Every innovation initiative needs an inspiring strategic purpose. One of the most-often cited examples of an inspiring goal is John F. Kennedy’s declaration that “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth.” This objective galvanized not just NASA but a whole nation behind the effort to beat the Soviet Union in the space race.

Not every organizations is involved in innovation efforts as grandiose as sending men to the moon, but stating clearly up front what it is you hope to accomplish is important, nonetheless. Here are some corporate examples of strategic purposes for innovation initiatives:

Danfoss:
•  To identify and develop new ventures that create significant growth and/or strategic advantages.
•  To spot and develop talent.
•  To change the culture and to establish ”intrapreneurship” as the fourth career path.

Intel:
•  Foster and encourage innovation and creative thinking.
•  Challenge the status quo and embracing change.
•  Provide a challenging work environment.

Grundfos:
•  Experiment with and develop towards future organizational paradigms.
•  Create new career paths for Grundfos managers.

Notice that in each case, a portion of the language focuses on people-related aspects of the organization, such as shifting the corporate culture or developing new career paths. This helps employees answer the key question of “What’s in it for me?” In the end innovation needs to be about making money and profits, but this will not happen if you shortcut the people aspect. The innovative companies understand this and it should be a key lesson for all executives and innovation leaders.