What Else Is New? Managing Innovation in Different Cultures

Abstract

This paper contends that innovation can and does happen in any culture. After all, no culture is better than another. What actually happens is that innovation must be managed differently in each culture, in ways that are consistent with that culture. The misconceptions about innovation management are briefly described. Subsequently, examples are given depicting how innovation is typically managed in Contest, Social Pyramid, Network, Well-Oiled Machine, Solar System and Family cultures. Innovation management in Japan is described separately, since it has unique characteristics that do not match the other six culture styles.