Exploring innovative opportunity identification in transforming organizational leadership: Exploratory qualitative inquiry

The problem addressed in this study was to understand processes and mechanisms that provide value-creating experiences in support of organizational innovation. There was a gap in the literature about factors affecting innovative opportunity identification. The research was guided by systems theory, which allowed for recognition of the organizations' ability to recreate their futures and the contention innovation is an organizational journey that can be systemized. Innovation demands all aspects of an organization be challenged and examined, and critical constraints identified. Critical constraints serve as the boundaries for innovational processes that are unique to the organization. The research questions was: How can leaders of participating nonprofit organizations improve value creation during community development organization training program (CDOTP) workshop sessions to support innovative opportunity identification? An exploratory qualitative inquiry which allowed access to the personal experiences of 20 management workshop participants from three participant groups; nonprofit (NP) organizational leaders, workshop creators/presenters and workshop training participants, ages 18 and over. Overall the findings were consistent with the literature reviewed for this study. Results strongly indicated acknowledgement of a leadership gap that keeps individuals and organizations stuck in the status quo. The data analysis revealed factors impeding adaptive capacity building, knowledge sharing, transfer of new learning, motivation, and empowerment were driven by lack of leadership commitment to experiment with new processes and behaviors. The results reinforce a sense of urgency for leaders to challenge the rigidness of the NP culture and explore with new possibilities that recognize value creating experiences and support both organizational innovation and organizational sustainability.