Canadian Government Executive - Volume 25 - Issue 02

April/May 2019// Canadian Government Executive / 13 TRADE Innovation, Commericalization and En- trepreneurship. I taught in a Masters of Innovation programwith a Centre in Aus- tralia. The CCA published a report on this need: “Improving Innovation Through Better Management.” What seems miss- ing in Canada is the idea that policy can improve business management skills and nurture a richer management ecosystem. Other countries have such programs: Singapore: Singapore’s equivalent to ISED launched an “Innovation Score- card” program to help executives build a culture of innovation in all organizations. The self-audit helps executives make bet- ter decisions. Training and recognition programs prompted engagement. New Zealand: New Zealand lacks high- value commodities. In 2002, its equiva- lent to ISED created a vision: “Innovation, imagination and creativity should be the driving forces to grow per capita income.” The goal was to increase the value of busi- ness exports. It created a national design strategy: “New Zealand businesses look- ing to make their mark in export markets need to understand, not just in the way a product looks, but in the bottom-to-top discipline required to ensure their prod- uct is the best.” It launched a government consulting service in 2003 to work with company executives called, “Better By Design.” It continues to be successful. Building a Nation of Innovators On February 12, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, released “Canada is building a nation of innova- tors” as a plan to “build a new culture of innovation, drive productivity, and posi- tion Canada as an innovation leader in the world.” I see little discussion on the quality of management to nurture inno- vation to build this vision. The problem is never the top 1000 or 10,000 companies. The issue is prompting the other 1,000,000 companies to grow their capacity to in- novate. All must be part of the national management and innovation ecosystems. To provide a practical example, Canada is a world leader in exporting mustard seed (2017 sales of $120 million) yet not a world leader in exporting premium branded mustard. We import mustard made of Canadian seed. Perhaps this is a challenge for Innovation Canada’s Pro- tein Industries Canada cluster. It wants to position Canada as a leading source of high-quality plant protein and plant- based co-products. Perhaps we need a mini mustard cluster. Ed Bernacki started the Idea Factory to help people and organisations de- velop their capacity to innovate. He has extensive experience in the public and private sectors internationally. He has written a series of books on public sec- tor innovation and conference design innovation. gests that one limit on innovation can be the quality of business management. Do business owners and managers truly have the skills to compete globally? Ten years ago, this question was explored in, “Why Mexicans don’t drink Molson: Rescu- ing Canadian Business From the Suds of Global Obscurity.” That book, by Andrea Mandel-Campbell, questioned why Cana- dian companies fail to lead their indus- tries globally. This was particularly true for consumer products. Molson had 100 years to become a global brand, yet failed to gain popularity outside of Canada. Mexico’s Corona became a global brand in 20 years. Mexicans don’t drink Molson, but Canadians do drink Corona. The Council of Canadian Academies in- troduces another factor: the lack of inno- vation management education in Canada. While focusing on STEM skills is neces- sary, Canada lacks sufficient skills for in- novation management. One solution is for more universities to create Centres for “The problem is that taxpayer-funded research went to foreign multinationals who now charge Canada for the use of technology that our taxpayers paid for.” — Jim Balsillie, former co-CEO of BlackBerry