Three years after promoting a structured innovation governance framework to Omani government organizations, Dr. Maryam Tubeileh, an innovation governance advisor, reports limited progress in translating innovation strategies into tangible outcomes. Despite the development and distribution of various frameworks and international recognition for innovation governance efforts, many organizations in Oman have yet to adopt these tools in practice, leaving innovation initiatives stalled at the ideation stage.
During an initial visit, Dr. Tubeileh encountered contrasting reactions: some organizations had already developed their own innovation management frameworks, while others had received international awards for innovation governance guidebooks. However, a recent revisit revealed that these celebrated frameworks largely remained unused or unknown in day-to-day operations. As a result, innovation efforts continue to rely heavily on individual initiative rather than systematic processes, and the gap between generating ideas and executing them persists.
Dr. Tubeileh emphasizes that this situation reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of innovation governance. The creation of frameworks and guidebooks alone does not equate to effective governance or improved innovation outcomes. Instead, the real challenge lies in the disciplined adoption of these frameworks, entailing organizational change such as aligning responsibilities, building capabilities, measuring performance, and holding leadership accountable for delivering results rather than just outputs.
Highlighting the tendency of organizations to focus on the visible accomplishments of framework development and external recognition, Dr. Tubeileh warns this approach can amount to "theatre" if it does not lead to practical implementation. While building capacity and earning accolades are positive steps, they should not obscure the critical need to measure adoption and impact objectively.
Dr. Tubeileh offers three main recommendations for strengthening Oman’s innovation ecosystem. First, organizations that develop governance frameworks should pilot and operate them internally as core activities rather than side projects. Second, progress metrics should focus on how extensively frameworks are adopted and their influence on innovation speed, quality, and strategic alignment, rather than on accolades or published standards. Third, introducing external accountability is crucial to challenge organizations and ensure that guidebooks translate into meaningful behavioral and operational changes.
As Oman continues to build its innovation capacity, the focus must shift from producing governance artifacts to embedding disciplined frameworks within organizations to bridge the persistent gap between ideas and execution. Without this shift, innovation governance risks remaining a paper exercise rather than a driver of sustainable economic and institutional transformation.