Changing the Work of Innovation: A Systems Approach

To achieve faster organic growth, firms need to change their prevailing narrative about innovation from growth denying to growth enabling. This requires changing the system through which the work of innovation gets done. This article describes the work systems model of organizational change and shows how a leadership team can select the most influential elements of the system to make a desired narrative a reality. Four elements of the work system are especially effective at encouraging a growth-affirming narrative: leadership commitment to innovation talent, prudent risk-taking, customer-centric innovation, and aligning metrics and incentives.

An Empowerment Narrative Leadership Program for a Disadvantaged Community

Purpose: This research is providing social workers with a deeper insight into the process of empowering people from disadvantaged communities with leadership abilities by applying a narrative approach in group work and to develop members’ individual potential within their social construction of leaders and leadership. Method: This research was undertaken following the developmental and utilization model of Grinnell with a combined qualitative and quantitative research approach. The research was performed from a postmodern and social constructivist paradigm and therefore relied more on the qualitative research perspective. Results: The research includes guidelines for a group work narrative leadership program. The impact of the social constructionist approach on the group members re-authors their narratives. Conclusions: Group work by means of the narrative approach in social work is recommended because it has become evident from this study that a richer description of the lives of people can be gained.