The driving mindsets of innovation: curiosity, creativity and clarity

Abstract

Purpose

Innovation is an essential process for growth and well-being of organisations and society in general but is difficult to manage successfully. Through a better understanding of the innovation mindsets as established strategists use them in practice, this paper aims to improve firms’ success rates of innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

To examine how innovation processes play out in dynamic environments, the authors undertook a longitudinal two-year multi-case study in the high-tech sector.

Findings

Strategists in this study showed distinct phases in their successful innovation journey with three dominant mindsets of curiosity, creativity and clarity. The curiosity phase includes actions focused on discovering and understanding the implications and significance of an opportunity. The creativity phase includes actions focused on creating and testing a wide range of options. The clarity phase consists of actions focused on resourcing and implementing change.

Practical implications

In adopting this framework for use in the field, the authors recommend strategists take time for discovering and getting to core understanding in the curiosity phase. They should then take action by creating and actively testing a broad range of solution ideas in the creativity phase. Finally, organisations need to take care with clear direction and communication when resourcing and implementing in the clarity phase.

Originality/value

This novel framework which emerged from the longitudinal field research describes the mindsets of innovation and how these are used at different phases in the innovation process.

Citation

Walsh, C., Knott, P. and Collins, J. (2022), "The driving mindsets of innovation: curiosity, creativity and clarity", Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 43 No. 2, pp. 71-78. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-08-2020-0176