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© Imaginatik plc 2013 | www.imaginatik.com
How to map out an innovation career path
Innovation Masters Series
September 23, 2013
Deb Arcoleo, The Hershey Company
Chris Townsend, Imaginatik

1 © Imaginatik plc 2013 | www.imaginatik.com
Why the Innovation Masters Series?
▪ Hear about innovation best practices from real-world practitioners
▪ Advance the state of the art of innovation discipline
▪ Share your perspectives and learn in a “community” setting

Business is different in the 21st century
Relentless global
competition
Technology
advances
Uncertain
regulatory
environment
Today’s organizations
operate in the rapidly-
changing, information-rich
world of the 21st century…
…meaning they must
constantly adapt and respond
to new competitive pressures,
customer needs, and
technology advances
Changing
customer needs

The new normal: Innovate or Die
Didn’t adapt to
streaming video
Result:
BANKRUPT
Didn’t adapt to
digital photography
Result:
BANKRUPT
Didn’t adapt to
eCommerce
Result:
BANKRUPT

The Age of Innovation: a new corporate rhythm
Operational Excellence
In the 20th century,
corporations competed
primarily on the ability to be
supremely efficient in
making the same products,
sold to the same
customers, using the same
or similar technologies.
Innovation Capability
In the 21st century, operational
excellence is necessary, but not
sufficient, for success.
Companies must ALSO be
fundamentally innovative – due
to constant change in products
and services, competitive
dynamics, customer needs, and
supporting technologies.
The Modern Enterprise
+

43% of global
companies now have
a senior executive
accountable for
innovation.
Wanted: Innovation Leaders

“Our company needs
market breakthroughs
within 6 months…or else.
Make it happen.”
“We have no idea how
innovation really works. You
tell us what funding /
resources you need.”
Common “support” from the CEO / Board
Innovation Leadership is Hard

Typical “enthusiasm” across the organization
Middle-mgmt
“buy-in”
Innovation
“strategy”
Proven
business
results
Motivation &
incentives
Engagement &
participation
Business as
usual
Culture
change
Not-invented-here Corporate
objectives
“I don’t have
time for this.”
Creativity in
the workplace?
Innovation = flavor
of the month
Innovation Leadership is Hard

Today’s topic: Mapping an Innovation Career Path
Entrepreneurship
career aids
?
Degree-granting programs
Professional development
Corporate Innovation
career aids

Deb Arcoleo | Director, Adjacency Innovation
Today’s speaker
Management
consulting
Career transition /
change management
consulting
Consumer packaged
goods innovation

How to map an
innovation career
Deb Arcoleo
Director, Adjacency Innovation
The Hershey Company

• Why is a career in innovation so difficult?!
• Innovation team types, skills and characteristics
• Navigating a career in innovation
Innovation career paths

1. “Innovation” has many different meanings
Crowd sourcing
Co-development
Technology search CULTURE

Obviously, the most common meaning is a new
product or service offering to customers

Defined more broadly, innovation can cover
a wider slice of the value chain
Source: Doblin’s Ten Types of Innovation
Business
model
Networking Enabling
process
Core
process
Product
performance
Product
system
Service Channel Brand Customer
experience
FINANCE PROCESS OFFERING DELIVERY

Culture, capabilities,
leadership behaviors,
etc.
Process, business
model, etc.
Each organization needs to decide on the scale and
scope of its innovation strategy
Products/
services

2. Unlike other professions, innovation has no guide book

Ph.D. Program in Human Resources
Cornell University’s ILR School: A world
leader in Human Resource Management
How do you spot a profession?

3. It takes a different breed

“I’ll be happy to give you innovative thinking.
What are the guidelines?”
A different way of thinking

“Innovation has a thousand
enemies: inertia, ignorance,
resistance to change,
stupidity, etc. etc. . .
if innovation were easy, more
people would do it.”
- Guy Kawasaki

QUESTIONS?

Chief
Innovation
Officer
Assistant Small Staff
Chief Innovation Officer

BU 1
Marketing
Market
Research /
Insights
BU2
Marketing
Market
Research /
Insights
Cross-functional
partners
Cross-functional
partners
Product innovation teams

Platform A
Research
Engineering
Platform B
Research
Engineering
Open
Innovation
Technology innovation focused teams

Center of
Excellence
Capabilities/
Training
Rewards/
Recognition/
Engagement
Culture/
Leadership
Process / Tools
Infrastructure focused teams

Needed skills depend on the role …
… but there are commonalities

Strategic foresight

Deep understanding of the business

Organizational influence

Stakeholder management

Ability to spot patterns

Master storyteller

• Persistent
• Courageous / experimenter
• Passionate / energetic
• Intensely curious
• Empathetic
• Creative AND pragmatic
• Tolerant of ambiguity
• Agile and flexible
My very unscientific list of characteristics/ traits
that I want among my team

QUESTIONS?

• Assess your goals and aspirations against the
realities of an emerging profession
• Be open-minded about what the role looks like
• Find a senior sponsor
• Hone your change management and influencing
skills
• Become a master communicator and story-teller
• Build habits that stimulate your thinking
• Build a network of fellow innovators
• Consider that you may have to change
companies to progress
Setting the stage for an innovation career

When you win,
make sure everyone knows!!

“Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world; indeed, it's the
only thing that ever has.”
- Margaret Mead
Remain hopeful

Imaginatik plc
Thank you!
Deborah Arcoleo
Director, Adjacency Innovation
The Hershey Company
darcoleo@hersheys.com

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