Assessing and developing an organization’s innovation competency profile

Purpose Like the management of quality in the 1970s, innovation has become everyone’s job and requires the management talents of every function. But the authors’ research demonstrates that innovation success also requires a complex bundle of diverse and often disparate skills, and finding individuals who possess them is a daunting task. Leaders must learn to diagnose skill deficiencies, develop a portfolio of competencies at both individual and team levels in the organization, and then drive a culture of innovation from the top. Design/methodology/approach Leaders must learn to diagnose innovation skill deficiencies, develop a portfolio of competencies at both individual and team levels in the organization, and then drive a culture of innovation from the top. The authors have identified five unique bundles of behaviors that, taken together, comprise an innovation capability. Findings The Innovation Mindsets Assessment tool is a questionnaire for assessing 44 behaviors underlying the five skills. Practical implications Obtaining accurate feedback requires that an innovator be able to vividly ‘presence’ the future, to be able to make it feel real to peers, potential customers and partners. Originality/value Now that innovation has become everyone’s job and requires the management talents of every function, defining and assessing the capabilities of all team members so that individual and group skill gaps can be remedied is a priority.