Strategy & Governance

SNHU’s Paul LeBlanc on Higher Ed in a Time of Intense Change

Every Online Event We’re Doing in April and May

Working from Home: Seven Tips for Doing It Productively

Keeping Innovation Alive in the Time of COVID-19

Five Innovation Best Practices to Kick Off March

SNHU’s Paul LeBlanc on Higher Ed in a Time of Intense Change
Every Online Event We’re Doing in April and May
Working from Home: Seven Tips for Doing It Productively
Keeping Innovation Alive in the Time of COVID-19
Five Innovation Best Practices to Kick Off March

Innovation groups often get created by fiat, before they’ve developed a strategy. And many companies have existing R&D or product development organizations that would benefit from fresh thinking about their mission.

Whether you’re laying out strategy for the first time, or as part of an update process, our coverage allows you to learn from veterans of innovation and R&D roles. A good resource to start with is our Benchmarking Report, published in collaboration with KPMG, which includes data on the structure, focus, budgets, and size of innovation teams at large companies, as well as advice from executives in senior innovation and strategy roles.

Don’t Celebrate Failure, Celebrate Trying to Solve Hard Problems

Instead of celebrating failure, writes Brian Mullen, a former hospital innovation team member, teams should celebrate attempts to solve problems.

How Disney’s Philosophy on Failure Drives Growth

“I have always tried to make everyone aware that failure is not a corporate death sentence,” says former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. Here are some of the biggest failures Disney has experienced in the last 20 years — and how the entertainment giant has bounced back.

Demonstrate Value by Looking for Gaps to Fill

“Whenever the business softened just a little…Time horizons would shrink from years to ‘today,’” writes former Starbucks VP Dennis McGrath…

Living Through Budget Cuts: Mission, Communication & Metrics

“In recessions…groups get shut down completely,” says health care innovation expert Naomi Fried. Fried discusses defending the mission when times are tight…

How Downturns Impact Innovation Teams

”In a time of business contraction, innovation initiatives tend to be identified as an easy place to cut,” writes former Adidas Group innovation leader Sean Bayrakal.

The First 5 Things to Do When You’re Given Responsibility for Corporate Innovation

There are major risks of failure that surround every new innovation program. But there are also ”clear steps that innovation leaders can take to mitigate these risks, while increasing the likelihood that they can generate a concrete ROI for their company,” writes Alex Slawsby, a Director of Innovation at the Brazilian aerospace firm Embraer. He lists the first five inside…

Research Report

Benchmarking Innovation Impact 2018

Innovating inside large organizations is not easy. So how do you deliver concrete, tangible impact — over the short-term, medium-term, and long-term? Innovation Leader and KPMG have collaborated to create the go-to resource on corporate innovation, based on detailed survey data and interviews with senior executives at Whirlpool, Boeing, Johnson & Johnson, Southern Company, General Motors, and more.

Audio & Video Resources

Coming Soon: Innovation Answered Season 4

Innovation Answered’s fourth season starts May 5, 2020. Find out what you can expect to learn from the show’s producer, Kaitlin Milliken, and intern, Molli DeRosa.

How Your Team Can Acclimate to Remote Work

Scott Berkun, author of the book The Year Without Pants: Wordpress.com and the Future of Work, shares best practices for running a distributed team. Watch the video.

Pursuing Innovation During COVID-19

Experts share best practices for teams as they navigate uncertainty. Topics include shifting teams’ priorities, switching to remote work, and cultivating a “service oriented” mindset.

Navigating through Chaotic Times

Do you feel like challenging times may be ahead? Experts with experience at DuPont, Starbucks, Bayer, and more discuss how they’re reading the tea leaves.

Eight Practices to Fire Up Your Innovation Culture

Victor Assad and Arthur Liberian share eight practices that can help companies fire up their innovation culture. Find out how your team can unleash creativity.

Podcast: Loonshots — Crazy Ideas that Just Might Work

How can companies embrace risky — but potentially revolutionary — ideas? Authors Safi Bahcall and Hugh Molotsi tackle this question at Innovation Leader’s 2019 Impact event.

Boundaries, Blockers, and Overcoming the Limits of Innovation

Learn methods for recognizing the boundaries to innovation practices, and how to work around them. Get advice on how to move your organization into a position to thrive.

How General Mills Uses ‘Breakup Letters’ to Better Understand Consumers

Jodi Benson shares how General Mills puts consumer needs first, and how a 150+ year old company is evolving the way it innovates to better meet those needs.

‘Loonshots’: How to Support Crazy Ideas That Just Might Work

Ideas that have the potential to reshape industries may end up stuck in the corporate basement. So how can companies embrace risky ideas? Authors Safi Bahcall and Hugh Molotsi serve up answers in this video.

Ask Us Anything Webcast, with General Mills & Citi Ventures

Beth Devin of Citi Ventures and Kirsten Aune of General Mills joined us to answer innovation questions submitted by our members.

Failure: The Other F-Word

Innovators often repeat the mantra, “Fail fast, fail cheap.” But is that the right approach to projects that flop?

Inside the Mind of Alex Osterwalder

“What’s the latest from the mind of Alex Osterwalder?” We sat down with Osterwalder to discuss business model innovation and the themes in his upcoming book.

Inside the Supply Chain

How can supply chain innovation deliver serious value? Guests from Retail Business Services, J&J, and MIT’s Center for Transportation and Logistics discuss.