Paint & Pipette: The Art & Science of Innovation

S3E8: The Paradox of Leading Innovation with Linda Hill

Nov 13, 2023

58:52

One of the most important aspects of leadership is having a vision for what you want to achieve. It’s the vision for a project that will guide your team and inspire them to perform at the top of their game. But how does that change when you need to lead innovation? And how do you navigate the unknowns inherent to pursuing true innovation? Joining us today to unpack this topic and explore key questions of innovation and leadership is Professor Linda Hill from Harvard Business. Professor Hill is the co-founder of Paradox Strategies, the co-author of the acclaimed book Collective Genius: The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation, and is regarded as one of the top experts on leadership. Tuning in you’ll hear her break down the paradoxes that lie at the heart of leading innovation and why building a sense of community can be such a powerful catalyst for fostering innovation. She explains how leading innovation requires embracing the unknown while being intimately familiar with the ‘why’ of your project, before describing how collaboration, experimentation, and the ability to learn are essential for building a sense of community. Professor Hill also sheds light on her personal practices as a researcher and practitioner of innovation, her process for selecting her co-authors, and why she places such a high value on having a novice perspective. For a deep dive into the intricacies of leadership, innovation, building a sense of community, and so much more, be sure to tune in to this fascinating conversation with Professor Linda Hill!

Key Points From This Episode:

Insight into Professor Hill’s research on innovation for her book Collective Genius.
Why leading innovation means not having a vision, but having a ‘why’.
The emotional and intellectual challenges that accompany innovation.
Creating a sense of community to help face the unknown of innovation.
The details of a key Google project and what it teaches us about leading innovation.
An overview of the paradoxes you have to manage as a leader of innovation.
The distinction between planning forward and acting forward.
How to organize for action and innovation.
Insight into some of the dangers that expertise can pose to innovation.
Lessons from Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi's unique culture of communication.
How their company culture helped them prepare for, and navigate, the COVID-19 pandemic.
Professor Hill’s personal practices as a researcher and practitioner of innovation.
The founding of Paradox Strategies and how Professor Hill is pushing herself to be a novice.
Generative AI, having a growth mindset, and the value of different perspectives.
Some insight into Professor Hill’s research for her upcoming book Scaling Genius.