To Innovate, Leaders Need To Empower The Edges
Briefly

Breakthrough innovation often arises from the edges of organizations, demonstrated by historical examples like Albert Einstein and popular McDonald's products developed by franchisees. Leaders are encouraged to spend more time at these edges to harness this potential, although most struggle to balance this with other crucial priorities. Instead, empowering employees at the edges to advocate for their ideas can often be a more effective approach, as many organizations have untapped ideas that junior staff don't know how to promote.
Breakthrough innovation typically comes from the edges, as evidenced by Albert Einstein's significant contributions while being an unknown patent clerk, and McDonald's franchisee-driven products.
Management experts recommend that leaders need to spend time at the edges of their enterprise, as the most impactful ideas often originate there, though it requires prioritization.
Many organizations have potential ideas that remain underutilized because mid-level and junior employees lack the knowledge or skills to advocate for them effectively.
Empowering edges within organizations to advocate for themselves presents a viable alternative to having leaders spend time on the edges, driving innovation from the ground up.
Read at Medium
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