Innovation Capabilities

Shackling Innovation — The Iron Triangle

Companies are often frozen in place by an “iron triangle” of failure, risk, and learning. Even those with lofty ambitions for furthering innovation get tripped up by common business behaviors that, while innocuous on their own, create inadvertent roadblocks…

Building a Culture of Innovation

From startups to large corporations, building a culture of innovation is high on the list of priorities for most companies. There’s enormous potential that can be unlocked by fostering creativity among the employees who know the ins and outs of your industry and your…

How Consumer Goods Companies Create Breakthrough Innovations

“Jobs to be Done” vs. “Needs” and “Outcomes” — How They Are Different

My mentor Clayton Christensen, Professor at Harvard Business School and originator of the term “disruptive innovation,” is fond of saying that great innovations come from deeply understanding customers’ jobs to…

Harnessing Offsite Innovation Labs and Talent-Based Acquisitions

Five Pitfalls to Avoid When Building Innovation Capabilities

While the term “innovation” has recently been lambasted for both its misuse and its overuse, there is no denying that a strong innovation program is an essential component of long-term organic growth. Despite their…

Three Ways Great Ideas Get Stopped

Ideas can be the easiest part of innovation. With a rigorously defined problem and a structured approach to problem-solving, teams usually have no issues generating a long list of solid ideas and establishing some priorities.​