🔄 This article is a repurposed extract from Get S#!t Done—a short book of real-world lessons for leaders lifting innovation capability inside complex organisations.
Once you’ve got the culture right and you understand the system you’re working in, the next step is to make innovation repeatable—not random. That’s where the innovation engine comes in: the structures, people and alignment that turn good intentions into consistent delivery.
Innovation needs structure
Innovation has a reputation for being spontaneous, but the leaders I spoke to were clear—it takes discipline. Ron Arnold calls it innovation scaffolding: the deliberate systems that protect the space, speed and decision rights innovation needs to survive.
Without it, the default processes of large organisations will grind your best ideas to a halt.
Structure doesn’t mean bureaucracy. It means clarity—about funding, decision-making, and how innovation teams work with the core business. James Orchard and Steve Cratchley both stressed the importance of designing fit-for-purpose systems, not copying Silicon Valley playbooks.
💬 “Multi-year funding sends a clear signal: we’re in this for the long haul.” — Ron Arnold
People make the difference
Processes matter, but it’s people who make innovation work. The best teams are ambidextrous—able to switch between strategy and delivery, analysis and action. Ron Arnold describes them as having “a bit of mongrel”: they’re resourceful, hands-on and unafraid to own the work.
Internal credibility matters more than external sparkle. Leaders who know how things really get done in the organisation can clear paths, protect their teams, and challenge effectively. Bryan Falchuk reminded me that innovation is emotional work—it needs psychological safety, not just funding.
💬 “You can’t keep driving transformation on an empty tank.” — Olly Bridge
Strategy must cascade
Too often, innovation and strategy sit in separate silos—one for the boardroom, one for the lab. The most effective leaders weave them together. Rushika Kumar calls it creating a “steel thread” from vision to execution, so people know how their work connects to what the business actually cares about.
It’s a two-way street. Innovation should shape strategy too, by feeding early signals and insights back into the decision-making process. As Ron Arnold says, “Strategy that listens is strategy that lasts.”
💬 “The best organisations weave strategy and innovation together.” — Rushika Kumar
Reflection prompts
- Does your innovation effort have clear funding, governance and decision rights?
- Who in your organisation has the credibility to clear a path for innovation?
- Can your team explain how their work connects to the organisation’s strategy?
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