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ZOOM IN 2 - The 7 challenges of implementing innovation in cities

Ventspils & Valmiera , Latvija

Urban Stories

Published on 07/06/2022

Research and Innovation

Job creation and entrepreneurship

Education and employment

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The leadership challenge in cities' innovation

In this second Zoom In of the NextGen Microcities project, the UIA expert Fabio Sgaragli interviews Laura Codere, Project Manager of the project. This Zoom In focuses on the “leadership for implementation” challenge, a central quality needed to drive the realization of ambitious innovative initiatives in cities. Leadership is key to drive change and innovation. This is true for any organisation, as well as for any community. Albeit difficult to define, leadership is an essential quality people must possess in order to guide teams through difficulties to reach the planned objectives.

The success of NextGen lies for a big part in the leadership qualities of the project management of the project. It has in fact contributed significantly to driving the team and guiding it through complexity, managing both political expectations and project implementation.

In this interview, Laura Codere takes us on a journey through the 3-year implementation of this UIA initiative and, through lessons learned on all seven dimensions of the UIA framework for implementation challenges, helps us understand what it takes to overcome obstacles and solve problems in an environment full of interdependent variables.