Episode 11: How leaders can (and should sustain) grassroots innovation

In the first part of this conversation, Alexis Samuel laid out what he calls the Baker's Dozen. Twelve building blocks for activating grassroots innovation in a large enterprise.From the CEO's call to innovate to psychological safety.From branding a program to measuring how it generates its return on investment.It was a masterclass in the architecture of innovation at scale. Especially for corporations.But who are the people, that is the employees, that respond to such calls? Why do they respond? Do they all engage with such initiatives?That is the human story inside the architecture. And that is what this second episode is about.Today, we move from strategy to people. From building the system to understanding what it feels like to be inside it.We talk about who the grassroots innovators really are, what activates their curiosity and drive to engage with innovation calls, and what makes them stop participating. I personally learned something new about this last one.Alexis Samuel spent 35 years in the corporate world ensuring excellent delivery of IT services. He never held innovation in his title. Yet he activated innovators throughout his career, and in his last chapter he shaped a program to activate grassroots innovators across a global company with over 250,000 employees.He is not your common go-to person when it comes to innovation. Yet his wisdom is priceless.I am your host Iliriana Kacaniku, an innovation strategist at heart, and this is the Activate Innovation Lounge, a podcast dedicated to all leaders with or without innovation in their title who want to activate innovators, innovation, and innovation culture in their organization.Chapters00:00 Understanding Grassroots Innovators07:12 Motivation and Engagement in Innovation12:36 Hackathons vs. Extended Innovation Challenges19:41 Setting the Stage for Successful Innovation25:35 The Role of AI in Innovation Processes36:19 Leveraging External Ecosystems for Innovation41:07 The Future of Innovation Programs46:43 Sustaining Innovation Through Leadership Changes53:10 Activating Grassroots Innovators55:18 The Future of Innovation Programs