Innovation Manager
An Innovation Manager orchestrates all innovation activities in a company, based on the Business Design principles and the underlying innovation management system. Especially in larger organisations, they are the driving force who makes sure people and ideas develop the way they're supposed to — and gives management a clear overview of past and current innovation performance.
Bernhard Doll
Business Design Maverick
An Innovation Manager is the head of the innovation management system. They know everything about ongoing and planned innovation activities — if it's happening, the Innovation Manager knows about it. Their key activities are to:
Co-develop an innovation management system that supports the company's vision (the "Picture of the Future")
Initiate and steer innovation activities according to the defined innovation management system
Maintain ideas and projects portfolios
Moderate leadership meetings throughout the end-to-end innovation process
Report to C-level management on ongoing innovation activities across the company
An Innovation Manager stays in close contact with C-level management and acts as the gatekeeper between management and the Project Sponsor, Team Coaches, and Project Teams. They're never directly involved in a project, which keeps them neutral and unemotional about ideas and results. Don't confuse Innovation Managers with Team Managers.
What matters to them: high-quality results, strict alignment with the methodology, efficient project execution, and full transparency on innovation activities and decisions. In smaller organisations with fewer than 50 employees, this role is usually filled by C-level managers. As companies grow, a dedicated Innovation Manager becomes essential for successful innovation management. Keep that in mind.