Executive Diagnostic · Innovation

What kind of innovator are you?

Innovation is not one personality type. Some people innovate by challenging assumptions; others by improving systems, observing customers, connecting ideas, building prototypes, or translating bold concepts into practical action. This short diagnostic helps you understand your innovation style and the discovery habits you can strengthen.

8–10 minutes2 diagnostics · 43 itemsImmediate style + skills result
Why this matters now

Innovation is not one type of person. It is a set of complementary styles and trainable behaviours.

Strong innovation teams need both people who improve what exists and people who rethink the frame. This audit stops teams from mistaking style difference for personal resistance, and makes visible the discovery behaviours anyone can build.

What the audit measures

Two practical diagnostics: innovation style and discovery skills

The first tool shows your preferred problem-solving style (the adaptive–innovative continuum). The second measures the five discovery behaviours you actually practise — questioning, observing, networking, experimenting, and associating.

Part 1 · Innovation Style

Framing and Idea Generation

How you frame problems and generate options — improving what exists versus rethinking the frame entirely.

Part 1 · Innovation Style

Structure and Execution

Whether you work best with plans, documentation, and clarity, or with prototypes, flexibility, and early learning.

Part 1 · Innovation Style

Rules, Norms, and Authority

Whether you work within accepted rules and group norms or challenge and bypass them.

01

Questioning

Asking probing questions that challenge assumptions, reframe the problem, and open new possibilities.

02

Observing

Noticing what others miss by watching customers, users, and employees in their real context.

03

Networking

Seeking diverse perspectives by deliberately reaching outsiders, experts, and weak ties.

04

Experimenting

Learning by trying — reducing uncertainty through prototypes, pilots, and tests.

05

Associating

Connecting distant ideas through analogy, pattern recognition, and cross-domain thinking.

Who it is for

For managers, teams, and innovation leaders

What you receive

An immediate, useful innovation snapshot

How Stratify uses the result

The pre-diagnosis layer of the program

The audit is the pre-diagnosis — the first step of Stratify’s program model. Your results become the starting point for a briefing that clarifies whether a custom innovation program would help and which discovery behaviours it should focus on.

Method & privacy

This is a developmental reflection tool designed for learning and team discussion, not a validated psychometric test. It is not the official Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory (KAI) or the official Innovator’s DNA profile; it is inspired by Michael Kirton’s Adaption-Innovation tradition and by the discovery-skills work of Dyer, Gregersen, and Christensen. Your answers are used only to prepare your results and to contact you, are not shared with third parties, and are protected under data-protection law.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the official KAI or Innovator’s DNA test?

No. It is a clearly labelled developmental tool inspired by those research traditions — it is not the official instrument and should not be interpreted as a validated psychometric test.

Does a higher score mean better?

For style, no — adaptive and innovative are both valuable; neither is superior. For discovery skills, higher does mean a stronger, learnable habit.

How long does it take?

About 8–10 minutes; two short diagnostics and a few optional questions.

Who should complete it?

Managers, team leaders, and anyone responsible for innovation. Multiple responses from one team are especially valuable.

Is this a personality test?

No. The style scan measures preferences and the discovery scan measures habits — and habits can be learned.

What happens after I complete it?

You see your result immediately, receive a summary email (with a PDF), and can book a 30-minute Innovation Briefing.

Can we use it as a team?

Yes. The results are designed for team workshops; they reveal the team’s style distribution and discovery-skill gaps.

What kind of innovator are you?

Immediate style + skills result · 8–10 minutes