Leadership behavior implementation

If we look at the types of leadership behavior which are experienced by the innovators, but also proposed by the leaders and experts as essential during the implementation phase, then we can state that these types do not differ much from the leadership behavior during the idea

generation. Only the kind of role of the leader changes a bit, but that will be elaborated in the next section. Now the different types of leadership behavior appropriate for the implementation of innovations will be elaborated.

Providing autonomy

The degree of freedom to work on the project is also experienced as crucial during the

implementation of innovations. The innovation project is doomed to fail when leaders interfere too much or even take over the project. The people on the work floor who initiated the

innovation are professionals and are therefore capable of developing and implementing their product. The respondents agreed that this kind of freedom is important for the success of the implementation. Innovators will not be motivated when leaders take over the project, they only need help when it is needed:

It is important that you do not take over the project at the implementation, but let it be executed by the initiators. You can build a project around it, but do not interfere by yourself. (JVDH2)

What I have learned is that you can let things go, because you have many wise and smart people in your organization we can work with innovation. The only thing you need to do is helping, providing some money and connecting sometimes. (IM1)

Support for innovation

When the innovators have the freedom to work on and implement the project it is important that they have unconditional support from their leaders. This support becomes clear by providing advices, being open for questions, being patient and helpful, and by listening to employees who

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want to implement their innovation. So, this type of behavior can be characterized as a behavior which is solely focused on helping the employees in anything they want or need. This leader also indicate that this is important. First you have to clear about how much space they have and which boundaries there are and after this you must support the implementation process:

It is more the matter of: you have made the rules of the game clear and let the rest go. So, you have to provide space and support when it is needed. (LS3)

Stimulate innovation

Leaders have to stimulate the employees when they have a good idea which should be

implemented in the organization because it adds value to the way of working. This stimulation is expressed in the form of providing freedom, supporting and helping when it is needed. It is not explicitly the communication which is the stimulation, but more a kind of advisory board when you need help. So, the stimulating behavior is expressed in other forms of behavior and the goal of this type is that the employees stay motivated to go on with their innovation. The stimulating task is illustrated by this innovator:

So it is actually the same, stimulating. There was not much more interference than at the generation of the idea, you get more freedom as the process progresses. (JVDH5)

Providing resources

When the innovation gets further in the process it will affect more people but also needs

resources for the development and the implementation. The resources which are mostly needed are time and money. Such resources are not needed at the idea generation, because such ideas can be expressed and developed by computers or paper work. It is the task of the leader to arrange such resources, because an innovator has not much influence and does not have the network of contacts which is available to the leader. Therefore those leaders should provide time to implement the project, arrange budget and provide other facilities which is needed for the implementation. Although money was found to be a restraining factor in some innovation projects, this was not a problem for all the innovation projects. This can be explained by the fact that some innovations did not require much money for the implementation and other innovations were of such value that a financial budget could be arranged without much problems. So, the nature of the innovation (incremental and radical) and its value are explanations are

explanations for the financial problems. When the value of the innovation is clear for everyone on the work floor, then money is often not a big issue.

This innovator integrates the types leadership behavior at the implementation very well when he was asked how his supervisor supports him at this phase:

Firstly, he was very enthusiastic and that gives support. In addition, the provision of a budget was very important. So, he was mainly facilitating. (JVDH 2)

Idea promotion/Lobbying

Another type of behavior which is especially important during the implementation of innovations is promoting the innovation/idea. This includes that leaders should communicate to other people that the innovation adds value to the organization which can be understand as lobbying. This communication can be in different kind of forms: during meetings/congresses, via mail contact

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but also during the daily activities. He must emphasize that the innovation is important for the people on the work floor. When the leader promotes the innovation, he creates much more support inside the organization and this leads to an easier and better implementation of the idea. This is also indicated as very important by different respondents:

They created support and they spread that the innovation is important. They paid much attention to the importance of the innovations, I think that is a good and strong point. (JVDH1)

He shared it during his meeting. It was from the beginning a big success, everybody was very

enthusiastic. My supervisor showed off with this of course, because his department invented a fantastic thing. (JVDH3)

Supporting, make people enthusiastic, but you should as a leader also bring this enthusiasm about the product to the environment and other fire stations. So bringing the enthusiasm to them, explain where you are standing for, that is important. (LS2)