Middle Managers: The Forgotten Heroes of Innovation

The integration process encompasses two main elements: “connecting the dots” between all the new ideas that are springing up from around the organisation; and selecting, channelling and testing those ideas and deciding whether they are worthy of implementation. 

• Senior leaders must face the reality of an increasingly uncertain business environment, so they naturally recognise the need for continuous innovation.
• Frontline employees are interacting with customers and their issues on a daily basis, so they, too, fully grasp the need for innovation.
• Middle managers are typically focused on the execution engine, which means they can often be detached from the pressures to innovate, even seeing time spent on innovation as an unwelcome distraction from day-to-day objectives.

Middle managers are a vital part of innovation, without them, innovation is lost.

It is middle managers who have the power to give employees the time and motivation to innovate. And it is the middle managers who can make sure that any ideas generated are refined, filtered and, if worthwhile, brought to the attention of senior leaders.

This cross-company innovation framework at Bayer is supported by WeSolve, a digital platform that allows all employees to post any challenges or problems they are facing. Issues submitted can range from a frontline worker in Spain trying to help farmers monitor pesticide levels, to a manager in India asking for brand name suggestions for a new product.

The critical part is that any employee from any department, regardless of job title or training, can visit the forum and post potential solutions to any challenge.