HR should not own innovation — but HR can be decisive for whether it is actually implemented

(Part 1: From innovation to execution)

On 19 August I am invited as a panel participant in HR-nettverk Bjørvika to discuss «HR as an innovation engine — or as a brake?».

Thanks to Tim Rosenkilde for the invitation. The topic touches on something I have become increasingly focused on in my work on leadership, transformation and AI:

The gap between good initiatives and actual changed practice.

I am going into the discussion with some clear views.

💥 We must stop measuring innovation by the number of pilots and start measuring changed practice and realised value.

A good idea, a new system or an AI solution has limited value if it is not adopted, scaled and changes the way the organisation works.

💥 For many organisations, the greatest AI risk may not be the technology, but the organisation's learning speed.

Access to technology is becoming increasingly similar. The difference may therefore lie to a greater extent in leadership, competence, culture, decision power and how quickly the organisation manages to change ways of working.

💥 If innovation is only a project on the side of the day job, it often loses to operational everyday life.

For innovation to have effect, it must enter priorities, ownership, work processes, competence development and leadership follow-up. It must become part of how the business is run.

And perhaps the most important HR question:

💥 HR should be as concerned with how work is actually performed as with how the org chart looks.

I therefore do not necessarily believe that HR should be the innovation engine itself. But HR can play a decisive role in building the organisation's ability to learn, change and execute.

These are some of the perspectives I am bringing into the panel discussion at HR-nettverk Bjørvika.

In this post I have first and foremost focused on execution: the gap between good initiatives and actual changed practice and realised value.

In a follow-up I will look at another side of the same issue, namely responsible adoption.

When AI meets HR: Responsibility is not the opposite of innovation.

Because as AI increasingly affects people, work processes and decisions, we must combine innovation speed with responsibility, human judgement and good frameworks.

👉 What do you think? Where can HR make the biggest difference for innovation and execution capability, and when does HR risk becoming a brake?

By the way: if you are an HR leader and qualify for membership, I think this network is absolutely worth considering.

#StrategicLeadership #Innovation #HR #AI #Transformation