning of an innovative organisation. Is there
any kind of parallel here with innovation strategy? CLUE: Does all innovation come from
and is the result of having a strategy?