It is concluded that, despite its limited scale, the significance of the current study relates to the
following contributions:
x It provided a coherent profile of innovation leadership competencies rather than being just another
contribution at individual element or specific discipline level.
x The competencies were derived from observing successful innovation leaders in practice.
x The profile is descriptive enough to serve as assessment framework for leadership development.
x The profile leaves space for further refinement and validation to contribute further to
professionalization of the innovation discipline.
Recommendations are made within the context of a limited sample size and relatively weak base of
research-backed theory in the field of innovation leadership. Further scholarly conversation and dedicated
research into innovation leadership is encouraged and more specifically it is recommended that:
x The proposed innovation leadership competency profile be subjected to further validation by testing it
in other similar organizations.
x The profile be applied in organizations that are less science- and technology-intensive than the sample
organization to determine its relevance to innovation leaders across a broader spectrum of
organizations and leadership landscapes.
x The profile be further applied in the leadership development domain to determine the extent to which
learning and development interventions lead to mastery of the innovation leadership competencies
incorporated in the profile.
Limitations of the study relate to the relatively small sample of innovation leaders studied and the
organization-specific parameters used. These limit the extent to which the findings may be extrapolated t