What’s an Innovation Mandate?
What does an Innovation Mandate do?
It delegates authority over innovation decisions from the Org level (e.g. the CEO) to the Portfolio level (e.g. the Head of Innovation).
The mandate expresses one simple message:
“You’re a professional and we trust you to make decisions around uncertainty on behalf of the company – within some clearly-defined parameters.”
An Innovation Mandate, if well designed, sets out the priorities for innovation at the Portfolio level and ensures strategic alignment with Org level priorities.
Isn’t it the same as an Innovation Strategy?
A mandate and a strategy are linked, but they’re not the same thing.
An Innovation Strategy is a set of clear choices around innovation. The Innovation Mandate empowers those tasked with executing the strategy to work towards their objectives – with clarity.