Professor Dr. Søren Salomo heads the Department of Technology and Innovation Management at the Technical University of Berlin. He is investigating how innovations succeed – and as a university lecturer, he also likes to try out new things himself.

Mr. Salomo, how does one become an innovation researcher?

Anyone interested in how something new comes about and wonders why some innovations spread quickly while others do not at all will quickly come across explanations from the field of innovation management research. I am interested in innovation and technology management across the board. I am concerned with the question of how as a society we can ensure that innovative ideas are implemented as quickly and successfully as possible. Innovation researchers are actually almost all scientists who are looking for solutions to problems, because they are indeed already taking the first important step towards innovation. Innovation management is also interested in the parameters that determine whether new knowledge can be turned into a successful solution.

You and your team are investigating how companies can be innovative. What are the three most important innovation enablers?

There is no general answer to this question because, by definition, companies are always breaking new ground with innovation. However, it helps if companies create the conditions to deal productively with complexity and uncertainty. The first of these prerequisites is customer orientation: companies that are driven by the curiosity to understand their customers’ genuine needs will be more successful with innovations. The second prerequisite for successful innovation is technological expertise. Technology is becoming increasingly important in all areas of life. Those who know how to use technology in a targeted way to solve problems can surprise customers in a positive way. And finally, innovation requires freedom for employees. Innovation never works against employees, but at all times with and through them. The entrepreneurial art, then, is to create incentives for employees to commit themselves to innovation.

How do you teach entrepreneurial skills, such as project management?

Project management is more than just a business skill. Project management is important in many areas of life, for example in university studies and project management skills are particularly important for people who want to achieve success with innovation. This means that project management is just as important for engineers as mathematics. My team and I have, therefore, developed a “Serious Game” that simulates a “Real” project and in which students can acquire project management skills in a playful way.