In our previous article 'Two years of Innometrikz®' we analysed data from 174 self-assessments and several full Innometrikz® audits. The conclusions were clear: organisations underinvest in creative capabilities, the ideation phase is the weakest link and leaders overestimate how well they fulfil their role.
But when we break down that same data by sector, the differences become truly visible. And surprisingly, so do the similarities.
All figures in this article are averages based on Innometrikz self-assessment data, supplemented with insights from our full audits.
Numbers per sector
Average total scores vary significantly across sectors:
More than 20 percentage points between the highest and lowest sectors. Between organisations that all share the same ambition: engaging their people in innovation.
As we described in our previous article, 'Developing creative potential' scores lowest in five out of six sectors. Organisations neither select for creative talent nor invest in developing it. That pattern runs like a thread through the data. But beneath it, each sector has a distinctly different profile.
The 12 building blocks of the Cromax® framework
The highest score of all sectors. Building expertise, composing mature teams and setting direction all score well. Leadership in tech organisations clearly creates room for innovation.
But those who think this represents a comfortable lead are mistaken. The competition is investing just as hard. And even here, 'Developing creative potential' scores lowest. Even in the sector that thrives on innovation, creative capabilities are insufficiently developed and too rarely selected for.
The full Innometrikz audit we conducted at a biotech R&D organisation confirms this: despite a strong total score, creative potential is the weakest domain there too.
Government employees score strongly on developing patiently and building expertise. The motivation and perseverance are there.
But the ideation phase is weak: devising creative solutions and developing creative potential both score low. There is knowledge and there is perseverance, but the processes and skills to convert that knowledge into innovative solutions are missing.
The full audit we conducted at a government agency showed the same pattern, with leadership as the clear lowest level (44%). This aligns with the insight from our first article: leaders structurally overestimate how well they fulfil their role.
Education scores highly on individual qualities: building expertise and developing patiently. Unsurprisingly: education professionals are naturally curious learners.
But leadership scores lowest of all three levels here. Supporting development and future-oriented decision-making are the weakest domains. The individual potential is there, but the organisation fails to harness it.
A striking profile: the team-level domains score highest. Devising creative solutions and creating buy-in both perform well. But leadership scores dramatically low, with future-oriented decision-making as the absolute outlier at the bottom.
The teams are capable. Leadership is holding them back. Once again the pattern we consistently see in our full audits: leaders overestimate how well they fulfil their role.
Manufacturing organisations fall into the Junior category. The team level scores relatively strongest, supported by task-oriented collaboration and composing mature teams. But both the individual and leadership levels score weak.
Developing creative potential drops to 24% here. Creative talent is neither selected for nor invested in. The full audits we conducted at two industrial organisations confirm this: leadership scores as the lowest level there too.
Healthcare scores highest on 'creating mature teams'
Healthcare scores the lowest. But the story behind the number is more complex than the figure suggests.
Due to labour market shortages and high workloads, the focus in healthcare has shifted entirely to the operational. Understandable. But also a missed opportunity, because it is precisely internal innovation that can provide part of the solution: smarter processes, less administrative burden, better organised teams.
And therein lies the paradox: healthcare scores the highest on composing mature teams. The team culture is there. Healthcare professionals are used to collaborating under pressure. But developing creative potential drops to 23%, and stimulating creativity scores equally low.
The foundation is there. What is missing are the processes and leadership to make that foundation productive for innovation.
The full Innometrikz® audit we conducted at a medium sized hospital, surveying more than 1700 employees, with almost 700 respondents, confirms this picture.
Three things stand out when we compare sectors side by side.
The problem is not sector-specific, but the solution is. Developing creative potential is the weakest domain everywhere. But the starting point for change differs per sector: in healthcare, the team culture is the lever; in tech, it is leadership that already creates room; in government, it is the perseverance that is already there. Those who know where the strength already lies, know where to begin.
The higher the operational pressure, the lower the score. Healthcare and manufacturing are at the bottom. Not because their people are less capable, but because daily pressure absorbs all room for innovation. The paradox: these are precisely the sectors that would benefit most from internal innovation.
The sector average says nothing about your position. Technology scores highest, but that is the average. The question is not whether your sector is doing well. The question is whether you are doing better than your direct competitors. And you only know that when you measure it.
The free Innometrikz® self-assessment gives you a first picture in nine minutes.
But the real insight comes when you survey all layers of the organisation. See what the full Innometrikz audit can do for your organisation.
This article is based on average scores from the Innometrikz self-assessment (174 respondents, January 2024 - April 2026) broken down by sector, supplemented with results from full Innometrikz audits at organisations in healthcare, manufacturing, government and biotech.
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