Operationalizing Innovation – Accountabilities by Work Level

By Michelle Malay Carter on April 28, 2008 

improvingonesownskills.jpgI’ve said before that innovation should be an expectation at all levels, but innovation will look different at different work levels. All work has creative elements to it.

Current Operations Versus Strategic
Innovation at the bottom three levels of the organization will add value to current operations. Levels 4 and up should be adding “strategic” value for the future.

Operationalizing Innovation
If we want to”operationalize” the idea of innovation, then one part of that is establishing explicit accountabilities around innovation.

In its simplest form, the accountabilities for innovation at each level, fall out like my list below.

Innovation Accountabilities by Work Level
Level 6 – Refine or improve the combined impact of multiple business units and strategies
Level 5 – Refine or improve strategy, business model
Level 4 – Refine or improve infrastructure to deliver strategy
Level 3 – Refine or improve serial processes to include contingency plans
Level 2 – Refine or improve procedures, line training
Level 1 – Refine or improve personal skills and knowledge

The Teamwork Element
When we begin to talk about levels, some get their feathers ruffled thinking I’m being elitist. I am not saying that people at lower levels will never have a break through idea that adds value up multiple levels. It happens, but I am saying the accountability for higher-level innovation rests at higher levels.

For example, it would be silly to hold McDonalds’ front line employees accountable for innovating around McDonalds’ supply chain.

Each level is accountable to provide key input to the level above (i.e. their manager) and, at appropriate times, may provide input at three-level meetings, which will influence the next higher level(s) innovation, but my list above shows which level is accountable for each type of innovation.

Some times these improvements are transformational and some times they are incremental.

Do you think a system-wide, work levels clarification of innovation accountabilities would help drive innovation within organizations?

I’m OK. You’re OK. Let’s fix the system.

Photo Credit: Weird Things

Filed Under Accountability, Employee Engagement, Executive Leadership, Managerial Leadership, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Strategy, Work Levels

Comments

3 Responses to “Operationalizing Innovation – Accountabilities by Work Level”

  1. Laura Rees on April 28th, 2008 8:32 pm

    I like this post because it reminds us that everyone can get more ideas, no matter where you fall in an organizational chart. You don’t have to wait until you are a manager or director to start being innovative. In fact, the more you practice before you get there, the better you will do.

  2. Michelle Malay Carter on April 29th, 2008 6:31 am

    Hi Laura,

    Thanks for stopping by. Yes, I believe that you often get what you expect. If you treat people at the lower levels of the organization as robots, you get their hands but not the head nor their heart. All are necessary for a creative work environment. Thanks for the comment.

    Regards,

    Michelle

  3. Organization Structure is a Business Initiative Not an HR Initiative | Mission Minded Management on August 14th, 2008 5:39 pm

    […] systems into non-strategic layers of the organization, the ramifications are huge.? You will get incremental innovation or improvements to current operations, but not more.? So who is accountable for the future focused work in these […]