Coaching Strategies for Corporate Innovation

Ivan Yong Wei-Kit is an organizational psychologist, engineer, and startup angel investor. He is also the co-President of EMCC Asia Pacific and co-founder of the Corporate Disruptors Forum. He mentors for MDEC (a Malaysian startup agency) and drives social innovation as a UNITAR Adjunct Professor in Entrepreneurship, blending expertise to shape future-ready leaders and disrupt industries.Sam Lee is a serial entrepreneur and startup angel investor/mentor. He co-founded the Corporate Disruptors Forum, an international platform for accelerating the corporate innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. He is also a founding member of Innovative Business Foundation, a non-profit organization for charitable works to assist the development of young scientists and entrepreneurs in China and Hong Kong SAR.

“This groundbreaking book offers a masterful synthesis of coaching strategies and corporate innovation, with a keen focus on the human elements that drive successful collaborations. The authors' systematic approach to bridging cultural gaps and fostering trust between corporations and startups is both practical and insightful. Their emphasis on character-based leadership and the 'people before technology' principle provides a fresh perspective that's essential for today's innovation landscape. An invaluable resource for corporate leaders, coaches, and anyone involved in open innovation initiatives."Nelson Yip, Hong Kong SAR Government The Medal of Honor Recipient, Torch Bearer and Paralympian, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Honorary Fellow, The City University of Hong Kong & Lingnan University of Hong Kong“This book offers coaches working with clients in this fast-paced corporate world a clearly signposted systemic approach to coaching for corporate innovation that is rooted in the authors’ extensive knowledge and experience of corporate leaders as well as organisational strategy and leadership in the corporate world. Beyond offering specific steps, it helps the coach understand the challenges at every turn in context and from the perspective of their clients. The book is a treasure trove for reflective practitioners who want to understand their clients within their unique systems and build on the leadership knowledge, theory and research brought together in this book.”Silvia King , Positivity International, EMCC Global Research Accelerator co-lead“In today's fast-moving business landscape, 'Coaching Strategies for Corporate Innovation' delivers exactly what organizations need - a practical roadmap for bridging the gap between corporate stability and startup agility. Ivan Yong Wei Kit and Sam Lee have created something special here, drawing from their wealth of experience to show how coaching transforms innovation partnerships.What impressed me most was their insight that innovation success isn't primarily about technology, but about people, culture and leadership character. Their three-phase approach - Matching Innovation, Collaborative Innovation, and Ecosystem Innovation - tackles the human challenges that often derail corporate-startup collaborations.The book shines with real-world case studies that bring these concepts to life. Whether you're an innovation leader, coach, or entrepreneur, you'll find immediately applicable strategies for building trust, aligning vision, and creating sustainable partnerships.This is essential reading for anyone serious about corporate innovation. The authors have delivered a work that's both intellectually stimulating and practically valuable - a rare combination that makes this book a must-have resource.”Lim Chee Gay, Managing Director – GOC APAC, The Access Group “This book is an essential contribution to corporate innovation and growth, highlighting the concept of intrapreneurship . It is accessible, clearly written, and explores the often overlooked area of coaching in corporate innovation. The authors effectively connect coaching with corporate innovation, emphasizing that successful innovation begins with people building trust and collaboration within and outside organizations. Successive chapters convincingly argue for the role of coaching in corporate innovation and provide guidance on phases of innovation and impactful coaching areas. A brilliant read for coaches and corporate leaders.”Alison Mitchell, EMCC Global Head of Centre for Excellence in Research“This insightful book co-authored by Ivan Yong Wei Kit and Sam Lee expertly combines theoretical frameworks with practical coaching methodologies, offering a comprehensive systemic approach to fostering corporate innovation through collaborating with startup companies. The authors present coaching not merely as an adjunctive practice but as a transformative power in corporate innovation, an essential catalyst for stakeholders’ alignment. Acknowledging the volatility and continuous transformation of today's business environment, they focus on trust-building through application of emotional intelligence, coachability, co-creation, and transparency, providing indispensable guidance for cultivating sustainable corporate innovation ecosystems.”Andrey Kostyuk, CEO, Founder @ AAlchemy Ventures | Angel Investor and EMCC-accredited Startup Mentor

• PART 1. Introduction to Corporate Innovation and Coaching Innovation 1. Corporate Innovation 2. Coaching Innovation PART 2. The Matching Innovation 3. Founder Before Technology 4. Shared Vision, Shared Dreams PART 3. The Collaborative Innovation 5. Culture is Key 6. Trust Before Collaboration PART 4. The Ecosystem of Innovation 7. Progressive Pivoting 8. An Emergent Role PART 5. Conclusion And a Call To Action