Innovation is on the agenda of many organizations as one of their strategic objectives. However, most claim to have difficulty achieving the expected results from their innovation efforts.
The reasons why this happens are varied: strategic alignment, resources, structure, technology, etc., yet one factor outweighs all the others: people. No innovation strategy can succeed if the people responsible for implementing it lack the necessary technical and relational skills.
This is something we have observed over the years working with organizations across all sectors. Teams that struggle to incorporate different perspectives, manage interculturality, resolve conflicts, experiment, and deal with failure find it harder to navigate the innovation process.
At IR, we work with high-performance teams, developing the skills necessary to help them reach their full potential through a relational leadership model based on four key pillars:
- Leading oneself: Becoming aware of our relational capacities and limitations.
- Leading others: Developing the relational skills needed to manage teams.
- Organizational leadership: Developing the innovation skills necessary to solve strategic challenges in a cross-functional, collaborative way.
- Systemic leadership: Building strong relationships with partners and stakeholders, fostering collaborative ecosystems.
This relational leadership model is essential to successfully tackling the challenges that lie ahead for any organization.
From IRIS (Instituto Relacional International Services), we design and deliver training programs aimed at developing the necessary skills for these high-performance teams to lead change in their organizations through a relational leadership model for innovation.
In our experience, working with individuals from over 20 different nationalities, we have seen how people with strong technical skills grow as individuals, professionals, and team leaders when they incorporate relational leadership skills.
Our Relational Strategic Innovation Program aims to prepare individuals by reactivating their relational capacities and guiding teams through solving complex challenges via interdisciplinary innovation and teamwork.
For innovation to take hold, it’s essential to create spaces where relationships thrive with quality, balance, and efficiency.
It’s a magical equation: combining the potential of people, the power of recognition, and the value of innovation.
By ESTHER TRUJILLO and NOELIA RODRÍGUEZ, heads of Instituto Relacional International Services.
