Championing Innovation: Leadership Approaches for Fostering Innovative Environments

Abstract

This chapter outlines how leadership is integral in the process of developing cultures where creativity thrives and innovations continually emerge. The chapter provides a variety of lenses to view leadership’s role in this process. It notes that there is no one way to lead for this type of environment; however, there are certain leadership approaches which may be more conducive to innovation than others. This will depend on the leader’s inherent qualities and beliefs, and the context and situations in which leadership is present. Due to the fluid nature of the innovation process, effective leadership will instead need to embrace a more flexible mentality. The chapter suggests that sustainable innovative environments do not tend to happen organically. Instead, they are championed by a leader or group of leaders who value this as a key characteristic of a thriving organisation. Leaders who value innovation understand that without embedding a culture of idea creation and the pursuit of operational enhancements, a competitive advantage is lost, and the competition will inevitably win out. This chapter concludes that while effectively managing day-to-day operations is an essential component of business, the role of leadership is to establish a direction. It is therefore leadership that sets the tone for innovation, through clearly signalling its importance to organisational members, and leading in a way which can optimally facilitate its presence and effectiveness.

Case Study: Championing Innovation—Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are a charter member of the National Basketball Association. Established in 1946, the team was originally based in Philadelphia as the Philadelphia Warriors, and remained so until 1962. They later moved to San Francisco, California, and became the San Francisco Warriors before moving across the Bay into Oakland in 1971 to become the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors compete in the NBA’s Western Conference and currently host home games at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. However, the franchise purchased land in 2014 in the San Francisco Bay area for construction of a new arena to be called the Chase Center, following their partnership agreement with J.P. Morgan Chase. The team has previously reached nine NBA finals, won five NBA championships and has been voted by Forbes as the third most valuable franchise in the NBA . After securing the NBA championship in 2015 after a 40-year drought, and subsequently winning the championship a second time in 2017, the team gained lucrative commercial partnerships that positioned them well for further success. Many attribute the Warriors’ recent success to its fortuitous location (i.e. on the doorstep of Silicon Valley), which has given them unique access to cutting edge advancements in sports technology, and lucrative forward-thinking commercial collaborations. However, since this has been the case for quite some time, there appear to be other factors at play which have leveraged this broader environment for their benefit.

The Warriors are one of the NBA’s biggest franchises with big fish Silicon Valley owners in Joe Lacub and Peter Guber, and many more Silicon Valley executives counted amongst their fanbase. The team boast a successful social media following, with 5.5 million Twitter followers and 11 million Facebook likes, a loyal fanbase that has been driving successful social media campaigns in recent years. The Warriors have led the way in championing innovation through their fan engagement campaigns, experimenting with technologies such as making Google Glass available to fans as early as 2014 and recently teaming with long-term fan engagement partner Accenture to reimagine their fan experience . Supported by Silicon Valley, the Warriors have the digital advantage in the NBA with cutting edge technological innovation integrated from the valley.

The Golden State Warriors are leaders within the game of basketball by championing innovation in every form. The team recently launched the ‘fannovate’ experience to give their fans and community a futuristic experience. Accenture were announced as the official Technology Innovation Partner for the Warriors in a multi-year deal, reflecting the team’s investment in, and support of, innovation. Accenture will be responsible for creating the underlying technological architecture at the arena itself, as well as in the surrounding area. To achieve this, they aim to create and implement an immersive experience for engaging fans both in the arena on game night, as well as those visiting the local area. Chase Center will enlist local businesses, restaurants and retail units to design an innovative ecosystem of partners around the arena for improved fan experience and engagement. The partnership with Accenture also feeds into the Warriors’ innovation plans, as it allows the club a connection with Accenture’s Innovation Lab in San Jose, where they can build, test, and create inventions to be used at the center. The Warriors champion technological innovation through tapping into the broad network of capabilities through their partner programmes and being part of the Silicon Valley ecosystem .

Even on court, the Warriors’ star player Stephen Curry himself has reinvented the game. Representing a true innovator in a variety of shooting displays never seen before in the game, Curry has continually defied the odds as a league MVP despite doubts in relation to his smaller size and stature. The Warriors have taken and continue to take chances. Led by their head coach Steve Kerr, they play and operate with an entrepreneurial spirit that continually reinvents the game and challenges the NBA’s status quo. Perhaps the Warriors most important strategy is playing the thinking game, championing innovative thinking both on and off court. Many commentators have stated that when an opposing team plays better than the Warriors, the learning environment championed by Kerr will usually see the Warriors come back stronger and better because of it. They are determined to out-think their opponents’ tactical strategy, and given that they are run like a start-up and think like entrepreneurs, their vanguard response often symbolises a different way of doing things.

The Warriors frequently disrupt business-as-usual in the NBA . By championing innovation and leading by example they have the power to usher in sweeping changes to the historic game. They often appear to be innovative by the essence of their makeup and trailblazing style, which other teams around the league try and emulate themselves. Their entrepreneurial mindset infiltrates the entire organisation—from the owners, to the front office, to on-court and off-court action, they live and breathe the Silicon Valley spirit of creativity .