The presentation is from Professor Su Maddock , Honourary Fellow, MBS Institute for Innovation Research, from the just concluded African Round Table & Conference on Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility (AR-CSR™), which held in Tinapa Business Resort, Calabar, Cross River State between 20 to 21 June, 2013. Organised by ThistlePraxis Consulting Limited

1. Professor Su Maddock
Transformative Leadership creates the
conditions for innovation.
The African conference on corporate
sustainability and responsibility
June 20-21st 2013 Calabar
Su Maddock June 20-21st 2013

2. Su Maddock Calabar June 2013
Sustainability and social innovation tend to be are driven by
innovators who have a desire to solve problems
Innovation examples: system innovation to tackle
waste, pollution, crime, service innovations in care, product
innovation & technological innovation Not all innovation is
underpinned by social values, financial innovations caused the
‘crash’
Making connections between good governance, transformative
leadership, and the conditions for both social Innovation and
sustainability

3. Innovation Journeys
Innovation does follow a common path and an inquiring
mind as well as an entrepreneurial spirit is key..
Su Maddock Helsinki May 2013
Most innovation depends on collaboration, the WWW was
born because technicians collaborated. Innovation spreads
where it is welcome – it is a viral process.

4. Innovation
As Innovation travels where innovators
have the opportunity to connect and
collaborate
Current interventions to stimulate innovation
include:
• Social Media and digital connections
• Pilots, Hubs & Incubators, Mind Labs
• Demand through procurement, prizes etc
• Innovative leadership building open
systems
• Reward innovation, incentives
• Local innovation strategies
• eco-systems
.
•
Su Maddock 2013
The task of public leaders is to
bridge the growing number of
innovators and entrepreneurs
with more responsive and
open government – there are
transformational leaders but
they face resistance and
powerful obstacles -
which are not only personal
but
conceptual, cultural, gendered
and systemic within public
institutions.

5. The obstacles – Innovation Policy assumptions
• The way we think and the models we
use make a difference to the way
governments and companies
intervene.
• International innovation policies tend
to assume that the market and
competition will automatically lead
to innovation and growth. When
research shows that Collaboration is
as important to sustaining innovation
as is ‘competition’
• They assume linear model of transfer
and a ‘one sized fits all model.
• Elinor Olstrom, (Nobel Prize and innovator
in economics ) believed classical economic
models to be inappropriate for
innovation, because they make no
reference to people’s capabilities to
organise which she believed underpin the
conditions for innovation.
• Yet, innovation policies rarely refer to
leadership or people’s capacities believing
the market &/or structural reform will
automatically result in innovation.
Su Maddock Helsinki May 2013

6. Obstacles: public sector management
When senior civil servants
such as
Sir Gus O’Donnell, Head of
the Civil Service 2006- 2010
UK
We are going to have to
innovate, to tackle the
challenges we face.’ and
The ‘command and control’
management model not
flexible enough to stimulate
or capture innovation.
Public administration
transformation is serious
and that senior public
leadership has to change
WHY LEADERSHIP MATTERS
The biggest challenge is developing the
leadership capabilities to transform
public organisations and practices.
Kosonen (2008) who turned NOKIA
around said successful leaders inspire
staff and transform practices and
incentives thereby also changing
behaviours and cultures
Su Maddock Helsinki May 2013

7. Obstacles: politicians and transactional managers
But this is not a reason for defending
old practices which undermine
creativity and reinforce compliance
that results in poor productivity.
Service innovation in particular
requires responsive staff and there is
a bargain to be stuck between staff
being more flexible and corporate
responsibilities.
.
Su Maddock 2013
Developing a willingness to
collaborate and inter-agency
working necessary for
innovation can be difficult when
politicians have unrealistic
expectations and seek
• Efficiencies
• Savings
• service innovation
• Business growth
• Solutions to major challenges
• From same intervention

8. Transformative leadership – agents for change
Transformative leaders
this rare breed in government
tend to have a faith in people’s
capacities. they
• Orchestrate rather than control
• Challenge and are not frightened of
conflict
• take risks on grounds of longer-term
results
• Seek out innovators and create space for
them
• Accept the messiness of early innovation
• Make corporate changes to support
innovation
• Manage up as well as down
• To align policy with new practices
Su Maddock Helsinki May 2013
The leadership role is to
•Transform practices and systems
• Identify where innovation
required
• think wider systems and create
opportunities for exchange
between business, services and
local enterprises.
•stimulate supply chains
• get closer to universities
• Have a better story for staff to
engage them in change
• reward innovation

9. Place Based Innovation
Some cities led by
transformative leaders
are developing innovation
strategies and investing in
local people, digital and
live connectivity and
knowledge exchange
• Locality leadership is becoming
more transformative in the UK .
• Many transformative public
sector leaders are women.
• Examples are listed in my paper.
• Karen McLusky reduced knife
crime in Glasgow by 40%
Su Maddock 2013

10. Obstacles: Male gender cultures
• Transformative leaders are often
thwarted by patriarchal cultures:
• Gender diversity at the top matters because it
sets the tone and sends messages of how far
staff can develop new relationships and
networks.
• Cultures that undervalue women as
transformative leaders are undermining their
on growth and well-being.
• Mckinseys [2008] recognise that male cultures
have become a problem for business generally
& advocate ‘People centred leadership’,
Unfortunately,
Male cultures permeate the higher
echelons of most political elites
Many politicians and CNN talk about
women being
• the key to the future and Inspirational
• This is rhetoric – rarely do women appear
in the media as strategic leaders.
• Women are invisible in innovation
research in HE
• This is problematic !!!!!
Su 2013

11. Solutions – support better governance
Those countries with highest
levels of innovation are countries
where women have most political
status e.g. Iceland, Denmark,
Finland and Sweden, followed by.
Canada, New Zealand and
Singapore
Better governance is unlikely
to emerge if political elites
ignore the transformative
leaders most committed to
social innovation
WOMEN.
Su Maddock Helsinki May 2013

12. Thanks for listening
I can be reached on
Su.maddock@mbs.ac.uk
Twitter feed @sumaddock
Skype Sumaddock
Publications google
SuMaddock or
www.mbs.ac.uk/MIOIR/
Su Maddock 2013