Making innovation stick has proven difficult to many large organizations. The challenge these organizations face is to turn innovation from a buzzword into a systemic and widely distributed competency. This study explored how to do this by asking the question “How might large organizations enable and nurture innovation over the long term?”

The study used a combination of research methods and adopted a design approach to answering the question. Research methods included literature review, case studies, surveys, semi-structured interviews, innovation canvassing and foresighting. The research identified that in order to embed innovation into an organization’s DNA, that organization must have a strong innovation orientation, and must demonstrate aptitude in five critical areas: strategy, culture, process, portfolio and scalability. These findings were used to propose a roadmap to innovation for the City of Toronto’s Chief Corporate Officer; one that embodies the characteristics of successful, long-term approaches to innovation that would allow the organization to transform itself into a more innovative organization.