Ireland's official standards body learned that there was a specialized team in Sweden certifying innovation managers – and decided to use that expertise to take the next step in its own use of innovation management. Here is the first Irishman to pass through the eye of the needle.
Taking new and better solutions from an idea to something that actually creates value for society, businesses and individuals requires teams of people who are open to change. And within that team, the innovation leader plays a particularly important role. These are people with specific knowledge and experience that make them well-positioned to drive change in the contexts in which they operate.
"Bringing about change within an existing organization is challenging. It's actually easier to start something from scratch, which explains why we have so many start-ups and a demand for better services and user experiences," says Sean McNulty, innovation specialist at Irish company Insight Innovation:
"Some people drive change intuitively and don't need an innovation management guide or standard, but many of us do because we have fixed mindsets and have learned to follow set linear processes. Like quality management, where tomorrow we have to repeat what we did yesterday to establish an expected level of quality."
Innovation is very much about stepping into the unknown, identifying the problems that need to be solved first. Those on the journey must first change their mindset, understand the challenges of having an innovative mindset and managing such a process. Certification as an innovation leader demonstrates to others that you have developed expertise in the field and can share your knowledge and experience in developing systematic innovation work, for example according to ISO 56001 Innovation Management System.
"Confidence in the individual's innovation management skills is important to get the rest of the organization and senior decision makers to listen and trust the framework and processes that need to be implemented to achieve the desired outcomes and impact. Whether that is at the societal, commercial, or systems and policy level," says Sean McNulty.
Some people drive change intuitively and don't need an innovation management guide or standard, but many of us do.
First to be certified
Mr. McNulty is a member of an international working group for the development of ISO standards. Among other things, he chaired the NSAI team in Ireland that helped develop ISO 56001, the world's first requirements standard for innovation management.
He is also the first Irishman to be certified as an innovation manager. RISE project manager Magnus Karlsson, who played the same leading role as Sean McNulty in the development of ISO 56001 in Sweden, suggested the possibility of certification through RISE. Sean McNulty then opted to complete the process with written and oral exams remotely. Now others driving innovation in Ireland can do the same.
The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), where Sean McNulty chairs the Innovation Committee, is Ireland's official standardization body. In 2024, the NSAI partnered with RISE to certify innovation leaders in Ireland. Stina Wibom, certification engineer and head of personal certification at RISE, saw no obstacles to bringing Swedish expertise across the North and Irish Seas.
"There are eight of us working on this, and we are based in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Lund and Borås, so it makes no difference if there are one or two national borders between us and the person going through the certification process. Both the written and oral exams are digital and the material submitted is in English, even for our Swedish customers," she explains.
Case shows how knowledge is used
In addition to a written knowledge test, the certification process consists of an assignment in which the candidate must describe a case that demonstrates how the knowledge of innovation management is put into practice. The case is also presented orally in a video meeting.
"I chose to share a situation where I was helping others identify, validate, and implement a new solution, rather than a case from years ago where I was the one implementing the solution. It was more honest to reflect where I am now in my career," says Sean McNulty, who as an innovation specialist helps teams every day to identify problems worth solving, develop new solutions, products and services – and get them implemented."
The fact that NSAI, with the help of Swedish certification engineers, is now able to certify individuals like Sean McNulty illustrates the mission of innovation leaders on an international level, for the benefit of business and society at large.
Certified Innovation Leader
In collaboration with the professional association Innovation Leaders, RISE has developed a certification for innovation leaders who lead and organize innovation initiatives in their work. The certification is valid for five years, provided that an annual report is submitted to RISE.