Transformational Leadership, Design Thinking and the Innovative Firm

In this chapter we discuss the intricacies of innovation leadership behaviour and design thinking as drivers and enablers of organizational innovation. We propose transformational leadership and design thinking capabilities as suitable for alleviating issues of business innovation. Managers and the processes they apply, the behaviours they exert and the work cultures they promote are shaping the organisational practices and culture in which innovation occurs. As we explore design thinking capabilities and further conceptualise and interpreted them in light of transformational leadership theory, we find that transformational leadership offers a theoretical lens through which the transformative power of design thinking can be explained. A conceptual design innovation leadership model is proposed and its theoretical and managerial implications are discussed