Innovation Leadership & Change Management Flashcards

A company's innovation initiative keeps stalling because executives demand detailed ROI projections before funding any experiment. Which change management principle best addresses this tension?

Answer: Separate innovation accounting from core business accounting using metrics like learning milestones

Innovation accounting uses proxy metrics such as learning milestones and assumption validation to justify funding when traditional ROI cannot yet be calculated.

According to Lewin's Change Management Model, what must a leader do FIRST before introducing an innovation-driven organizational change?

Answer: Unfreeze the current state by creating a sense of urgency or dissatisfaction

Lewin's Unfreeze stage disrupts the status quo by creating motivation for change before any new behaviors are introduced.

An innovation leader wants to prevent the 'not invented here' syndrome from killing externally sourced ideas. Which practice is most effective?

Answer: Create open innovation programs that reward internal teams for successfully integrating external concepts

Rewarding internal teams for successfully absorbing external ideas transforms them from gatekeepers into advocates for open innovation.

In a large organization, psychological safety is described as essential for innovation. Which specific leadership behavior most directly builds psychological safety?

Answer: Modeling vulnerability by sharing personal failures and lessons learned

When leaders openly share their own failures, they signal that admitting mistakes is safe and valued, which is the foundation of psychological safety.

A CPI practitioner is tasked with accelerating innovation across 12 business units simultaneously. Which governance structure is most appropriate?

Answer: A federated model with a central innovation center of excellence supporting embedded unit champions

A federated model provides central standards and tools while allowing each unit to adapt innovation practices to its specific context and speed.

Which change resistance pattern is characterized by employees agreeing publicly with innovation changes but passively avoiding implementation?

Answer: Passive compliance or silent resistance

Silent resistance is when employees say yes in meetings but do nothing differently, making it the hardest form of resistance to detect and address.

A senior leader wants to create urgency for digital transformation. According to Kotter's 8-Step model, which action is MOST appropriate at Step 1?

Answer: Identifying competitive threats and data that make the status quo untenable

Kotter's Step 1 (Create Urgency) requires presenting credible, compelling evidence that the organization must change or face serious consequences.