Innovation as a Management Question

Abstract

Whilst the need for innovation is imperative, it is not clear how to manage its process. This is due to the lack of consensus on what an innovation process should look like, variations in the contexts at which innovation is examined, as well as the variations in the means of developing those models. The challenge in managing innovation mainly revolves around the stages of search, selection, and implementation. Issues emerge when organizations develop “routines” for these activities and when these core routines become core rigidities that are embedded and built up into structures, processes, and policies. Hence, we have to deal with a dynamic context by reviewing routines and editing, adding, and adapting to them. Despite the need to formalize and routinize the innovation process, the dynamic environment surrounding innovation should not be kept out of the innovation equation. This chapter sheds light on what is called contextual innovation management and the need to adopt an agile approach in managing innovation.