The role of leadership in developing the innovative manager

[Extract] Innovative managers, those who foster creativity in their teams, are increasingly important as organisations are required to do more with less (Hamel, 2012) as work grows increasingly complex, unpredictable and knowledge-based (Joo et al., 2013). To prosper in this dynamic environment, organisations must adapt and innovate (Agars et al., 2008), and they depend on the creativity of their employees to do so (George, 2007). This need for creativity makes the innovative manager indispensable for many organisations, and therefore a key leadership priority. In this chapter, we review existing findings on the qualities and development of innovative managers. We begin with an examination of innovation and how it is affected by differing contexts and organizational conditions. Next, we summarise research on the sources of creativity among employees in order to understand what innovative managers need to provide. Creativity is influenced by a broad range of factors, but our focus here is on those factors suitable for management intervention. We then discuss the three distinctive capacities that distinguish the innovative manager. Finally, we outline the available findings on how leaders can develop and support innovative managers. Table 5.1 summarises the key elements of the chapter and of managing for innovation.