Innovate or Perish: Managing the Enduring Technology Company in the Global Market

Innovation Team Member Selection Criteria

The current state of research clearly indicates that an effective innovation team should be created while observing the following criteria:

• Team should have an adequate size (five to eight core members are considered optimum depending on assignment).

• Members should have different expertise.

• Members should have different team roles (and more than one role during the project).

• Members should have different personalities.

• Members should have different experience (tenure and professional).

• Members should have different thinking styles.

The research also indicates that team culture and values have a significant impact on a successful innovation process for the team. The attitudes that team members bring into the team deeply influence the team culture and values, and it may be necessary to review these attitudes as a team in an initial session and team-building exercise.

David J. Skyrmer has indicated a list of healthy team member attitudes to observe:

• Every individual must have a sense of self-value and must value every other team member for their contribution.

• There must be a high level of trust in a working team; this may take time to build.

• Individuals must be mutually supportive—commitments made should be met.

• Reciprocity must reign—give as much as you get in terms of support, transfer of information, and knowledge.

• Individual feelings must be recognized and expressed.

The climate for innovation is strongly affected by the corporate climate and individual ...