The paper studies the management needs for innovative design in a factory. An experiment launched in the Airbus's factory at Saint-Nazaire shows that an innovative type of design can exist in a factory. It offers long-term solutions for manufacturing and redefines the performance at the shop floor level. The following article questions the management needs for this design. The paper is based on a qualitative and quantitative analysis of 30 cases of design approaches, innovative or more conservative one. The article shows that the composition of the team, the role of the leader and the available means to drive the approach are critical in the management, and differ from the management generally applied in an industrial context (continuous improvement or industry 4.0). It gives keys to the practitioner to consider the management practices adapted to an innovation approach at the shop floor level.