Responsibilities connected to this position, however, still vary greatly. Who you need depends on your company and its business challenges.
Chief innovation officers are usually former executives, academics or inventors, although some of them have worked as investment bankers or start-up founders.
Hiring a CINO: what kind of background is appropriate?
Who has the right qualifications? The notion of innovation means very different things to different people. When hiring a chief of innovation, you first need to understand well your organisation’s innovation objectives. That will help you to find the right candidate and provide them with the right habitat.
According to the Harvard Business Review, there are six main types of innovation officers. Let’s see what each of them is like and what kind of innovation they can best deliver.
Researchers
These people have been working patiently on innovations for years. They are often quiet people who like lab coats. They are usually well educated and passionate about new things that promise to become something really big.
Researchers prefer scientific methodology. They enjoy determining the right questions to find the right answers. They make excellent CINOs for organisations where intellectual property rules are enforceable and big changes desirable. Suitable industries would include pharmaceutical, aerospace and defence.
Researchers need:
- generous funding
- strong business partners able to guide them toward viable ideas
- focus on longer-term gains
-jk-