Gaining Leadership Backing for Your Innovations Steps for building a network of promoters

It describes several approaches companies have used to give employees room to develop their own ideas. Google and 3M, for example, have introduced policies that allow employees to spend part of their working time on projects outside their regular duties. The article also discusses so-called “bootlegging” and “skunkworks” projects, in which employees or small teams work on ideas without following the company’s usual development processes.

The article notes that some well-known innovations emerged from such arrangements. At 3M, for example, the company’s so-called “15 percent culture” provided employees with time to pursue their own ideas, contributing to the development of the Post-it Note. Other examples include Lockheed’s Skunk Works and innovation projects associated with companies such as Apple, Google and Amazon.

At the same time, the article distinguishes these initiatives from so-called “submarine projects,” which are pursued without permission and despite explicit opposition from management. Such projects can have consequences for the employees involved.

As an alternative to working independently, the article presents the “troika of promoters” from innovation management research. The model describes three types of support that can help an idea move through an organization:

• Technology promoters contribute technical expertise and help develop and validate the idea.
• Process promoters understand organizational procedures, internal networks and decision-making processes.
• Power promoters have sufficient authority to provide resources, remove organizational obstacles and support the project at a management level.

According to the article, employees seeking to advance an idea should first formulate it clearly, for example in a concise concept paper outlining its potential benefits, technical feasibility and business impact. They can then identify relevant experts, stakeholders and decision-makers and gradually build support for the project.

The article emphasizes that these three roles do not necessarily correspond to formal management positions. The individuals involved may work in different departments and at different levels of seniority. What connects them is their support for the same project.

Overall, the article presents the promoter model as an approach that can help employees navigate organizational structures when they want to develop an idea beyond the boundaries of their formal role. Rather than relying solely on individual initiative, it suggests building support across technical, organizational and hierarchical levels.