COURSE OVERVIEW:

Innovative leaders have a vision for change in the business, they develop a culture for innovation and they implement processes for innovation. The vision is an overarching statement of what the organisation stands for and what it intends to achieve. It is a clear and ambitious goal, which is inspiring but believable. From this goal are derived the strategy, objectives and metrics for innovation.

The leader cultivates a culture that is open, questioning and listening. Fear of failure and fear of the unknown are overcome with an atmosphere that encourages experimentation. There is no blame for honest trials that do not succeed. People are trusted and empowered to try new ways of doing their job. There is a positive attitude towards risk management.

A clear vision and a supportive culture are essential for an innovative organisation, but they are not sufficient. In addition, we need processes. These processes focus on the generation, evaluation, selection and implementation of ideas. The purpose is to fill and manage a pipeline of innovation projects. Typically, this starts with a highly effective employee suggestions scheme. Ideas are encouraged from a variety of sources – internal and external. There is an urgency about selecting and implementing the best ideas – they have to pass hurdles but they are not subjected to inappropriate tests or undue delays.

Typically, the innovative leader is both analytical and creative. Although they contribute significantly to the process, innovative leaders recognise that the key is not their own abilities – it lies in enabling the creative talents of their teams. They do not promote themselves or claim credit for success but are quick to recognise and reward the ideas and entrepreneurial activities of others. Innovative leaders find great ways to inspire their people to achieve extraordinary results and to exceed expectations. They attract and retain great teams. They cope with change by driving it. They use innovation as a tool to change the world.

This course is designed for individuals who aspire to transform themselves and their teams into leaders of creativity and masters of innovation. It offers guidance for leaders seeking to drive organisational change and for managers responsible for fostering innovation.

The course begins by exploring techniques for leading innovation within your organisation, followed by methods for problem analysis. It then examines strategies for generating innovative ideas from your team and explains the processes for implementing these innovations. Finally, it describes ways to build a creative culture within your organisation.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to understand:

·       The importance of being an innovative leader

·       How to lead innovation in your organisation?

·       Why have a vision for change?

·       What is a declaration of innovation? And why issue it?

·       How to fight the fear of change?

·       How to set goals for innovation?

·       Why get rid of the cynics?

·       Why encourage dissent?

·       Why think like a venture capitalist?

·       How to break down internal barriers to communication?

·       Why have your best people working on innovation?

·       How to diagnose the current situation?

·       What does an innovation audit do?

·       How to analyse problems?

·       The benefits of using a suitable problem analysis tool

·       How to use the six serving men tool?

·       How to generate ideas?

·       The importance of having a suggestions scheme

·       How to run ideas events within your organisation?

·       How to plan your brainstorm meetings?

·       How many people should be in a brainstorm meeting?

·       What sort of people should you invite in a brainstorming meeting?

·       How long should the brainstorm meeting be?

·       Who should facilitate the brainstorming meeting?

·       How will you capture ideas?

·       What criteria should you use to evaluate ideas?

·       How to juice up your brainstorm meetings?

·       How to reverse the problem?

·       Why define your ideal competitor?

·       How to use the pass the parcel technique?

·       How to use the wear six thinking hats method?

·       How to implement innovation processes?

·       How to allocate time and resources for innovation?

·       How to borrow ideas with pride?

·       How to train for innovation?

·       How to measure and monitor progress?

·       The approaches for rewarding and recognising innovative ideas and successful innovations

·       The key steps for success in open innovation

·       Why observe customers?

·       Why appoint innovation champions?

·       How to overcome customer resistance to new products or services?

·       How to build a creative culture within your organisation?

·       Why praise the innovators?

·       Why focus on what went right?

·       The importance of trusting your team

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

You must have access to a computer or any mobile device with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free PDF Viewer) installed, to complete this course.

COURSE DELIVERY:

Purchase and download course content.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.