INNOVATION AND

LEADERSHIP
(INNOVATIVE
LEADERSHIP)
Innovation Defined
 Derived from Latin innovare which simply means ‘to renew’
 To improve or to replace something – a process, a product or a
service
 In terms of business:
Innovation is a process by which a domain, a product, or a
service is renewed and brought up to date by applying new
processes, introducing new techniques, or establishing successful
ideas to create new value.
 Innovation is about adding value to existing processes,
procedures, ideas and practices
 To innovate is to be ahead of time
 An innovation is a new idea or method, or the use of new ideas
and methods
 Innovation is the development of new products, designs, or
Key Words
 Discuss by mentioning them
 Explain each word
 Apply each term
Assignment 1

1. Differentiate between innovation and creativity

2. Describe your strengths as a leader
Innovation Summary
 Creation of new combinations of existing resources
 Implementation of a new or significantly improved product
(good/service) or process (method/practice/relationship)
 Innovation is the creation and implementation of new processes,
products, services and methods of delivery which result in
significant improvements in outcomes, efficiency, effectiveness
or quality
 The successful exploitation of new ideas or ones that are
adopted from other sectors or organizations’
 Creation and application of good ideas
 A continuous and dynamic process in which ideas are
transformed into value
Summary (Innovation)
 The successful introduction of new services, products,
processes, business models and ways of working
 The development (generation) and/or use (adaption) of new
ideas or behaviours
 The introduction of new elements into a service—new
knowledge, new organization, new management/skills
 Innovations are new and disruptive towards the routines and
structures prevailing
 Innovation is the process by which new ideas turn into practical
value in the world
Creativity Vs Innovation
 There is a relationship between creativity and innovation
 Creativity is the act of conceiving something new
 Creativity is about releasing the potential of the mind to
conceive new ideas
 Innovation is about introducing change into relatively stable
systems
 Innovation is concerned with making an idea viable
 There are 4 types of creativity: deliberate, cognitive;
deliberate, emotional; spontaneous, cognitive; and
spontaneous, emotional (Anne Dietrich 2004: The cognitive
neuroscience of creativity)
 Creativity opens the mind
Creativity/Innovation

 Creativity broadens our perspectives and can help us overcome

prejudices
 On the other hand, innovation ensures progress
 Innovation makes the world competitive
 Innovation responds to ever changing needs and the ever
changing world
Creativity Academic Models
 The creativity models are important in explaining how the
creative process has been analyzed by researchers, academics
and practitioners
 These models are not rules; they are not exhaustive; they may
be biased but nonetheless worth considering
 Plsek, P. (1996) has highlighted several models within the
literature on creativity
 A model, theoretical account, framework or explanation of
something complex– a hypothetical description of a complex
entity or process
 Contemporary researchers, academics and writers have
developed models that embrace the complex aspects of the
creative processes as it encompasses different developmental,
contextual and applicability factors
Creativity Models
 The creative process was presented by Wallas (Wallas, G. (1926)
Art of Thought. Brace and Company, New York, 79) in a five
stage model in 1926 which was one of the first to be developed
and used as a basis for the development of other models
 Wallas believed that creativity was a legacy which allowed
humans to adapt to rapidly changing environments
 Through his five-stage model he explained insights and
illuminations within the creative process
 Critique on the models: there is a range of other ways through
which creative activity and innovation can take place; without
imposing a structured view of how creativity and innovation
takes place and interrelates
Creativity Models
 Only certain people or groupings within society may be creative
 However, everyone has the capacity to be creative
 There are restrictive factors, contexts and environments for
creativity and innovation
 Not all writers agree that the creative process can be shown
through a model
The Wallas Model
Stage Description
Preparation The problem is defined, observed and its
dimensions studied
Incubation The problem is put to one side and
internalized into the unconscious mind
Intimation The creative person gets a “feeling” that a
solution is on its way
Illumination/Insight The creative idea bursts out or emerges from
its preconscious processing into conscious
awareness
Verification The idea is consciously verified, elaborated,
and implemented
Leadership Defined
 Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the
efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal
 Leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act
toward achieving a common goal
 Leadership captures the essentials of being able and prepared to
inspire others
 Effective leadership is based upon ideas—both original and
borrowed—that are effectively communicated to others in a way
that engages them enough to act as the leader wants them to act
 A leader inspires others to act while simultaneously directing the
way that they act
 They must be personable enough for others to follow their orders
 They must have the critical thinking skills to know the best way
to use the resources
Leadership Defined
 Leadership is linked to performance
 Anyone can learn to become a leader by improving particular
skills
 Leadership and management are not the same
 Leadership extends beyond management duties
 managers may or may not inspire the people working under
them, but a leader must inspire those who follow them
 Leaders emphasize innovation above everything else
 A manager seeks to inspire their team to meet goals while rules
 A leader is more concerned with setting and achieving highest
goals—even at the expense of existing structures
Leadership Defined
 A leader encourages radical new ideas from followers
 Managers preserve existing structures because they operate within them
 Managers have less freedom to break rules to meet challenging
goals
 Leaders, on the other hand, operate somehow independently,
which allows them to tolerate a greater amount of chaos, as long
as they believe it will be worth it in the end
 However, a leader’s obsession for innovation must be controlled:
it may create chaos and negative interpersonal issues
 The obsession may also affect the welfare of the followers or the
workforce
 When chaos arises, a manager is more likely capable to smooth
things out among followers by using corporate rules

Leadership Vs Management
Leadership
A leader may or may not be a
manager
Must inspire followers
Emphasizes innovation
May be unconcerned with
preserving existing structures
Typically operates with relative
independence
May be less concerned with
interpersonal issues but
achievement of vision
Leadership vs. Management
Management
A Manager may or may not be a
leader
May or may not inspire those
under them
Emphasizes rationality and control
Seeks to work within and preserve
existing corporate structures
Typically a link in the corporate
chain of command
May be more concerned with
interpersonal issues and system
cohesion and order
Summary
 A leader is somebody whom people follow
 A leader has authority
 For people to accept a leader, his or her leadership must be legitimate
 Because people follow a leader, the leader must make people do things
 A leader makes people work together towards a common goal
 The best leaders seek every opportunity to communicate and mentor others

Essential Qualities of a Good Leader

1. Communication: ability to communicate their vision
2. Vision: ability to see far, to see ahead of followers
3. Empathy: feeling for others, understanding and compassion
4. Accountability: responsibility to those s/he leads
5. Gratitude: appreciating others for their contributions, even the slightest
contributuions
Leadership Models
 Autocratic Leadership Model
1. This classic leadership model is the preferred choice for extreme
environments
2. The downside of this model is the lack of creativity
3. Used commonly in the military, experiments, surgery and food
manufacturing

 Affiliative Leadership Model

1. Promotes positive relationships and harmony between members of a
team
2. Helps solve conflicts from different personalities while maintaining
healthy morale within the group
3. Used commonly in sports, restaurants and food manufacturing
Leadership Models
 Coaching Leadership Model
1. Known to inspire and guide people to generate greater outputs
2. Balances both authoritative and affiliative leadership styles
3. Used in individual and business programmes to train and educate
people
4. Used also by sports teams, staff training and financial consultants

 Democratic Leadership Model

1. The democratic leadership model is great for listening and
collaborating with teams to create a space for brainstorming
2. This style is very common in politics, startup companies, and
universities
Leadership Models
 Pacesetting Leadership Model
1. This model utilizes the lead-by-example theory
2. It is used to get the most out of their highly-motivated workers
in the form of a kind of contest/competition
 Visionary Leadership Model
1. When democratic leadership is not working well, a visionary
model may be the solution 
2. It is used when committing heavily to institutional goals
3. It is commonly used in non-profit organizations and new
projects
4. It focuses on achieving the results
5. It has a long-term focus
Assignment 2

1. Write one advantage and two shortfalls of each leadership model

2. Which leadership model is the best in your opinion, and why?
Important References

1. Taylor, Simon Peter (2017). What is innovation? A study of the

definitions, academic models and applicability of innovation to an
example of social housing in England. Open Journal of Social
Sciences, 5 (11). pp. 128-146
CREATIVE THINKING SKILLS
 Creative thinking is the ability to consider something in a new
way, or a new approach to a problem
 It is the ability to perceive patterns or things that are not obvious
 It means devising new ways to carry out tasks, solve problems,
and meet challenges
 It involves bringing a fresh, and sometimes unorthodox (unusual,
unconventional, uniquely different, non-traditional), perspective to
your work
 Creative thinking is the ability to look at things differently, and
find new ways of solving problems
 Creative thinking is a way of looking at problems or situations from
a fresh perspective that suggests unorthodox solutions (which may
look unsettling at first).
Critical Thinking Vs. Creative
Thinking
 The two are strongly linked
 Critical thinking involves learning to recognise or develop an
argument, use evidence in support of that argument, draw
reasoned conclusions, and use information to solve problems
 Examples of critical thinking skills are interpreting, analysing,
evaluating, explaining, sequencing, reasoning, comparing,
questioning, inferring, hypothesizing, appraising, testing and
generalizing.
 Creative thinking involves generating and applying new ideas in
specific contexts, seeing existing situations in a new way,
identifying alternative explanations, and seeing or making new
links that generate a positive outcome
Critical Thinking Vs. Creative
Thinking
 This includes combining parts to form something original, sifting
and refining ideas to discover possibilities, constructing
theories, and acting on intuition
 The following human traits are enhanced by critical thinking
and creative thinking:
inquisitiveness, reasonableness, intellectual flexibility, open- and
fair-mindedness, a readiness to try new ways of doing things
and consider alternatives, and persistence
Assignment 3: In what way does each of these dispositions
contribute to innovative leadership?
Summary
 Critical thinking is evaluative or reflective (philosophical,
thoughtful, insightful, meditative or contemplative) about the
validity, nature, or substance of an idea
 It is used to scrutinize, analyze and criticize
 It may involve the application and comparison of existing
standardized assessment
 Creative thinking is the generation or suggestion of a unique or
alternative perspective
 It is the production of an innovative design or a new approach to
a problem or challenge
 Critical thinking is concerned with critiquing something already
in existence
 Creative thinking is concerned with generating something new
Elements of Critical Thinking and
Creative Thinking
1. Inquiring: identifying, exploring and organizing information and
ideas
 pose questions
 identify and clarify information and ideas
 organize and process information.

2. Generating ideas, possibilities and actions

 imagine possibilities and connect ideas
 consider alternatives
 seek solutions and put ideas into action
Elements of Critical Thinking and
Creative Thinking
3. Reflecting on thinking and processes
 think about thinking (metacognition)
 reflect on processes
 transfer knowledge into new contexts

4. Analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating reasoning and

procedures
 apply logic and reasoning
 draw conclusions and design a course of action
 evaluate procedures and outcomes
Types of Creative Thinking

1. Divergent thinking

 Divergent thinking is the process of thought where a person

uses flexibility, fluency and originality to explore as many
solutions or options to a problem or issue as possible
 It is the opposite of convergent thinking, which focuses on only
one idea or single solution
 Brainstorming is an example of divergent thinking, which
involves emptying the brain of a certain topic
 This technique is however limited because it builds on releasing
ideas that are already stored in a person’s brain. It does not
generate any new ideas
Types of Creative Thinking
2. Lateral thinking
“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order
to look at things in a different way.”
– Edward De Bono
 De Bono came up with the term lateral thinking in 1967 to
“distinguish between artistic creativity and idea creativity”.
 The term was invented as an alternative to step-by-step
thinking, so-called vertical thinking, which is justified with
sequential steps based on logic
 Lateral thinking is based on avoiding the intrinsic limitations in
the brain, which rapidly sees patterns and handles information
in a distinctive way
Types of Creative Thinking
 Both lateral thinking and divergent thinking have the purpose to
break out of habitual ways of thinking
 Both fall “outside the box” thinking
 However, divergent thinking is sequential; it follows on an earlier
thought
 Lateral thinking has no direct connection to an earlier thought
 Rational or vertical thinking follows the most likely path
 Divergent thinking follows an extreme path
 Lateral thinking follows the least likely path
Types of Creative Thinking
3. Aesthetic thinking
 The philosophy of aesthetics concerns the creation and appreciation of
art and beauty
 This type of thinking involves producing or discovering things, which
are pleasant, harmonious and beautiful to our senses. It is human
nature to think like this
 Some types of aesthetic thinking are visual and spatial: structure,
composition, colour schemes and shapes can be aesthetically pleasing.
 Architecture, designs, paintings are characteristics of aesthetics
 Patterns, ratios and proportions found in nature can be the basis of
creative thinking
 Music, drama and other forms of culture can also be considered
aesthetic thinking
 Aspects of storytelling as “art” and elements of a well-crafted dialogue
are also part of aesthetic thinking
Types of Creative Thinking
4. Systems thinking
 Systems thinking is the ability to see how things are interrelated and
form a larger “whole”
 There are a number of different principles for a ‘systems thinking
approach’:
(a) interdependence of objects
(b) holism (emergent properties not possible to detect by analysis
but possible to define by a holistic approach)
(c) hierarchy (complex wholes are made up of smaller subsystems)
 Systems thinking involves the synthesis of several elements into one,
which transcends the sum of the independent elements
 Systems thinking is closely related to aesthetic thinking because
synthesis and making things “whole” and perfect is somehow related to
elegance and beauty
 It is also closely related inspirational thinking
Types of Creative Thinking
5. Inspirational thinking
 This type of creative thinking concerns the perception of
receiving insights from somewhere or someone else
 It often happens in dreams or other states, but sometimes in
extremely powerful, rapid bursts of clarity and focus, known as
light-bulb moments or peak experiences.
 Compared to normal creative outputs, there is a leap beyond
what can be achieved with other types of thinking
 It has also been called poetic imagination or revelation
 It indicates the belief that someone else is involved and the
person with the breakthrough insight is simply a medium for
the collective unconscious or a higher spirit.
Types of Creative Thinking
 Inspirational thoughts are valuable, must be noticed, recorded
and put to use
 However, inspirational experiences are hard to measure
scientifically
Creative thinking skills
1. Analysis
 Before thinking creatively about something, you first have to be able to
understand it
 This requires the ability to examine things carefully to know what they
mean
2. Open-Mindedness 
 To think creatively, set aside any assumptions or biases you may have,
and look at things in a completely new way
 By coming to a problem with an open mind, you allow yourself the
chance to think creatively
3. Problem-Solving 
 Employers want creative employees who will help them to solve work-
related issues
 When faced with a problem, consider ways that you can solve it before
asking for help
 If you need the input of a manager, suggest solutions rather than just
presenting problems
Creative thinking skills
4. Organization 
 Creative people are not disorganized
 organization is an essential part of creativity
 You might need to get a bit disorganized when trying out a new
idea, but you need to organize your ideas so others will
understand and follow your vision
5. Communication 
 People will only appreciate your creative idea or solution if you 
communicate it effectively. You need to have strong written and
oral communication skills.
 You also need to be able to understand a situation fully before
thinking creatively about it. That means you also need to be a 
good listener.
 You may come up with a unique solution by asking the right
questions and listening to the answers.
METAPHORICAL THINKING
 When thinking of a problem and its solution, it helps to expose
the mind with many related concepts
 A metaphor compares an existing problem with another,
unrelated or dissimilar problem, object or situation
 The word originates from the Greek word metaphorá, meaning to
transfer, to carry over
 A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or
action in a way that is not literally true, but helps explain an
idea or make a comparison
 A metaphor states that one thing is another thing
 It equates those two things not because they actually are the
same, but for the sake of comparison or symbolism
 Metaphors are used when someone wants to add some colour
to language
What is Metaphorical Thinking?

 A metaphor means comparing two things that in reality are not

literally the same
 Metaphors were considered a sign of genius by the Greek
philosopher Aristotle
 According to him, the individual who can perceive the similarity
between two very different concepts, was intelligent and had a
special gift
 By making a metaphorical comparison between a complex
problem and a recognisable situation, people can easily
understand what is meant
 Metaphorical Thinking leads to more insight and brings out
hidden solutions
 Using metaphors encourages creativity through connecting and
comparing two different meanings and looking for similarities to
grasp complex issues
What is Metaphorical Thinking?

 Using logic alone disrupts the creative process but Metaphorical

Thinking helps us look at things in a new way. It is used a lot in
the world of advertising and marketing.
 A metaphor opens eyes and makes people comprehend problems
and gain insight into solutions
 For example, “time is money” may mean wasting time is like
throwing money down the drain and spending time on something
is making an investment for the future
 Or “sinking ship” may mean a badly run institution that is
beyond saving, and that something needs to be done urgently to
have any hope of survival
 Metaphorical thinking is thinking outside of established
frameworks
What is Metaphorical Thinking?
 When using a metaphor, you combine two elements that have
little or no logical connection
 Breaking the rules of logic like this allows metaphors to access
the creative side of our brain that is stimulated by images, ideas
and concepts
 Traditional wisdom is full of metaphors
 Metaphoric thinking makes a leader innovative and competent
in problem-solving and conflict resolution
“OUTRAGEOUS THINKING”
 Outrageous thinking is a concept that refers to having the confidence
and arrogance to THINK BIG
 It pushes you (or grants you permission) and your team to dream big,
to be expansive and to go flat out with your ideas
 It helps you to ask yourself the question “Why not?”
 It gives you the arrogance to think big, to not be limited by any
boundaries and to dream beyond anyone’s wildest imaginations
 By allowing yourself to be outrageous, you come up with unusual,
innovative solutions
 “Outrageous innovative thinking” helps you develop breakthrough
ideas
 You can’t allow your practical brain to shut down or filter ideas when
you are brainstorming
Outrageous Thinking
 Every idea is a viable idea.  This is necessary because that
“completely impossible” idea may cause you (or someone on your
team) to think of an idea that IS doable and incredibly possible
(but still a breakthrough idea)
 The word “outrageous” can be defined in the following ways:
1. Violent or unrestrained in temperament or behavior
2. Exceeding all boundaries of decency or reasonableness
3. Violent or provocative in action or disposition
4. Highly unusual, unconventional, extravagant, remarkable
 In general language, the word “outrageous” has a negative
connotation. However, outrageous thinking is a critical expression
in the business world
 In business, outrageous thinking means “thinking outside the
box”
How to think outside the box
Ask three critical questions:
1. Why do you need to think outside the box?
 Where are you and your team going?
 What goals have you set to get there?
2. What is the box made of?
 Do a SWOT analysis of your institution or organization or
business
3. In what ways is the box of help?
 Stretch the limits of your creativity
 It is not only what the box contains, but how it can be of better
use
THE CONCEPT OF IDEATION
 Ideation is the creative process of generating, developing, and
communicating new ideas, as a basic element of thought that
can be visual, concrete, or abstract
 Ideation is a creative process where designers generate ideas in
sessions (e.g., brainstorming)
 Participants gather with open minds to produce as many ideas
as they can to address a problem statement in a facilitated,
judgment-free environment
 Ideation plays a critical role in the design thinking process
 Ideation is the process of generating fresh ideas that can be
transformed into innovative solutions
 In the marketing context of product innovation, ideation sets the
foundation for everything leading up to product launch.
Ideation Techniques
Several effective ways can source new ideas in a little time and with
little investment in an organization:

1. Brainstorming
In a brainstorm, the goal is to balance the power of the group to build
on each other’s ideas
It is one of the most recognizable ideation techniques
To make brainstorming more effective the team involved must be
diverse, limit the brainstorm to few people. The smaller the team, the
more focused and effective the conversation
Limit the brainstorm time
Let each write down an idea, state it to the team, and then build from
it
Get as many ideas as possible
Ideation Techniques
2. Method 6-3-5
 Method 6-3-5 is a form of brainstorming in which six people write
down three ideas in five minutes
 When the five minutes is up, team members pass their sheet onto the
next person, so that their peer can build on their ideas
 This activity is completed in silence to avoid any one dominating the
discussion or idea generation, thereby democratizing the process and
placing each member on a level playing field
3. Prototyping
 Creating a physical representation of your idea
 Prototyping helps to visualize how a proposed product or idea will
work
 Similar to brainstorming, though, prototyping needs parameters
especially in the business world to avoid a false sense of security by
creating a prototype that looks more like a final product and sells fast
and stop seeking input from customers, before it is even perfected
Ideation Techniques
Prototyping
in business comes with high project development costs
through the use of numerous modern virtual designs

4. Five Whys Analysis

In the “Five Whys” technique members are forced to ask “why” five times
The goal of the exercise is to get to the root cause of the problem by
asking one “why” or even 10
Start with a simple problem statement, such as, “Our church
attendance is low nowadays”
From there, ask “why” that problem happened; if the response doesn’t
identify what you addressed in your problem statement, ask another
“why”
Repeat that step until you stop gathering useful insights
You may need a couple of “whys” to reach the root cause of the issue
Ideation Techniques
5. Storyboard technique
 Through storyboarding, companies can develop a visual story related to
their problem or solution
 The activity allows teams to illustrate their prospective customer and
scenarios in which he or she might interact with the organization and
how
 Storyboarding enables teams to bring situations to life and outline the
future impact of their solution
Eight-Dimensional Approach to
Ideation
The eight-dimensional methodology for innovative problem solving is a
unified approach that builds on comprehensive problem solving
knowledge from industry, business, marketing, math, science,
engineering, technology, arts, and daily life

Read more: https://danielraviv.webnode.com/eight-dimensions-of-
inventive-thinking/
The methodology approaches problems systematically, and stimulates
innovation by quickly generating unique “out-of-the-box” and high-quality
solutions
The combination of people’s knowledge and experience with this new
thinking tool is critical as it provides top leaders and managers with new
insights and thinking strategies to solve everyday work-related challenges
Eight-Dimensional Approach to
Ideation
1. Uniqueness
What is unique about the “processes, objects, dimensions,
situations, resources, concepts, principles, features, patterns,
problems, or solutions”? Could these observations be used to find
solutions?
2. Dimensionality
What could be done with space, time, cost, or any other
dimension?
3. Directionality
Could things be done from different directions or points of view? If
so, how?
Eight-Dimensional Approach to
Ideation
4. Consolidation
Would it be helpful to consolidate “processes, objects,
dimensions, situations, resources, concepts, principles, features,
patterns, problems, or solutions”? If so, in what way?
5. Segmentation
How could segmentation of “processes, objects, dimensions,
situations, resources, concepts, principles, features, patterns,
problems, solutions” or dimensions help?
6. Modification
What if modifications to the existing “processes, objects,
dimensions, situations, resources, concepts, principles, features,
patterns, problems, solutions” are introduced?
Eight-Dimensional Approach to
Ideation
7. Similarity
Why not look at similar “processes, objects, dimensions, situations,
resources, concepts, principles, features, patterns, problems, or
solutions”?
8.Experimentation
Could estimating, guessing, simulating, or experimenting help? If
so, how?
IDEA PROTECTION AND
PRESERVATION: IP & COPYRIGHT
 Intellectual property (IP) is a term used to encompass a range
of legal rights that protect the creations of the mind and creative
effort
 Copyright refers to the rights granted to the creators or
copyright holders of original works
 Copyright protects owners’ rights to control how their works are
used
 Generally, permission must be obtained before using work
protected by copyright
 Copyright protection lasts for a specific period of time
Intellectual Property and
Copyright
 Once that period has ended (usually 70 years after the death of
the creator), the work can be used without the need for
permission or payment (Familiarise with Malawi Copyright Law)
 Patents, trademarks, registered designs as well as copyright are
examples of IP
 Patent= a type of intellectual property which gives its owner the
legal right to exclude others from making, using or selling an
invention for a period of years
 Trademark= type of IP consisting of a recognizable sign or design
which identifies products or services from a particular source
from those of other sources