IEEE Spectrum breed · Technologie

Gaining Leadership Backing for Your Innovations

This article, part of a career advice series with the IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society, addresses how to advance innovative ideas within a company, especially when they fall outside one's direct responsibilities. It explores informal methods like bootlegging and skunkworks, as well as a structured approach based on innovation management theory.

Many potentially significant company advancements are missed opportunities because employees don't know how to push ideas forward when they fall outside their department. Some organizations, like Google and 3M, actively support such initiatives by allowing employees dedicated time to develop their own ideas, which research indicates benefits employee performance.

Informal methods include 'bootlegging,' where projects are unapproved and unfunded, and 'skunkworks,' where small, funded teams secretly develop innovations. Examples include 3M's Post-it Notes, born from its "15 percent culture," and Apple's original Macintosh development. While Google's Gmail is often cited as a "20% time" product, its creator stated it was an official assignment, though it shared skunkworks' secrecy. Google X (now X) and Amazon's Lab126 are examples of structured "moonshot" or skunkworks-like labs.

Innovation management theory offers a structured approach, emphasizing the need for a "promoter triad" for successful change. This triad consists of a technology promoter (the idea originator with expertise), a process promoter (someone who understands organizational navigation), and a power promoter (a leader who can allocate resources and remove obstacles).

To implement this, individuals should clearly formulate their idea, identify potential technology promoters to refine it, and map stakeholders to find process promoters who understand company decision-making. Engaging power promoters involves presenting well-prepared, low-risk pilot projects with clear value propositions. Building this network across expertise, networks, and hierarchical levels is crucial for lasting change.

The promoter model differs from traditional management, with influence spread across three individuals who may not share reporting lines. This networked, matrix-style leadership is driven by the idea itself. External networks like IEEE societies can also be valuable for finding promoters across different organizations.

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