When leadership means more innovation and development

Abstract Purpose – Can leadership contribute to better results from innovative efforts? The purpose of this paper is to offer an approach to answer this question and to contribute to clarify the relationship between motivation to innovate and leadership influence on technological development. Design/methodology/approach – The ability of leadership to create motivation levels is discussed in order in order to face the first relation level between an effective and strategic leadership and its possibility of intervening within employees' values dynamics. The role of a manager that seems to be resigned to a kind of fate is then discussed – that is, he/she only is able to sustain the organization within a reactive functioning manner which does not permit organizational development. The article then tries to distinguish new products/services that only agitate the field of alternative transactions from those innovations that really contribute to technological and economic development. The need for a new model of strategic leadership is suggested. Findings – Organizations and strategic leaders that look for success, excellence, and technological vanguard have to face the concept of "Innovation Management" as a development perspective with a domain of conceptual autonomy, that is, they should manage innovation within its systemic and technological context as a tool so powerful that it should play the role of a special function of potentialities to explore. Innovation Management has three important strategic goals: support and expand present business portfolio; develop new businesses; and improve the organization technologic abilities. Originality/value – A model has been suggested as a proposal for future research. Its architecture should be improved in order to include new components and the consideration of a wider set of technical relationships, which could offer significant contributions to achieve better innovation efficiency and development levels.