Global Leader Innovation in a Context of Global Leadership

In one regard, global leadership and innovation would seem to go hand in hand. Indeed, the proliferation of global corporate orientation is itself a condition produced by the incredible impact of certain innovations. As the text by Kanter (2006) indicates, certain periods of rapid innovation have altered the landscape for global leadership. Kanter observes that "the first was the dawn of the global information age in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, an era that introduced new industries and threatened to topple old ones." (p. 74)

In this observation, we can see that innovation is frequently disruptive and progressive all at once. It also suggests that in a globalizing context, judicious use of innovative strategies may be necessary for survival. This discussion demonstrates that while effective innovation and global leadership are not inherently dependent upon one another, they do share a reciprocal relationship.

Global Leader Vs. Effective Innovator:

To an extent, the quality of being an effective innovator is not inherently a part of serving in a global leadership role. Many international leadership scenarios may call for stewardship within a context and culture that is already fairly entrenched. In other words, being dispatched to a new locale to manage or administrate may require an individual to provide steady leadership while also respecting and protecting the features of this working culture....

In this regard, functioning as a steady and stable global leader may far outstrip the importance of forging new products, services, processes or operational strategies. Innovation is likely to take a back seat as the effective global leader simply works to establish control, order and sustainability.
However, there are instances in which innovation is exactly the force which drives an organization to success in a new global context. Achieving a singular competitive edge within a new marketplace may be critical to long-term survival. This is why the best of global leaders are those that deconstruct the barrier between the innovative and the operationally normative. According to the text by Govindarajan & Trimble (2010), "an innovation initiative must be executed by a partnership that somehow bridges the hostilities -- a partnership between a dedicated team and what we call the performance engine, the unit responsible for sustaining excellence in ongoing operations." (p. 77)

This means that while a good global leader need not inherently be an effective innovator, a balance between these skills is likelier to produce harmony within an organization. This is because the ability to orient an organization toward innovation does require strong and respected leadership. As Govindarajan & Trimble indicate, this leadership may be the most important force in bringing symbiosis between the innovative dimensions of an organization and those employees that must use these innovations in their…