Leadership Tunnel: Thwarts Major Innovation
- Deborah (Ellen) Wildish
- May 17, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 6
Whenever leaders (from front-line management to senior executives) enter the leadership tunnel, it thwarts major innovation. This fascinating predicament is connected to corporate inflexibility, a narrow breadth of vision and an imbalance in leadership strengths. Let’s explore this dilemma and the way out of this tunnel.
Research has revealed this paradox: While corporate leaders express a desire for major innovation, their role in maintaining order and smooth operations impedes it. This traditional leadership role has remained unchanged for two decades and is described as judicious executive behavior (Levitt 2002). Major innovation entails a disruption that threatens leadership roles centred on maintaining control and authority, calling into question a solid corporate view of what is right (or wrong).
This paradox of wanting yet rejecting major innovation has been observed in studies of policy makers, educators and service recipients. This is an interesting predisposition because there is simultaneous agreement that major innovation is the driving force for positive social change, scientific discovery and solving complex challenges.
An intriguing study of nobel prize winners and nominees found that those who continued to be innovative avoided management positions; whereas, those who moved to management ceased to be innovative (Root-Bernstein, Bernstein and Garnier 1993).
Corporate leaders are also responsible for providing clear direction and this presents a dichotomy as major innovation is an ambiguous journey that requires navigating through uncertainty enroute to successful implementation. Continuous quality (process) improvement (described as “small” innovation) is readily embraced by senior leaders because it focuses on a known path, what already exists and avoids disruption to the system of processes. However, studies have identified corporate expertise and success with continuous quality (process) improvement as a barrier to major innovation.
Herein lies the corporate risk: as processes are perfected over time, additional returns will diminish. And as the world continues to evolve, Corporations must continually ask whether the right services (or products) are being offered, delivered in the right way, and at the appropriate time. Courage to make difficult decisions may result in abandoning an entire service (or product line), despite perfected processes.
Cinder to Flame helps Corporations solve complex challenges with strategic services that energize people, fuel a healthy corporate culture and ignite major innovation.
Transformational leadership is another facet of a healthy corporate culture. These leaders are described as being continually discontented with the status quo and with current success. They have receptive mindsets toward unconventional ideas and novel opportunities. Highly motivated, they prepare for the future by building tolerance for risk taking and navigating through disruption and ambiguity. Transformational leaders shape the corporate environment for major innovation by granting permission to experiment and take risks, knowing that errors and failure are inevitable.
Are you interested in transformational leadership?
Cinder to Flame provides targeted coaching and a way out of this leadership tunnel.
Review characteristics of transformational leaders in this article:
© Deborah (Ellen) Wildish, Cinder to Flame 2022-Present. All Rights Reserved.
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