The Role of Leaders in Innovation

The Role of Leaders in Innovation

This paper will explore the role of leadership in innovation. Providing a detailed description of two strong leadership models that cultivate innovation within a company. Then addressing the role of discovery and delivery skills within an innovational organization. Lastly, exploring the writers own strength and weaknesses in the discovery and delivery skills and how they help or hinder the writer’s ability to support innovation in organizations.

Leadership That Support Innovation

Leadership is the driving force within a company. Leadership helps to cultivate the culture and set the tone for growth for the company as well as the employees of the company. Two strong leadership models that help to create a successful and productive innovate company are transformational leadership and servant leadership. Both leadership models have many aspects that are similar but they are very different at the same time.

Transformational Leadership Model

According to About.com (2014), James MacGregor Burns states transformational leadership can be seen when leaders and followers make each other to advance to a higher level or more and motivation. Thorough the strength of their vision and personality, transformational leaders are able to inspire followers to change expectations, perceptions, and motivations to work towards common goals. Transformation leadership has six attributes that help the follower (or for the purpose of the paper, the employee) gain push beyond their limits and comfort. Those attributes according to Forbes are:

1. Encourage “in-the-moment” feedback

2. Cultivate the executive mentality

3. Present new challenges and opportunities

4. Respect boundaries

5. Provide flexibility and

6. No micro managing

Transformational leaders will provide inspirations to their employees. Having very strong and empowering yet individual relationships with their employees. Within this leadership model the mission of the company is...