In this engaging discussion, Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill, an expert on leadership and innovation, shares her insights on how the best leaders drive innovation. She emphasizes that true innovation requires leaders to embrace roles as architects, bridgers, and catalysts. Hill explains the importance of co-creation and building strong team dynamics rather than relying solely on authority. With practical strategies for fostering collaboration and commitment, she illustrates how inviting participation is key to unlocking creative potential.
08:52
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Innovation Leadership
Leading innovation requires new leadership skills beyond traditional direction-setting.
It involves co-creating the future with your team, not just communicating a vision.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
The Architect Role
Build a collaborative culture where diverse individuals can experiment and learn together (architect).
Unleash and leverage the talents and passions of everyone in your organization.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
The Bridger Role
Connect with external talent and resources to access the necessary tools and expertise (bridger).
Partner with companies that excel in areas where your organization may lack.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
This book challenges the conventional notion of the solitary genius and instead champions the power of collaboration and leadership in driving successful innovation. It provides practical guidance on building a culture where innovation can happen repeatedly, through strategies such as collaboration, discovery-driven learning, and integrative decision-making. The authors use case studies from companies like Volkswagen, Google, eBay, and Pfizer to illustrate their points.
If you’re leading innovation, you need very specific leadership skills.
Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill has studied leadership and innovation for decades and is the coauthor of Collective Genius: The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation. She says that leaders who shepherd innovation can’t rely on formal authority. Instead, they need to understand how to get people to co-create with them, which requires mastering three key roles —architect, bridger, and catalyst—or the ABCs of innovation.
In this episode, you’ll learn how to fill each of these roles—from how to assemble the right team to how to build real connections and mutual commitment. As Hill says, “You cannot tell people to innovate. You can only invite them.”
HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.
HBR On Leadership 